Yes — TheKitchenTable books Chicago-based private chefs who cook in your home, condo or rental, from date nights to holiday parties and hands-on cooking classes, starting at $50 per person with shopping, cooking and cleanup included.
Chicago books differently from the mountains. Most requests are for a home or a high-rise condo rather than a vacation rental, and the occasions are city ones: anniversaries and date nights for two, birthdays, holiday parties in December, and hands-on cooking classes where the chef teaches the table.
Our Chicago chefs live and cook in the city, including Chef Thaddeus Barton and Chef Bea Maldonado. You send the date, the guest count and the budget, and the chefs who are free send menus written for your night.
In a city full of great restaurants, the reason people book a chef is the evening itself: no reservation to fight for, no one driving home in January, and a chef who cooks in front of you and talks you through every course.
Chicago bookings run from dinners and cooking classes for two to larger birthday and holiday parties.
Anniversaries and date nights are a big share of Chicago bookings. A chef cooks a plated menu in your own kitchen, so the night is about the two of you, not the table next to you.
Chicago guests often ask for a cooking class instead of a served dinner: the chef cooks with the group, teaches the techniques and everyone eats what they made. Chefs quote these to your group.
December fills every private room in the city. A chef turns your condo or office into the venue, with appetizers, a buffet or a seated dinner.
From November to March, staying in is the point. Nobody has to find parking, wait for a cab or walk back in the wind after dessert.
Group size: most Chicago bookings run between 8 and 16 guests. Our chefs also cook for much larger celebrations. Above about twelve, family-style works best and costs less per head.
Give us the property address when you send your request — chefs confirm they can reach it before they quote.
Chef availability tightens on the same weeks the rentals do.
Holiday parties and family dinners. Book a few weeks ahead; holiday dates carry a small premium.
The busiest night for dinners for two. Book early.
Rooftop and backyard dinners, birthdays and visiting-family weekends.
Family-style service starts at $50 per person. Larger groups bring the per-head cost down — big buffet-style bookings can land near $15 per person — and plated multi-course menus cost more. You set the budget first and chefs propose menus that fit it, so there is no surprise at the end.
Yes. Choose Cooking Class on the request form. The chef cooks with your group, teaches as they go, and everyone eats what they made. Chefs quote cooking classes to your group size and menu.
Yes. Our Chicago chefs live in the city, so they know where to shop and how to work in a high-rise kitchen. Every chef who sends a menu has confirmed your date and address.
Yes. Most Chicago bookings are in condos and apartments. Let us know about building access, parking or loading-dock rules when you book so the chef can plan their arrival.
Yes. Shopping, prep, cooking, serving and full kitchen cleanup are all included. The kitchen is left as the chef found it, which matters more than usual in a rental where you are on the hook for a cleaning deposit.
One to two weeks is usually enough. For Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve, book several weeks ahead.