Chef Matts Culinary Creations
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How Much Does a Private Chef Cost? - Chef Matts Culinary Creations

How Much Does a Private Chef Cost?

Transparent Per-Person Pricing for New Jersey, Pennsylvania & Myrtle Beach

A private chef costs $125 per person for an in-home coursed dinner with Chef Matts Culinary Creations, against an eight-guest minimum. Cooking classes, Chef's Table experiences and cocktail experiences are $150 per person. Groceries are billed at cost with no markup, a $100 travel fee applies beyond 25 miles from the serving base, and events over $1,000 include a 20% gratuity.

Every number on this page is the number you are quoted. Pricing is the same across New Jersey, Philadelphia and the Main Line, and Myrtle Beach.

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Why Groceries Are Billed Separately

Separating groceries keeps the pricing honest. A menu built around day-boat scallops and dry-aged beef costs more to source than one built around handmade pasta, and you only pay the difference. Groceries are billed at cost with no markup and typically run 35–50% of the service total depending on the menu.

No Surprises on the Final Invoice

A deposit secures the date and is applied to the final balance. Menus are finalized after booking and the grocery estimate is confirmed once the menu is set. Gratuity, travel and state tax each appear as their own line on the quote rather than being folded into the per-person rate.

Private Chef Pricing at a Glance

ServiceRateMinimum
Private dinner party (coursed or family-style)$125 per person8 guests / $1,000
In-home cooking class$150 per person8 guests / $1,200
Chef's Table experience$150 per person8 guests / $1,200
Cocktail party / passed hors d'oeuvres$150 per person8 guests / $1,200
Wood-fired pizza experience$150 per person8 guests / $1,200
Children (12 and under)$50 per childCounts toward guest total
Major holiday dinner (35% premium)$168.75 per person8 guests / $1,350
Major holiday class, Chef's Table or cocktail event$202.50 per person8 guests / $1,620
In-home weekly meal prepFrom $400Per session
Virtual cooking class$95 per kitchen (public) / $125 (private)72 hours notice

Pricing last updated: September 2026

Groceries are billed separately at cost. A 20% gratuity is applied automatically to events over $1,000. Sales tax is applied according to the state the event takes place in. A $100 travel fee applies to events 25 or more miles from the base that serves your market — Williamstown, New Jersey for New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Jersey Shore events, and Surfside Beach, South Carolina for Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand.

What the Per-Person Rate Covers

  • Consultation and a custom menu built for your guests
  • Sourcing and shopping the day of the event
  • All cooking done on site in your kitchen
  • Plating, course service and table coordination
  • Full kitchen cleanup — the kitchen is left cleaner than it was found

Most people comparing costs are deciding between a private chef versus catering for the same event, or pricing out a private chef for a dinner party at eight to twenty guests. Group celebrations such as a bachelorette cooking class and trips that need a chef for a vacation rental follow the same structure, and a coursed anniversary dinner is quoted against the same eight-guest minimum. Holiday dates such as Thanksgiving carry the 35% major-holiday premium — see the holiday private chef page for every date and booking deadline.

Ideal For

Dinner Parties

$125 per person for a coursed or family-style dinner at home.

Cooking Classes

$150 per person for hands-on instruction in your kitchen.

Cocktail Events

$150 per person for passed hors d'oeuvres and small plates.

Holiday Dates

A 35% premium applies to major holidays such as Thanksgiving.

Children

$50 per child for guests twelve and under.

Meal Prep

In-home weekly meal prep from $400 per session.

What Our Clients Say

H

Heather Rehfuss

via Google

We hired Chef Matt for a birthday dinner party, and the entire experience exceeded every expectation. The menu was absolutely phenomenal.

Posted on Google
G

Gail 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 Yelp
D

D K

via Google

The meal was excellent - the guys are still talking about it. Chef Matt made it effortless for us.

Posted on Google
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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

Pricing is identical across every market we serve, including South Jersey, the Jersey Shore, North Jersey, and the Philadelphia Main Line.

In South Carolina, chefs are based in Surfside Beach, which puts most Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand events inside the 25-mile radius with no travel fee.

