Private Chef & Catering · Philo, Anderson Valley
Private Chef in Philo
Philo is the upper end of Anderson Valley, where the vineyards run into the redwoods at Hendy Woods and the Navarro River runs alongside the road. It is wine country without the polish of Napa — smaller properties, working orchards, and a lot of people who came for a tasting weekend and stayed a week.
We cook where you’re staying
Philo bookings are farm cottages, vineyard rentals, and group houses along the valley floor and up into the hills. Many sit on properties with outdoor space begging for a long table, and kitchens that range from beautifully equipped to charmingly rustic. Tell us which you’ve got and we’ll write to it.
Apples before grapes
Anderson Valley grew apples and sheep long before it grew pinot noir — the orchards came first by a century, and some of those old trees are still standing among the vines. Commercial winemaking only really took hold here from the 1970s, which by wine-country standards is yesterday. The redwood grove at Hendy Woods was never logged, so a few hundred acres of the valley look much as they did before any of this happened.
Our services in Philo
Philo bookings are built around wine and the outdoors:
Wedding weekends at valley properties are common, with the wedding itself from $250 per person, the dinners either side from $215, and brunch from $95. Full detail on all our services.
Worth knowing while you’re here
Things we’ve picked up cooking in Philo, for whoever is staying:
- Hendy Woods has two groves of old-growth redwood that were never logged — rare this far inland and far quieter than the coastal parks.
- The Navarro River has swimming holes that are genuinely good in July and August, when the coast is too cold to swim.
- Apples came to this valley a century before grapes, and some of the old orchards still stand among the vines.
- Tasting rooms cluster along Highway 128 within a few miles — you can do the valley without moving the car much.
- It gets hot here. Plan the big meal for the evening and eat outside.
Good for
- Winemaker and harvest dinners
- Wedding weekends at valley properties
- Long-table dinners under the redwoods
- Group houses on a tasting weekend
What the valley gives us
- Apples from the valley’s old orchards
- Stone fruit and tomatoes that ripen properly inland
- Lamb and pork from Anderson Valley ranches
- Coast seafood, brought over the hill that morning
What it costs in Philo
Guide rates, per person, by the meal we’re cooking — every event is quoted individually.
- Dinner from $175 a head, where most tables land $195–245. Brunch, lunch, weddings and tasting menus are all on the full rate card.
- Travel is billed separately. Philo is about thirty miles inland from Mendocino over Highway 128, outside our 15-mile radius — we’ll quote it with your proposal so there’s no surprise on the invoice.
Every rate includes menu design, sourcing, all shopping, cooking, service, and full kitchen cleanup. See the full pricing guide.
Good to know
Can you pair a menu to the wine we’re pouring?
That’s the best way to do it here. Tell us what’s open — the valley’s pinot and gewürztraminer pull a menu in quite different directions — and we’ll write courses to the bottles rather than handing you a generic pairing sheet.
Can you cook outdoors among the redwoods?
Gladly, and it’s the right setting for open-fire cooking. The thing to plan around is fire restrictions, which tighten through late summer; we check the rules for your date and keep a version of the menu that works regardless.
Will you bring seafood from the coast?
Yes — we buy on the coast the morning of and drive it over. It’s a shorter journey than most restaurant fish makes, and it’s a genuine advantage of hiring a coastal chef for a valley dinner.
Also cooking nearby: Boonville · Ukiah · Mendocino · see all services, sample menus, or the pricing guide.
%s
Tell us the date, the guest count, and where you’re staying. We’ll reply with a menu and an exact quote, usually within two business days.