Mendocino Chef
Menu
Every menu we cook is written for one table. Here’s what we’re cooking this season, and real menus we’ve written this year.
Each one starts with the season, the house you’re in, who’s coming and what they can’t eat. We buy from coast farms and boats we know by name, and build the night around what’s good that week.
Below is what we’re cooking this season, the three directions most dinners start from, and real menus we’ve written for groups this year. Borrow from any of them, then tell us about your table.
Fall & Winter on the Coast
What we’re cooking now
Chanterelles once the rains come, delicata and winter squash from the farm stands, pears and apples, black cod and rock cod off the boats, and Dungeness crab once the season opens. This is what our menus are built from between now and spring.
Plated · four courses
An Autumn Dinner
Kumamoto oyster, apple mignonette · or roasted delicata squash, local chèvre, pomegranate, brown-butter vinaigrette
Handmade pasta with wild chanterelles and thyme, or a butternut and sage version
Pan-seared local black cod, celery-root purée, herb beurre blanc · seared duck breast, roasted grapes and farro, red-wine jus · a roasted vegetable and wild mushroom plate
Warm pear and almond tart, crème fraîche and honey · or a chocolate délice with sea salt
Family-style · December
A Winter Table
Local cheeses, marinated olives, seasonal produce and warm bread
Little gem and winter citrus, shaved fennel, pomegranate, toasted seeds
Herb-roasted local chicken · slow-braised short rib · a roasted winter squash centerpiece for the vegetarians, with mashed potatoes, root vegetables and garlicky greens
Warm spiced apple and pear crisp with cream
In season, add a course of fresh Dungeness crab.
Where Most Dinners Start
Three directions, and Chantelle’s signature
When you inquire, we usually send back three directions like these and build from the one you pick. These are shown as we wrote them in late summer: the dishes change with the season, the direction stays.
Seafood-forward
The Coastal Table
Local oysters on the half shell, Meyer lemon mignonette · heirloom tomato and burrata, basil, olive oil
Warm sweet corn velouté, smoked salmon, chive oil
Pan-seared wild king salmon, a succotash of corn, fava and Jimmy Nardellos, salsa verde
Olive oil cake, stone fruit, crème fraîche
Hearty, wine country
Ranch & Vine
Peaches and prosciutto, local chèvre, arugula, aged balsamic
Wild mushroom and sweet corn risotto, Parmesan, thyme
Grass-fed beef tenderloin or slow-braised short rib, potato gratin, glazed heirloom carrots, red-wine jus
Flourless dark chocolate torte, salted caramel, whipped mascarpone
Lighter, easiest for mixed diets
Garden & Sea
Heirloom tomato and stone fruit salad, ricotta salata, basil, green goddess
Handmade nettle pasta, brown butter, sage
Herb-roasted local chicken and a market vegetable plate, each guest’s choice; local rock cod as a swap
Lavender-honey panna cotta, blackberries, shortbread
Chantelle’s signature
Caribbean × Mendocino
Doubles with curried chickpeas, tamarind, house pepper sauce
Callaloo of coastal greens and coconut · pepper shrimp, Scotch bonnet honey
Rum-roasted pineapple, coconut sorbet, toasted spices
Dishes that keep coming back: handmade nettle pasta with brown butter and sage, slow-braised short rib, salsa verde on whatever came off the boat, and a stone fruit galette for as long as there’s stone fruit.
From Our Proposals
Menus we’ve written this year
Real menus for real groups, with the names left off. Birthdays, a wedding dinner in a rental, breakfast for fifty.
Four courses · about 20 guests
A birthday celebration, entirely nut-free
Roasted beet salad, whipped local chèvre, arugula, orange, aged balsamic, swapped in because beets were the guest of honor’s favorite
Wild mushroom and sweet corn risotto, Parmesan, thyme
Grass-fed beef tenderloin, potato gratin, glazed heirloom carrots, red-wine jus
Flourless chocolate torte, salted caramel, whipped mascarpone, served by candlelight
Every dish nut-free for the guest of honor, down to where the chocolate was made.
