Chef Matts Culinary Creations
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Private Chef for Anniversary & Proposal Dinners - Chef Matts Culinary Creations

Private Chef for Anniversary & Proposal Dinners

Coursed Tasting Menus, Wine Pairings & Discreet Service in Your Own Dining Room

A chef arrives, cooks a coursed tasting menu in your kitchen, serves each course, and leaves the kitchen spotless — so the evening is dinner at a restaurant without the reservation, the drive, or anyone else in the room. Anniversary and proposal dinners are among the most common two-person bookings we take.

Available across New Jersey, Philadelphia, the Main Line, Cape May and the Jersey Shore, and Myrtle Beach.

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The Menu for a Romantic Dinner at Home

A four to six course tasting menu paced over two hours works best — small plates, long gaps, nothing that needs cutting into while you are talking. Menus are built around what the two of you actually love rather than a template, and seafood, handmade pasta and a composed dessert course are the most requested.

Quieter Than You Expect

The chef works in the kitchen, appears to place and clear each course, and is otherwise not in the room. Couples consistently report forgetting anyone else is there between courses — which is the intent, and why the pacing is planned beforehand. After dessert the chef clears the table, cleans the kitchen completely, and leaves.

What an Anniversary Dinner at Home Costs

A dinner for two is quoted against the eight-guest minimum, so the chef service starts at $1,000 plus groceries at cost, the travel fee where the 25-mile rule applies, 20% gratuity and state tax. For a milestone anniversary that buys a multi-course tasting menu, wine pairings and full service in your own dining room. Full private chef pricing is listed in one place, and smaller celebrations are often better served by a cooking class or a larger dinner party.

Romantic Getaway Markets

Cape May and the Main Line are the two markets where anniversary dinners come up most, along with Avalon, Stone Harbor and the Grand Strand. Birthdays, retirements and other special occasions are handled separately.

How a Proposal Dinner Is Planned

Proposal dinners are planned in advance over a call covering timing, the ring moment, whether a photographer is arriving, and how the chef should disappear at the right second. The chef works around your signal rather than the other way around, and the food is timed so the proposal never happens mid-course. Arrival, parking and setup are all worked out beforehand so nothing gives it away.

Ideal For

Milestone Anniversaries

A four to six course tasting menu paced over two hours.

Wine Pairings

You buy the bottles; the chef tells you exactly what to buy.

Proposal Dinners

Timing, the ring moment and the chef's exit planned in advance.

Surprise Dinners

Early setup or an exact arrival minute, worked out beforehand.

Getaway Rentals

Cape May, Avalon, Stone Harbor and Grand Strand kitchens.

Larger Celebrations

Anniversary parties with family and friends at the table.

How It Works

  1. 1

    Tell Us the Date and the Story

    The occasion, the two of you, and anything the evening has to work around — a proposal, a surprise, a photographer.

  2. 2

    Design the Tasting Menu

    Four to six courses built around what you actually love, with wine recommendations for each course.

  3. 3

    Plan the Timing

    Arrival, parking, setup and the exact pacing of courses are agreed in advance so nothing is left to chance.

  4. 4

    The Evening Itself

    The chef cooks in the kitchen, places and clears each course, and stays out of the room between them.

  5. 5

    Dessert, Then Gone

    The chef plates dessert, clears the table, cleans the kitchen completely, and leaves.

What Our Clients Say

M

Mary B.

via Yelp

Every dish was fresh, perfectly prepared and beautifully presented, especially the pan seared sea scallops and the lemon risotto with asparagus.

Posted on Yelp
H

Heather Rehfuss

via Google

The menu was absolutely phenomenal - beautifully presented, perfectly seasoned and full of thoughtful touches.

Posted on Google
G

Gail A.

Long Beach Island, NJ

We loved every bite of the meal he prepared. There were constant comments from my family 'this is the best I ever had!'

Posted on Yelp
See Google ReviewsSee Yelp Reviews
Chef Matt McComb plating a course during in-home private chef service

Meet Your Personal Chef

  • 18+ years professional kitchen experience
  • Executive Chef by age 22
  • Academy of Culinary Arts graduate
  • USPCA member
  • Specialized in dietary-aware cooking

Chef Matt brings restaurant-quality dining directly to your home. Every meal is crafted around your preferences, dietary needs, and lifestyle — sourced with intention and cooked with precision.

