What actually happens when a private chef cooks at your home
A minute-by-minute walkthrough of a private chef dinner — what they bring, what you provide, where they set up, and what you are supposed to do while it happens.
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Almost nobody books a private chef for the first time without quietly worrying about the mechanics. Do I have to entertain them? Do I have to have the right pans? Am I supposed to hover? Here is the whole evening, start to finish.
Before the day
- You describe the evening: date, guest count, rough budget, allergies, anything you love or hate. Chefs quote against that.
- You accept a quote and pay. On ChefnMe you are charged when you accept, and the chef is paid out after the event — so both sides are committed.
- The chef gets in touch to nail down the menu. Expect real questions: how adventurous are your guests, is anyone pregnant, does anyone actually dislike fish rather than being allergic to it.
- They ask about your kitchen. Number of burners, oven size, whether you have a food processor. This is not judgement — it is planning.
- A few days out you confirm final numbers. Guest count is the one thing chefs need locked, because it drives shopping.
Tell them the truth about your kitchen
The single most useful thing you can do is describe your kitchen accurately, including the broken burner. Chefs plan around constraints easily and improvise around surprises badly.
On the day
Two to three hours before guests arrive
The chef arrives with groceries already bought and a good deal of prep already done — stocks reduced, doughs rested, things that take six hours handled at their place. They will want to see your kitchen, find your bins, and work out where the plates live. Give them five minutes of your attention and then leave them to it.
What they bring
- All the ingredients.
- Their own knives. Every chef brings their own knives.
- Specialist equipment for the menu — a blowtorch, a mandoline, a temperature probe, sometimes a portable induction plate.
- Their own towels and often their own aprons.
What you provide
- Working heat: a stove and an oven.
- Counter space. Clearing your worktops beforehand is the second most useful thing you can do.
- Pots, pans, and baking trays — chefs use yours unless the menu needs something unusual.
- Plates, cutlery, and glassware for your guest count. Check you actually have enough of everything for ten if ten are coming.
- Fridge space. Free up a shelf.
- Bin liners, and somewhere to put recycling.
- Drinks. Chefs generally cannot supply alcohol.
While your guests are arriving
This is the part people get wrong. You do not need to host the chef. They are working, they are used to it, and they would genuinely rather you were with your guests than making conversation at them while they are trying to get a sauce to hold. Say hello, offer them water, and go.
Some chefs are performers who will talk your guests through every course and love an audience in the kitchen. Others are heads-down. Both are fine. If you want the chatty version — and it does make a good evening better — say so when you book, so they can plan a menu that leaves them room to talk.
Service
Courses come out when they are ready, not on a timetable, and the chef will pace them off how your table is doing. If conversation is flowing they will slow down. A four-course dinner typically runs two to two and a half hours.
One chef can plate and serve about eight guests comfortably. Beyond that, either the menu shifts to family style — big platters that go on the table — or you add a second person. Ask about this if you are over eight.
The end
After dessert the chef cleans the kitchen: pans washed, surfaces wiped, rubbish bagged, your things back roughly where they came from. This takes 30 to 45 minutes and is included. They will usually put leftovers in your fridge and tell you what they are. Then they say goodbye and go.
You will have leftovers
Chefs shop with a margin because running out is unforgivable and a little waste is not. Expect food for the next day. Ask what freezes.
Timing, roughly
| When | What is happening |
|---|---|
| 3 hours before | Chef arrives, unpacks, takes over the kitchen |
| 1 hour before | Deep in prep; this is the busiest and least sociable stretch |
| Guests arrive | Canapés or a first bite, if your menu has one |
| 30–45 min in | First course |
| Then every 30–40 min | Subsequent courses, paced to your table |
| After dessert | Kitchen cleaned, leftovers stored, chef leaves |
Source: Typical shape of a four-course dinner party for six to ten guests.
Common questions
Do I need to feed the private chef?
No. Chefs eat before or after and do not expect a plate. Offering water or a soft drink is a kind gesture and that is genuinely all that is expected.
What time does a private chef arrive?
Usually two to three hours before you want to eat, depending on the menu. A tasting menu may need four. They will tell you when they confirm the menu.
Do private chefs bring their own pots and pans?
Generally no — they use yours, and bring their own knives plus any specialist equipment the menu requires. If your kitchen is short on cookware, say so early and most chefs will bring what they need.
Can my guests watch the chef cook?
Usually yes, and many chefs enjoy it. Mention it when booking so the chef can plan a menu with room to talk, rather than one that needs total concentration in the final twenty minutes.
Does the private chef clean up afterwards?
Yes. Cleaning the kitchen is part of the booking — pans washed, surfaces wiped, rubbish bagged. You are responsible for the dining table and your own glassware.
Ready to plan one?
Describe the evening you want and chefs who serve your neighbourhood will send free quotes with menu ideas.
Start planning