How much does a private chef cost in Massachusetts?
Rates, worked examples, and what is included. Updated September 2026.
I’m Jeff, a private chef based in Central Massachusetts, cooking dinners in homes across Greater Boston, MetroWest, and Worcester County. The first thing almost everyone asks is what it costs, and most chef websites make you fill out a form to find out. Here is the whole answer, with my actual prices, so you can decide whether it makes sense before you ever email me.
The short version: a four-course dinner is $100 per person family-style or $125 per person plated, plus groceries at cost (typically about $35 to $45 per person). Dinners start at $650, which covers up to five guests. A seven-course tasting menu is $175 per person.
Private chef cost per person
My prices are a per-person service fee. That fee covers my time: writing the menu, shopping, prep, the evening itself, and cleanup. Ingredients are separate and billed at what I paid, with receipts.
| Format | Chef fee | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Family-style dinner | $100 per person | Four courses on platters, passed at the table. Relaxed, abundant, good for bigger groups and birthdays. |
| Plated dinner | $125 per person | Four individually plated courses, one at a time, restaurant-style. My most requested format. |
| Tasting menu | $175 per person | Seven smaller courses that follow the season and show a bit more technique. For people who love food. |
Two rules sit underneath the table. Dinners start at $650 in chef fees, which is five guests at the plated rate; a dinner for two or three is still $650. And groceries are billed at cost, so you pay for what is on the plate and nothing more. A chicken-and-vegetables menu costs less to shop for than one with oysters and lamb, and your invoice reflects that.
What a private chef costs for one night
Here is what real dinners come to, chef fee plus a grocery range. These are the numbers I quote; the groceries land somewhere in the range depending on the menu we settle on.
| The dinner | Chef fee | Groceries | Evening total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date night or anniversary, 2 guests, plated | $650 (minimum) | $80 to $110 | $730 to $760 |
| Dinner party, 6 guests, plated | $750 | $250 to $300 | $1,000 to $1,050 |
| Birthday, 10 guests, family-style | $1,000 | $325 to $400 | $1,325 to $1,400 |
| Milestone dinner, 14 guests, plated, plus server | $1,750 + $250 server | $575 to $650 | $2,575 to $2,650 |
| Rehearsal dinner, 16 guests, plated, plus server | $2,000 + $250 server | $650 to $750 | $2,900 to $3,000 |
| Tasting menu, 6 guests, seven courses | $1,050 | Estimated with the quote | $1,050 plus groceries |
A server is $250 for the evening, required for plated dinners of 13 or more and family-style dinners of 17 or more, and available for any size. Kids twelve and under are $50 each; under five eat free. Gratuity isn’t included or expected, but it’s always appreciated.
What is included in the fee
Every dinner, at every price, includes:
- A menu written for your group, around your guests’ allergies and preferences. Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, and shellfish-free guests get a dish designed for them, not a plate with things removed.
- All the shopping and sourcing.
- Prep and cooking on-site in your kitchen, with my own knives, pans, and induction burner. Small kitchens and old ovens are fine.
- Course-by-course service. I introduce each dish in a sentence, then get out of the way.
- Printed menus at every seat.
- Full kitchen cleanup. I leave it cleaner than I found it.
- Leftovers packed and labeled.
- The house touches: welcome pickles, warm bread and seasonal butter, a little something sweet after dessert, and a treat for the next morning.
- My tabletop kit if you want it: stoneware, glassware, silverware, a runner, cloth napkins, candles. No charge.
Not included: alcohol (you buy and pour it; I’ll send a bottle-by-bottle list matched to each course and walk everyone through each one at the table), and travel outside my no-fee area. A wine, beer, or cocktail pairing plan, written course by course with exactly what to buy and where, is $100.
What moves the price up or down
Headcount
The biggest lever. Under five guests you pay the $650 minimum; above that it is a straight per-person fee. Six to ten guests is the sweet spot for value.
Format
Family-style is $25 per person less than plated because service is simpler. A tasting menu costs more because seven courses is twice the prep and a longer night.
The menu
Ingredients are at cost, so the menu decides the grocery line. Braised short ribs and a roast chicken feed a table for less than halibut and scallops. I’ll tell you which way a menu leans when we plan it.
Holidays
Thanksgiving through New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day, are priced 25% above my regular rates. Every other night, including December Saturdays, is regular pricing.
Travel
No travel fee across Greater Boston, MetroWest, and Worcester County, Cambridge to Worcester. The North Shore, the Berkshires, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, and coastal Connecticut add a travel fee that I quote up front.
Extras
A server ($250, required at 13+ plated or 17+ family-style), a pairing plan ($100), kids’ plates ($50). Nothing else is an upsell.