Learn More About Chef Matt

Where We Serve

Anniversary and proposal dinners are cooked in Cape May, Avalon and Stone Harbor along the Jersey Shore, plus South Jersey.

Across the bridge we serve the Main Line and Philadelphia, with North Jersey and Myrtle Beach also covered.

Cape May Main Line & Philadelphia South Jersey Myrtle Beach

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, and it is one of the most common two-person bookings. A chef arrives, cooks a coursed tasting menu in your kitchen, serves each course, and leaves the kitchen spotless — so the evening is dinner at a restaurant without the reservation, the drive, or anyone else in the room. Available across New Jersey, Philadelphia, the Main Line and Myrtle Beach.

A dinner for two is quoted against the eight-guest minimum, so the chef service starts at $1,000 plus groceries at cost, the travel fee where the 25-mile rule applies, 20% gratuity and state tax. For a milestone anniversary that buys a multi-course tasting menu, wine pairings and full service in your own dining room. Smaller celebrations are often better served by a cooking class or a dinner party with friends.

Yes. Proposal dinners are planned in advance over a call covering timing, the ring moment, whether a photographer is arriving, and how the chef should disappear at the right second. The chef works around your signal rather than the other way around, and the food is timed so the proposal never happens mid-course.

A four to six course tasting menu paced over two hours works best — small plates, long gaps, nothing that needs cutting into while you are talking. Menus are built around what the two of you actually love rather than a template, and seafood, handmade pasta and a composed dessert course are the most requested.

Wine pairings are built into the menu planning. You purchase the wine and the chef advises on exactly what to buy for each course, or you name bottles you already have and the menu is designed around them. Alcohol is not resold, which keeps the recommendations genuinely about the food.

Yes, provided the kitchen has an oven, a cooktop and counter space — which covers most vacation rentals, beach houses and extended-stay suites. Rental kitchens in Cape May, Avalon, Stone Harbor and along the Grand Strand are routine. Hotel rooms without a working kitchen are the one setting that does not work.

Cape May, Avalon, Stone Harbor and the full Jersey Shore; Philadelphia and the Main Line; South Jersey; North Jersey including Hoboken, Jersey City, Montclair and Morristown; Princeton and Central Jersey; and Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand in South Carolina.

Three to four weeks is comfortable. Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve and summer Shore weekends book six to eight weeks out and should be reserved as soon as the date is set. Proposal dinners deserve the extra lead time regardless of season — the planning call matters more than the cooking.

Yes, and they are planned entirely with whoever is arranging the surprise. The chef can arrive early and set up while the other person is out, or arrive at an exact minute to a specific door. Arrival, parking and setup are all worked out in advance so nothing gives it away.

It is quieter than most people expect. The chef works in the kitchen, appears to place and clear each course, and is otherwise not in the room. Couples consistently report forgetting anyone else is there between courses — which is the intent, and why the pacing is planned beforehand.

Table setting and plating presentation are handled, and the chef will work with flowers, candles or anything else you have arranged. Full event styling and florals are not provided in-house, but coordinating with a florist or planner you have hired is standard.

The chef plates dessert, clears the table, cleans the kitchen completely, and leaves. There is no lingering, no cleanup left behind, and no reason to move from the table. The last thing you do that evening is finish dessert.

Why Book Anniversary Dinner Chef With Chef Matts

Bringing a chef into your home should feel calm, considered, and personal — not transactional. Every booking with Chef Matts Culinary Creations starts with a real conversation about your household: how many people you're feeding, the dietary preferences and restrictions involved, the kitchen we'll be working in, and the kind of experience you want to create. From there, Chef Matt builds a custom menu and confirms every detail in writing well before the date.

The service itself is fully turnkey. We handle planning, seasonal sourcing, in-home cooking, plating or portioning, and a complete kitchen cleanup before we leave. With more than eighteen years in professional kitchens — including time as an executive chef by age twenty-two and ongoing membership in the United States Personal Chef Association — Chef Matt brings restaurant-level technique into homes across South Jersey, the Jersey Shore, the Philadelphia Main Line, and South Carolina's Grand Strand.

Ready to Get Started?

Fill out our short availability form — no obligation, no pressure. Your custom proposal arrives within 2 hours. Requests after 8 PM arrive by 10 AM.

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