South Jersey Jersey Shore Main Line & Philadelphia Myrtle Beach

Frequently Asked Questions

A private chef costs $125 per person for an in-home coursed dinner with Chef Matt's Culinary Creations, with an eight-guest minimum. Cooking classes, Chef's Table experiences and cocktail experiences are $150 per person. Children are $50. Major holidays carry a 35% premium. Groceries are billed at cost, a travel fee may apply, and events over $1,000 include a 20% gratuity.

In New Jersey, a private chef dinner is $125 per person and a cooking class or Chef's Table is $150 per person. The same structure applies across South Jersey, the Jersey Shore, North Jersey and Princeton. An eight-guest minimum means a dinner starts at $1,000 before groceries, gratuity, and the travel fee where the 25-mile rule applies.

The minimum is eight guests, which puts a private dinner at $1,000 before groceries and fees. Parties smaller than eight are still welcome — they are simply billed at the eight-guest minimum. For couples and small groups, the anniversary and proposal dinner service is usually the better fit.

Groceries are billed separately at cost, not marked up. The per-person rate covers menu development, sourcing, travel, on-site cooking, service and full kitchen cleanup. Separating groceries keeps the pricing honest: a menu built around day-boat scallops and dry-aged beef costs more to source than one built around handmade pasta, and you only pay the difference.

A $100 travel fee applies to events 25 or more miles from the base that serves your market. New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Jersey Shore events are measured from Williamstown, New Jersey. Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand events are measured from Surfside Beach, South Carolina. Events within 25 miles of the serving base carry no travel fee, and anything outside the standard service area is quoted individually.

Major holidays carry a 35% premium — $168.75 per person for dinners and $202.50 per person for cooking classes, Chef's Table and cocktail experiences, against the same eight-guest minimum. That puts a holiday dinner at $1,350 and a holiday class at $1,620 before groceries and fees. Holiday dates are the most requested of the year and are staffed and sourced accordingly.

A 20% gratuity is included automatically on events over $1,000 and is shown as a line item on the quote, so there is nothing to calculate at the end of the night. For events under $1,000, gratuity is at your discretion.

Sales tax is applied according to the state the event takes place in — New Jersey, Pennsylvania or South Carolina — since prepared food and personal chef services are treated differently in each. Tax appears as its own line on the quote rather than being folded into the per-person rate.

For groups under about 25, a private chef is usually comparable or cheaper than a full-service caterer, because there is no rental package, no staffing minimum and no venue fee. Above roughly 40 guests, catering economics win. At eight to twenty guests — the typical dinner party — a private chef delivers restaurant-level food for close to catering cost.

A ten-guest private dinner party runs $1,250 for the chef service, plus groceries at cost, a $100 travel fee where the 25-mile rule applies, 20% gratuity and applicable state tax. That covers a custom coursed menu, all cooking done in your kitchen, plated service and complete cleanup. Wine pairings and an additional course can be added.

Private chef service in Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand is $125 per person for dinners and $150 per person for cooking classes and Chef's Table experiences — the same rate as the New Jersey and Pennsylvania markets. Chefs are based in Surfside Beach, so most Grand Strand events fall inside the 25-mile radius and carry no travel fee. Beach house and rental kitchens are standard here.

The per-person rate covers a consultation and custom menu, sourcing and shopping, all cooking on site, plating and service, and full kitchen cleanup — the kitchen is left cleaner than it was found. Groceries, the travel fee where it applies, gratuity and state tax are billed separately and itemized, so nothing is buried inside the per-person number.

A deposit secures the date and is applied to the final balance. Menus are finalized after booking, and the grocery estimate is confirmed once the menu is set, so there are no surprises on the final invoice.

Two to four weeks is comfortable for most dates. Summer weekends at the Jersey Shore and in Myrtle Beach, plus Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day, book out six to eight weeks or more. Shorter notice is often workable with a team of roughly twenty chefs — it is worth asking.

Why Book Private Chef Cost 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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Explore Our Other Services

Private Chef vs Catering

Which one fits your guest count, budget and format.

Private Dinner Parties

Coursed in-home dinners at $125 per person.

Bachelorette Cooking Class

Hands-on class for the group at $150 per person.

Vacation Rental Chef

Shore and Myrtle Beach rental dining.

Anniversary Dinner Chef

Coursed anniversary dinners at home.

All Private Chef Services

Browse the complete range of services.