Private Chef for Dinner Parties

A private dinner party is the room you set, the people you invited, and a kitchen that runs without you. The host doesn't cook. The host hosts. Chef Matts Culinary Creations runs in-home dinner parties across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina — coursed, family-style, or hybrid formats depending on the home, the guest count, and the occasion.

The structure is consistent: chef arrives ahead of guests, prep is finished on-site, courses run on a pace matched to the room, plates are served, and the kitchen is left clean before the chef leaves. What changes is the menu, the format, and the service staff requirements based on guest count.

Dinner Party Formats

Coursed dinners are the signature format. Five to seven courses, paced through the evening, plated individually. The format suits guest counts from six to about twenty, depending on the dining room and the kitchen capacity. The chef works ahead through prep, then plates each course as the previous course finishes service.

Family-style service runs platters and shared dishes to the table. Better for larger groups (fifteen to thirty), less formal in feel, faster to execute, and easier on a household kitchen. The food is plated for the table rather than for individual guests.

Hybrid format mixes coursed and family-style — a coursed first and second course followed by a family-style main, or shared starters followed by individually plated entrées. Common for groups around twelve to eighteen where the host wants the feel of coursed dining without the kitchen volume.

What's Included

A standard private dinner party booking includes:

• Menu calibration and consultation in advance
• Sourcing — produce, proteins, seafood, dairy, dry goods
• All on-site cooking and prep
• Plating and course service
• Kitchen cleanup before departure
• Service staff for events over ten guests or any event with passed courses (itemized in the quote)

What's not included: alcohol service (sourced by the host), rentals (tables, chairs, linens — only needed for larger events beyond what the home provides), and dinnerware beyond what the host has (rentals available if needed).

A 20% gratuity is automatically applied to all private dinner parties over $1,000. It is added to the final bill and can also be paid separately via cash or Venmo.

Service Staff

Dinners over ten guests typically need at least one service person in addition to the chef. Larger events scale up. The team handles plate service, water and wine pouring, course pacing, and silent kitchen cleanup during the meal.

Sample Dinner Party Menus

• Coursed New American. Crudo to start, hand-cut pasta course, dry-aged beef with seasonal vegetables, dessert course.
• Italian regional. Antipasti board, fresh pasta, slow-braised secondi, panna cotta or tiramisu.
• Coastal coursed. Local oysters, peekytoe crab salad, line-caught fish, citrus tart.
• Hybrid family-style with shared starters. Burrata and grilled vegetables, family-style pasta course, individually plated mains, dessert.

Menu work happens during a short consultation — guest preferences, dietary restrictions, the occasion, the kitchen, and the dining room all factor in. The chef brings menu ideas; the host shapes the final.

Service Areas

Private dinner parties across:

• New Jersey — South Jersey, the Jersey Shore (Avalon, Stone Harbor, Cape May), and surrounding markets. See private chef in NJ and personal chef in NJ.
• Pennsylvania — Philadelphia and the Main Line. See private chef in Philadelphia and personal chef on the Main Line.
• South Carolina — Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand. See private chef in Myrtle Beach.