Graduation Party Private Chef
You Celebrate the Graduate — We Handle the Food for Everyone Else
Graduation season means a house full of family and a host who should be taking pictures, not refilling trays. A chef cooks the full spread at your home, keeps the food coming, and cleans everything before leaving. Graduation parties run at the standard rate of $125 per person against an eight-guest minimum, so a booking starts at $1,000 before groceries.
Graduation parties are cooked across South Jersey, Philadelphia and the Main Line, the Jersey Shore, North and Central Jersey, and Myrtle Beach.
Graduation season runs May through June. Book by early spring. Commencement weekends are the most-requested party dates of the spring.
Built Around the Graduate
The menu starts with what the graduate actually wants to eat — not a catering template. Their favorites, done properly, for the one party that is entirely about them.
You Host, We Cook
Graduation parties have one job for the host: be in the pictures. The chef runs the food for the whole afternoon so you are never behind a grill or a tray when the moment happens.
Graduation Party Pricing
Graduation parties run at the standard rate: $125 per person, against an eight-guest minimum, which puts a booking at $1,000 before groceries and fees. That covers the full spread cooked on site and served fresh, with full cleanup. Groceries are billed at cost and a $100 travel fee applies 25 or more miles from the serving base. See the full pricing breakdown for every service and fee.
How the Party Runs
Most graduation parties are open houses — guests arriving and leaving across an afternoon. The chef serves food in waves so nothing sits out drying, and the menu is built around the graduate's favorites. Seated family dinners work the same way, coursed and served.
For other milestones, see birthday dinners and retirement dinners. For the full range, see the special occasion chef page.
Ideal For
Open-House Parties
Food in waves as guests come and go all afternoon.
The Graduate's Favorites
A menu built around what the graduate actually wants to eat.
Hosts Who Want to Celebrate
You take the pictures; we run the food.
Full Spreads
From backyard grills to coursed family dinners.
Multi-Family Tables
Both sides of the family, one table, nobody cooking.
Full Cleanup
The kitchen is left cleaner than it was found.
How It Works
- 1
Reserve the Date
Commencement weekends are the most-requested party dates of the spring — reserve early.
- 2
Build the Menu
Built around the graduate's favorites and the style of party — open house, backyard, or seated dinner.
- 3
Set Your Service Window
Tell us when guests arrive. The chef plans food waves around it.
- 4
Chef Runs the Food
Everything is cooked on site and served fresh while you host.
- 5
Kitchen Left Spotless
Leftovers packed, kitchen cleaned, before the chef leaves.
What Our Clients Say
Dean R.
via Yelp
Chef Matt provided an amazing buffet for our Christmas party this year. We had 55+ people who were all raving about the delicious food.
Posted on YelpGail A.
Long Beach Island, NJ
Amazing dinner for ten by Chef Matt in our LBI home. There were constant comments from my family 'this is the best I ever had!'
Posted on YelpMary B.
via Yelp
Every dish was fresh, perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. Chef Matt was professional and easy to work with.
Posted on Yelp
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 MattWhere We Serve
Graduation parties are cooked in homes across South Jersey, North Jersey, and Central Jersey, plus Philadelphia and the Main Line.
Graduation weekends at Jersey Shore houses and Myrtle Beach rentals are common.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Book Graduation Party 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.
Check AvailabilityExplore Our Other Services
Special Occasion Chef
Every kind of milestone, one page.
Birthday Dinner Chef
Coursed dinners for milestone birthdays.
Cocktail Party Chef
Passed plates and stations for standing crowds.
Private Chef Cost
Every rate, minimum and fee in one place.
Private Dinner Parties
Coursed in-home dinners, any night.