Personal chef vs. private chef
People search for both, and the two get used to mean the same thing, so here is how I use them. A personal chef cooks your regular meals: weekly meal prep, made in your kitchen and packed in your fridge so weeknights are handled. A private chef cooks and serves a dinner while you host. Dinners are most of what I do; weekly meal prep is waitlist only right now. If you are pricing a full-time household chef, that is a salaried job, generally high five figures to low six figures a year in the Boston area before benefits; for most families, booking a chef for the nights that matter costs a fraction of that.
Private chef vs. a restaurant
For two people, a good restaurant is cheaper than the $650 minimum. What you are buying from me on a date night is a menu written for the two of you, a table with no time limit, and your own living room afterward.
From about six guests the math changes. A plated dinner for six runs $1,000 to $1,050 all in, or roughly $165 to $175 a head. A comparable night out in Boston, once you add wine at restaurant markup, tip, and getting six people there and back, is often in the same range or above it, with a two-hour table and a menu somebody else wrote. At ten or more guests, hosting at home is usually the better deal and a much better party.
How to get an exact quote
Send me five things and I’ll reply with availability and a written quote, usually the same day:
- The date (and a backup, if you have one).
- The town.
- How many guests, and how many are kids.
- Plated, family-style, or tasting menu, if you already know.
- Anything about the guests: allergies, a vegetarian, someone who hates cilantro, the occasion. For a wedding, reunion, or retreat, see events.
The quote shows the chef fee and a grocery estimate as separate lines. A $200 deposit holds the date and comes off the total; it is fully refundable up to 7 days before the dinner. The balance is invoiced the day after, once groceries are a real number instead of an estimate.
Cost questions I get most
How much does a private chef cost per person in Massachusetts?
With me, a four-course family-style dinner is $100 per person and a four-course plated dinner is $125 per person. A seven-course tasting menu is $175 per person. Groceries are billed separately at cost, typically about $35 to $45 per person, so the all-in number for a plated dinner lands around $170 to $180 per person once you are past the minimum.
How much does a private chef cost for one night?
Dinners start at $650, which covers up to five guests at the plated rate, plus groceries. A plated dinner for six is $750 for my service plus about $250 to $300 in groceries, so roughly $1,000 to $1,050 all in. That includes the menu, the shopping, the cooking, the service, printed menus, and the cleanup.
What is included in the price?
A menu written for your group, all the shopping, prep and cooking in your kitchen with my own equipment, course-by-course service, printed menus for every guest, full kitchen cleanup, and leftovers packed and labeled. My tabletop kit (stoneware, glassware, silverware, linens, candles) is included at no charge if you want it.
Do private chefs charge extra for groceries?
I do, and I think it is the fair way to do it. Groceries are billed at cost with receipts, so a simple chicken dinner costs less than one with oysters and dry-aged beef. Most menus run about $35 to $45 per person in ingredients.
Is there a minimum?
Yes, $650 in chef fees. That covers up to five guests at the plated rate. For two people it works out to a dinner that costs about what a nice night out in Boston does, minus the drive, the babysitter, and the 9pm reservation.
Are holiday dates more expensive?
Thanksgiving through New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day, are priced 25% above my regular rates, and they book early. Everything else on the calendar, including Saturdays in December, is regular pricing.
What is the difference between a personal chef and a private chef?
The words get used interchangeably, but in practice a personal chef cooks your weeknight meals and a private chef cooks and serves a dinner while you host. Dinners are most of what I do (meal prep is waitlist only); a dinner party is priced per person as above.
How much does a full-time private chef cost?
A live-in or full-time household chef is a salaried job, and in the Boston area that is generally a high five-figure to low six-figure salary before benefits. Almost nobody needs that. Booking a chef for the nights that matter costs a small fraction of it, and you get the same result on the nights you care about.
How much do kids cost?
Kids twelve and under are $50 each, for a kid-friendly version of the menu or a smaller plate of what the grown-ups are having. Under five eat free.
Is a private chef cheaper than a restaurant?
For a group of six or more it is usually close, and sometimes cheaper, once you count drinks at restaurant markup, tip, and getting everyone there and back. You also get a menu written for your table, no time limit, and a kitchen that is cleaner when I leave than when I arrived. For two people a restaurant is cheaper; you are paying me for the experience, not the discount.
How far in advance should I book?
Two to four weeks is comfortable for most dinners. Holidays and Saturdays in the fall book a month or two out. If your date is next week, ask anyway; I can sometimes make it work.
How do I get an exact quote?
Send me the date, the town, the headcount, and anything I should know about the guests (allergies, kids, someone who hates cilantro). I reply with availability and a written quote that shows the chef fee and a grocery estimate as separate lines, so there are no surprises on the invoice.
Prices on this page are current as of September 2026 and match my services and pricing page. More on the planning page. They are for dinners in Massachusetts; with a travel fee I also cook on the North Shore, on Cape Cod, in the Berkshires, and in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Written by Jeff Raymond, owner and chef, Metta Personal Chef, Central Massachusetts.