Private Chef Experiences · Mendocino County

December fills up with parties: the team that finally gets together, the friends’ party that’s become a tradition, the open house where the whole road drops by. We cook for all of them, at your home, your office, a rented hall or the big house you’ve taken for the week.

Pick the format

• Small plates, passed. Hot and cold bites carried through the room, so people can talk with a glass in one hand. Best when the party’s about mingling.
• A grazing table. One long, generous spread that keeps getting refilled: local cheese and charcuterie, something warm from the oven, seasonal vegetables done properly, and dessert. Best for open houses where people come and go.
• A seated dinner. Courses at one long table. Best for a team dinner, a board, or a group of friends who want an actual evening together.

Plenty of parties mix them: passed bites while everyone arrives, then dinner. We’ll help you pick.

Company parties

A December party is often the only time a whole team’s in one room. We’ll work with whoever’s organizing it, keep track of every dietary need, and label the food so nobody has to ask. We can invoice the company directly. Running a full offsite instead? See corporate catering.

Friends, neighbors and open houses

For a house party, we cook and keep the food coming while you host, then clean up after so the morning’s yours. If the party’s at a community hall or a venue, our venue guides say what each kitchen can handle, and the event rentals guide covers tables, linens and glassware.

The bar

Serving drinks at a venue sometimes needs a permit, and some places have a hard music curfew. Our bar service guide covers both, plus who on the coast pours.

Book the date now

Most holiday parties land on the same few Fridays and Saturdays in December, and those go first. Weeknights are easier to get and often make for a better party.

What’s on in December

Plenty of groups build a party night around one of these:

• Festival of Lights, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Fort Bragg. The gardens lit up after dark, every Friday to Sunday from November 27 to December 20, 5 to 8pm. Buy timed tickets ahead: $16 online, more at the door, free for 16 and under. (Botanical Gardens)
• Winter Wonderland and the Holiday Lights Parade, Fort Bragg. A tree lighting and a parade of logging trucks, hot rods and old fire engines strung with lights. It’s usually the first Saturday in December; the 2026 date isn’t announced yet. (Visit Fort Bragg)
• Hometown Holidays, Point Arena. Saturday, December 12, until 7pm: a pop-up market, shop specials, caroling and a tree lighting on Main Street. (Point Arena)
• Gualala Arts. The Holiday Concert for the Coast, Saturday, December 12 at 3pm ($25), and Brunch with Santa, Saturday, December 19 at 11am ($15). (Gualala Arts)
• Skunk Train Christmas train, Willits. A two-hour round trip into the redwoods to a giant living Christmas tree, with carols and treats on board. From $59.95, and it sells out. It leaves from Willits, about an hour inland. (Skunk Train)

Compiled from organizers’ own listings. Checked October 15, 2026; dates and prices change, so check with the organizer before you go.

Good to know

What does a holiday party cost?

Parties are quoted from your guest count and the format: passed bites, grazing or seated. The pricing guide has our guide rates and what’s included.

How big a party can you do?

Tell us the number and the space. We’ll be straight with you about what works there, and bring in extra hands for a bigger crowd.

Can you work around a storm?

We’ll watch the forecast with you; this is El Niño winter, after all. Our El Niño guide has what to plan for.

More holiday dinners: all holiday dinners · Halloween · Thanksgiving · Christmas · New Year’s Eve · Sample menus · What to expect

Check your date

Tell us the date, the place and roughly how many are coming. We’ll get back to you with a few questions and a time to talk.