How It Works · Transparent Pricing

A pre-stay audit, equipment we bring, and a kitchen restored to host standard.Starting at $150 per person. No surprise fees. Written proposal before you commit.

Vacation rental cooking is a specific kind of work. Different kitchen every booking, host expectations on cleanup, equipment that's almost always missing something. We've built our process around it. Here's how it works — and what it costs.

$150Starting per personthree tiers, transparent
7–10Days before staykitchen audit window
200+Rentals cooked inprocess is the experience
The four-step process

From booking to dinner served, what we do.

A vacation rental dinner has more moving parts than a dinner at home. Each of these steps exists because we've watched what goes wrong without it.

17–10 days

Pre-stay kitchen audit

We confirm the rental's equipment list with you (or directly with your host, if you prefer), photograph the kitchen if needed, and build a "what we're bringing" list. Sourcing routes get planned around your closest premium grocer.

2Day-of

Arrival prep

We arrive 90–120 minutes before service with all groceries, equipment, and supplies. Quick brief on dietary notes, plating preferences, and timing. We unpack into a contained working area so the rental's storage stays intact.

3Service

In-rental service

Hot food, plated and timed. You're at the table with your guests, not in the kitchen. We move through courses at your pace — if conversation runs long, dinner waits. If kids are at the table, we adapt timing.

4After

Restored to host standard

Dishes washed and put away in the rental's actual locations. Counters wiped. Trash and recycling sorted to the host's instructions. Anything we brought leaves with us. The kitchen looks like we were never there.

Why the process matters

A rental kitchen is not your kitchen. Treating it like one is how things go wrong.

Most chefs who cook in private homes treat a vacation rental like a smaller version of the same job. The differences are bigger than they look — and the four-step process exists to absorb them.

Three tiers, transparent

Pricing starts at $150 per person.

Per-person pricing scales with menu complexity, course count, and ingredient tier. All three include shopping, cooking, service, kitchen restoration, and equipment we bring. The price you see in the proposal is the price you pay.

Tier 1

Casual family-style

Weeknight-quality, served on platters
$150+ pp
Starting; varies by menu
  • Two courses: starter + family-style main
  • Served on platters, passed at the table
  • Quality everyday proteins (chicken, salmon, pork, pasta)
  • Best for: arrival night, casual family meal, kid-friendly
Plan a casual dinner →
Most booked
Tier 2

Plated dinner

Three courses, plated and timed
$200+ pp
Starting; varies by proteins
  • Three courses: appetizer, main, dessert
  • Plated individually, timed to the table
  • Mid-tier proteins (lamb, duck, halibut, prime steaks)
  • Best for: special-occasion dinner, gathering of friends, romantic evening
Book plated dinner →
Tier 3

Tasting menu

Five to seven courses, paired pacing
$300+ pp
Starting; varies by proteins
  • Five to seven small courses, progressive
  • Course-by-course pacing (90–120 minute experience)
  • Premium proteins (wagyu, lobster, dry-aged, foie, truffle in season)
  • Best for: anniversaries, milestone trips, proposals, the trip itself
Plan a tasting menu →

All tiers include shopping, cooking, plating, service, and full kitchen restoration. Equipment we bring is included at no extra charge. Travel beyond 30 minutes from the city core is a flat line item disclosed on the proposal.

What's always included

In every tier.

  • Pre-stay kitchen audit (7–10 days before)
  • Host coordination if requested
  • Shopping and ingredient sourcing
  • Equipment we bring (induction burners, sheet pans, knives, plating mise)
  • Cooking and service
  • Full kitchen restoration after service
  • Trash and recycling sorted to host's instructions
What's not included

Be aware of.

  • Wine and alcohol (we'll recommend pairings)
  • Gratuity (industry standard 18–22% of food cost)
  • Travel beyond 30 min from city core (flat line item)
  • Specialty rentals if rental kitchen lacks something we can't bring (rare — disclosed before service)
  • Server staff for parties over 12 (added to proposal)
  • Sales tax (added at proposal stage; varies by market)
Frequently asked

Pricing and logistics.

Ten honest answers to the questions guests actually ask. More on the full FAQ →

Shopping, cooking, plating, service, and full kitchen restoration. Equipment we bring at no extra charge. The per-person price scales with menu complexity — a casual two-course family-style dinner anchors at $150, plated three-course dinners typically run $200, and multi-course tasting menus start at $300. We send a written proposal with menu, exact price, and timing before you commit.
Most bookings run six guests or more. We can do smaller — four guests is workable — but the per-person price floor moves up because the fixed costs (travel, equipment, prep time) don't scale down proportionally. Total spend minimum varies by market and date; we'll tell you on the proposal.
Casual family-style is two courses, served on platters at the table, weeknight-quality cooking with great ingredients. Plated dinner is a true three-course dinner with timed plating, mid-tier proteins, and full table service. Tasting menu is five to seven courses, paired pacing, premium proteins, and is built around the experience itself — a special-occasion format, not a feeding format.
Up to 30 minutes of travel from the city core is included. Rentals further out (3 Creek Ranch in Jackson, Castle Creek in Aspen, certain Empire Pass and Promontory addresses in Park City) get a flat travel line item disclosed on the proposal. We don't surprise you with travel charges after the fact.
That's why we do the pre-stay kitchen audit. We confirm the equipment list 7–10 days out, photograph the kitchen, and identify what we'll bring. If we discover the kitchen genuinely lacks something we can't bring (a working oven, a proper sink), we tell you before service — not during — and we adjust the menu or recommend a workaround.
We bring induction burners, sheet pans, sauté pans, sharp knives, cutting boards, plating mise, garnish kits, and service utensils. The rental supplies dishes, glassware, flatware, and linens — those are part of what makes the rental a rental. If a piece of dishware is missing or insufficient, we bring backup.
Yes. We've cooked for guests with celiac, severe nut allergies, vegan plus omnivore mixed tables, kosher-style observance, and FODMAP-restricted diets in vacation rental kitchens. We bring our own boards and pans to avoid cross-contact. Tell us on the inquiry form and we'll structure the menu around it.
Gratuity is not included in the per-person price and is at your discretion. Industry standard for private chef service is 18–22 percent of the food cost. We don't pressure on this — if the experience deserves it, our guests typically tip well; if it doesn't, we want to know why.
Reschedules within 7 days of service are free if the new date is within 90 days. Cancellations within 7 days forfeit the deposit (typically 30 percent of total). Cancellations within 48 hours forfeit the full amount because we've already shopped and prepped. We'll always work with you on weather emergencies and family emergencies — the policy is for planning, not punishment.
Yes, and most of our work is multi-night. A typical week-long booking is welcome dinner on arrival, two more dinners during the stay, and a brunch on departure. We discount the per-person price for multi-meal bookings because the kitchen is already set up. Ask for the multi-meal package on the inquiry form.
Plan Your Rental Dinner

Tell us about your stay

Send your rental address, dates, guest count, and which tier you're considering. We'll reply within 24 hours with a written proposal.

Ready to plan

Pricing is the easy part.

The proposal we send back is the part worth your time — menu, exact pricing, timing, and the kitchen audit summary. Send the inquiry. We'll do the rest.

Get a Custom Quote → (516) 996-1202