Pricing Guide · Mendocino County
What a private chef costs, in plain numbers
Most private chefs make you inquire just to learn a starting price. We’d rather you know before you write to us. Below are our guide rates, our event minimum, and exactly what’s included — so the quote you eventually get feels like confirmation, not a surprise. Read them the way you’d read our sample menus: a real indication of what to expect, finalized once we know your date and your table.
All events have a $1,400 minimum
Most of our dinners fall well above it. We state it up front so you can tell straight away whether we’re the right fit for your table — no inquiry required.
Our rates
These are guide prices, not fixed quotes — a starting point, and where most events actually land. Your number depends on courses, menu style, ingredients, and service level, and we put it in writing before you commit. Every rate includes menu design, sourcing, all shopping, cooking, service, and full kitchen cleanup, and every event carries the $1,400 minimum.
Morning
Brunch
From $95 per person
Typically $115–145
Cooked and served, not a drop-off spread. Morning-after brunches, welcome mornings, and slow starts during a group stay.
Midday
Lunch
From $125 per person
Typically $145–175
A proper seated midday meal — retreat lunches, working sessions, and long afternoons that shouldn’t end with anyone doing dishes.
Evening · most requested
Dinner
From $175 per person
Typically $195–245
A multi-course dinner cooked in your kitchen and served course by course. Birthdays, anniversaries, girls’ weekends, family gatherings.
Weddings
The Wedding Itself
From $250 per person
Typically $275–350
The reception, or the microwedding itself. Rehearsal and welcome dinners are priced as dinners, from $215; the morning-after brunch from $95. More on wedding catering. Kitchen team, service staff, vendor coordination, and a timeline we hold to.
Signature
Tasting Menu & Open-Fire Farm Dinner
From $275 per person
Typically $295–350
Our most involved work: an extended tasting menu, or a long table cooked over open fire with the harvest coming from steps away.
Multi-day & business
Retreats & Corporate
Custom quote
Per person, per day
Multi-day retreats, group stays, and corporate offsites are priced per person per day against your actual schedule — how many meals, how many days, how many people.
What’s always included
Menu design & consultation · all ingredient sourcing and shopping · on-site cooking and plating · attentive service through the meal · full kitchen cleanup. You host; we handle everything else.
Billed separately
- Travel beyond 15 miles of Mendocino — quoted with your proposal. Mendocino, Little River, Caspar, Albion, and Fort Bragg sit inside the radius; Elk, Westport, Philo, Boonville, Ukiah, and Willits are outside it. On Highway 1, fifteen miles is close to an hour.
- Additional service staff — $275 per server, when your guest count or service style calls for it
- Wine & beverages — we’ll advise on Anderson Valley pairings or shop on your behalf at cost
- Specialty rentals — tables, linens, glassware, and anything the venue doesn’t have
- Gratuity — optional, always appreciated
Popular add-ons
Wine pairings & bar service · floral tablescapes · grazing boards & cocktail-hour bites · interactive cooking with the chef
What moves the price
Which meal (a served brunch and a five-course dinner are different jobs) · menu style (an extended tasting menu sits above a family-style feast) · ingredients (king salmon and beef tenderloin sit above a garden galette) · season (June–October books fastest) · venue logistics (travel beyond 15 miles, kitchen setup, rentals, extra staff).
Booking terms: a 50% deposit reserves your date · balance due the week of your event. Browse sample menus or see two sample proposals to picture your table.
Community pop-ups are different on purpose
Our public pop-up dinners run on sliding-scale tickets at $20 / $40 / $60 (Support / Sustain / Solidarity) — no minimum, no per-person rate. Keeping the community table open to everyone is the point. Watch the Events page for the next one.
Ready for your exact number?
Date, guest count, occasion — we’ll reply with a custom menu and an all-in quote, usually within 2 business days.