Family-style · 9 guests
A girls’ weekend, two of them vegetarian
A grazing board of local cheeses, olives, fresh peaches, crudités, warm rosemary focaccia
Heirloom tomato and summer peach salad, local chèvre, basil, pomegranate molasses
Handmade nettle pasta, brown butter, sage, Parmesan
Delicata squash and wild mushroom galette with herbed ricotta, with rock cod or chicken for anyone who wanted it
Stone fruit galette with crème fraîche, or dark chocolate pots de crème
Vegetables at the center, so nobody got the “special” plate.
Family-style · 12 guests
A rental getaway: one vegan, one dairy-free, a nut allergy
Roasted delicata and little gem salad, pomegranate, toasted seeds, citrus vinaigrette
Wild mushroom and farro soup with herb oil
Herb-roasted local chicken with pan jus · a white bean, mushroom and winter squash cassoulet
Spiced apple and pear crisp with coconut cream, with a classic version alongside
One table, no separate plates: the shared dishes were vegan and nut-free.
Plated · 14 guests
A wedding dinner in a vacation rental
Kumamoto oyster with apple mignonette, or roasted delicata with local chèvre
Handmade pasta, wild chanterelles, thyme
Local black cod · seared duck breast · a roasted vegetable and wild mushroom plate, a true centerpiece
Pear and almond tart, or a chocolate délice
A choice of mains for a table split between seafood lovers and everyone else.
Buffet · about 50
Breakfast for a crowd, hot before 9
Farm-scrambled eggs with herbs, cheese on the side · herb-roasted potatoes · seasonal fruit · pastries and bagels with butter, cream cheese and preserves · yogurt and granola
Bacon and breakfast sausage · coffee, tea and juice · breakfast burritos or a vegetable frittata
Set up hot and ready, then cleared after noon.
Buffet · three days
Crew meals on location
Frittata, crispy olive oil potatoes, smoked salmon, house nut-free granola with two yogurts, fruit, regular and gluten-free toast
Grilled herb chicken and grain bowls, roasted market vegetables, a big garden salad; wild salmon one day, tri-tip the next
A gluten-free, dairy-free main every day, and nothing with nuts in the shared dishes.
Every Diet
One table, everyone eating the same dinner
- A serious allergy changes the whole menu, not one plate. Nut-free means every dish, every label, the chocolate included.
- Vegetarians get a centerpiece: a galette or a cassoulet the rest of the table wants a slice of.
- A split table gets a choice of mains, so the seafood lovers and everyone else both eat well.
- Kids get their own simple plate, at a kids’ price.
- Cheese, dressings and sauces go on the side when that’s all it takes.
Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, paleo: tell us who’s coming and we’ll write around them.
How It’s Served
Formats
Plated courses · family-style platters · a choice of mains · open fire · grazing boards and a cocktail hour · breakfast and buffets for a crowd · meals for your stay · a cooking class that ends in dinner
The small things are included. A menu card at every seat with your guest’s name on it. Candles on the birthday dessert. Wine pairings from Anderson Valley, suggested or shopped for you at cost.
What a dinner like this costs
Dinner starts at $175 a person and most land between $195 and $245, with a $1,400 minimum. That covers the menu, the shopping, cooking in your kitchen, service and the cleanup. Major holidays are priced for the holiday.
The pricing guide has every rate, and What to Expect shows two sample proposals from start to finish. Planning something specific? Private dinners · birthdays · rehearsal dinners · retreats · holidays
Check your date
Tell us your date, guest count and where you’re staying. A chef gets back to you within two business days with a few questions and a time to talk, and the menu comes from that conversation.
Let’s write your menu
Your date, your guests, what you’re celebrating, and anything the table can’t eat. We’ll take it from there.