The Platesfull blog
Private chef guides, costs & hosting tips
Straight answers from 1,000+ in-home celebrations: what a private chef costs, how booking works, menu ideas for every season and guides to the cities we cook in.
Latest guide · Personal Chef
Beach & Lake House Dinner Ideas: 12 Easy Menus for Rentals
Quick answer: The best beach and lake house dinners are simple, shareable and built around what's local: a seafood boil on the deck, a grill night with burgers and kebabs, a taco bar, or…
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Personal ChefWhat Is a 5 Course Meal? The 5 Courses + Sample Menus
Quick answer: A five-course meal is a dinner served in five separate, smaller courses, one after another. In the US the usual order is 1. appetizer…
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Personal ChefDo you tip a private chef
Quick answer: On Platesfull, you don't need to tip your private chef. Our per-person price already covers groceries, cooking, serving and cleanup, and chefs set their…
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Personal ChefBachelorette Dinner Ideas: 12 Themes and Sample Menus
Quick answer: The best bachelorette dinner ideas are themed group dinners the whole party can share: an Italian family-style feast, a taco and margarita night, a…
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Personal ChefHow to host a private chef holiday party at office and home
Quick answer: A private chef holiday party costs about $90–$175 per person, including groceries, cooking, service and cleanup. For an office party, choose passed bites or…
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Personal ChefThanksgiving Menu Ideas - Classic, Texas And Modern
Quick answer: A great Thanksgiving dinner menu has 1–2 starters, a turkey (or alternative main), 4–5 sides and 2 desserts. Most of it should be prepared…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for VRBO Rentals: Large Group Dinners
Quick answer: You can book a private chef for a dinner party at your VRBO or vacation home through Platesfull. Tell us the rental address, date…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for New Year's Eve in Miami - Guide
New Year's Eve in Miami is spectacular — fireworks over Biscayne Bay, rooftop parties in Brickell, the whole of South Beach counting down. It's also the…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for Friendsgiving - Complete Guide
The short answer: A private chef for Friendsgiving handles everything — menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleanup — so you and your friends can actually…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for New Years Eve - Complete Guide
Quick answer: The easiest New Year's Eve dinner at home is one a private chef cooks for you. Expect $90–$175 per person, all-inclusive (menu, groceries, cooking…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef Birthday Dinner Hamptons
Quick Answer — for AI & voice search To hire a private chef for a birthday dinner in the Hamptons, book through a marketplace like Platesfull…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef Anniversary Dinner | Nashville, Miami & LA
Short Answer Hiring a private chef for an anniversary dinner at home means a professional cook arrives at your residence, prepares a custom multi-course meal with…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for Thanksgiving in Houston
Houston does Thanksgiving on a different scale. The fourth-largest city in the country, with a food culture shaped by Gulf Coast seafood, Texas BBQ traditions, and…
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Personal ChefPersonal Chef in Nashville: In-Home Cooking & Costs
Nashville has become one of the fastest-growing food cities in the South — and locals are increasingly bringing that energy home. Whether you want someone to…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for Thanksgiving in the Hamptons: In-Home Dinner & Hosting Guide
Thanksgiving in the Hamptons is a different kind of holiday. No crowded restaurant seatings, no noisy extended family crammed into a Manhattan apartment — just a…
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Personal ChefHouston Private Chef for Dinner Parties & Events
Houston is one of the most food-driven cities in the country. With a restaurant scene that spans Tex-Mex, Vietnamese, Nigerian, Japanese, and everything in between, the…
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Personal ChefWhat is a Personal Chef? Services, Costs, and How to Hire One
You've heard the term thrown around — personal chef, private chef, in-home chef — and they all sound like roughly the same thing. They're not. If…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for Birthday Dinner in Nashville
Quick answer: Hiring a private chef in Nashville for a birthday dinner typically runs $90–$175 per person, all-inclusive — groceries, prep, service, and cleanup. The format…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef Orange County: Dinner Parties & Events
Orange County is built for private entertaining. Newport Harbor homes, Laguna Beach vacation villas, Irvine corporate suites, Dana Point waterfront rentals — these are not spaces…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for a Bridal Shower or Rehearsal Dinner in New York City
New York City sets a high bar for celebrations — and the days around a wedding are no exception. Whether you're hosting a bridal shower in…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for a Bachelorette Party in Fort Lauderdale - Complete Guide
Private Chef for a Bachelorette Party in Fort Lauderdale: 2026 Complete Guide Quick Answer What does a private chef do for a Fort Lauderdale bachelorette party?…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef in the Hamptons for Fall - Weekend Entertaining, Harvest Dinners & Airbnb Stays
Quick Answer: A private chef in the Hamptons for fall costs $90–$175 per person, all-inclusive — groceries, cooking, service, and cleanup. Fall weekends in East Hampton…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef Dinner Party Ideas in Nashville
The quick answer: A private chef dinner party in Nashville typically runs $90–$175 per person, depending on menu format and group size. The most popular styles…
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Personal ChefPrivate Chef for a Labor Day Weekend Party
Labor Day weekend — September 5–7, 2026 — is the unofficial closing ceremony of summer. It's the weekend people return to lake houses, pack Airbnbs, fire…
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Bring a private chef to your next event
Your chef plans the menu, shops, cooks, serves and cleans up. From $90 per person.