Private Chef Experiences · Mendocino County

Christmas Eve is a Thursday this year and Christmas Day a Friday. If your family’s spending them in a house on the coast, we’ll cook the dinner, family-style down one long table, and you’ll spend the day with the people you came for.

These two dates go first

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the two nights everybody wants, and we can only be in so many kitchens. If you know where you’re staying, hold the date now and settle the menu later.

Your traditions, cooked properly

Every family has its version. The Feast of the Seven Fishes. Tamales. A standing rib roast. A goose somebody insists on every year. Tell us what Christmas tastes like in your family and we’ll cook it with you in mind, then fill in the rest from what this coast has in December.

That’s usually the best part. Dungeness crab is the Northern California Christmas, and if the season’s open we’ll put it on the table; if the opener slips, there’s always a backup course. Add winter roots and greens from the farms, wild mushrooms after the rain, Anderson Valley Pinot, and something slow-cooked that fills the house.

Family-style, on purpose

Big platters passed down the table, seconds within reach, the kids’ plates sorted early. Family-style suits Christmas: nobody’s stuck waiting for a course, and the table stays the center of the room. If you’d rather have plated courses for Christmas Eve, we’ll do that too.

Christmas morning

A brunch on Christmas morning is one of the easiest gifts to give a house full of people. We cook while you open presents, then clear up and leave before lunch. It pairs well with a dinner the night before.

Christmas on the coast

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the quietest days of the year here. The Festival of Lights ends on December 20, the Skunk Train doesn’t run on the 24th or 25th, and the Botanical Gardens close on Christmas Day. Which is exactly why dinner at the house is the event.

The week before is busy, though:

• 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)
• Brunch with Santa, Gualala Arts. 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. Daily from December 18 to 23, and again from the 26th. From $59.95, and it sells out. It leaves from Willits, about an hour inland. (Skunk Train)

And look out the window: gray whales pass the headlands heading south from late November into February, so an ocean-view rental at Christmas comes with whale watching from the table. (Point Cabrillo Light Station)

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 Christmas dinner cost?

Holiday dates are priced for the holiday: dinner from $275 a person, with most tables landing between $275 and $350, and a $2,500 minimum. It’s a lot of food and a long day in the kitchen, and these are the dates everyone wants. The pricing guide has the full rate card.

What if a storm hits on Christmas Eve?

We’ll be watching the forecast and the roads with you in the days before, and we’ll talk it through early if a big one’s coming. Our El Niño winter guide covers what a wet winter means out here.

Can you cook for the whole extended family?

Yes. Tell us the house and the headcount and we’ll tell you what its kitchen can handle. What to expect shows how a booking comes together.

More holiday dinners: all holiday dinners · Halloween · Thanksgiving · Holiday parties · New Year’s Eve · Sample menus

Check your date

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