
Private Chef for Thanksgiving Dinner
Cooked in Your Kitchen, Served at Your Table, Cleaned Up Before We Leave
A chef arrives at your home Thanksgiving morning, cooks the full meal in your kitchen, serves it at the time you set, and cleans everything before leaving — including the roasting pans. Your oven and your table, without the four days of prep. Thanksgiving is $168.75 per person against an eight-guest minimum, so a booking starts at $1,350 before groceries.
Thanksgiving dinners are cooked across South Jersey, the Jersey Shore, Philadelphia and the Main Line, North and Central Jersey, and Myrtle Beach.
Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26. Book by late October. It is the single most-requested date of the year and chefs are assigned first-come.
Your Recipes, Cooked Properly
Most families ask for at least one traditional dish. Send the recipe — the stuffing, the sweet potato dish nobody is allowed to change — and it goes on the menu as written. The rest of the meal can be as traditional or as elevated as you like around those fixed points.
Everyone Eats the Same Meal
Thanksgiving is the meal where dietary needs matter most, because one guest eating a separate plate at that table feels worse than on any other day. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free versions of the traditional dishes are standard when restrictions are collected at booking.
Thanksgiving Pricing
Thanksgiving carries the 35% major-holiday premium: $168.75 per person, against an eight-guest minimum, which puts a Thanksgiving booking at $1,350 before groceries and fees. That covers turkey, all the sides, a starter course and dessert, cooked in your kitchen and served at your table, with full cleanup. Groceries are billed at cost and a $100 travel fee applies 25 or more miles from the serving base — Williamstown, New Jersey, or Surfside Beach, South Carolina for the Grand Strand. See the full pricing breakdown for every service and fee.
How Thanksgiving Day Runs
The chef arrives several hours before service, works around your oven schedule, and times every dish to land together. Nothing arrives in a foil pan to be reheated — the turkey rests on your counter and the house smells the way it is supposed to. Leftovers are portioned and refrigerated before the chef leaves, with stock started from the carcass if you want it.
Outside the holidays, the same service runs as a private chef for a dinner party. Families travelling for the week often book Thanksgiving at a rental house, then come back for New Year's Eve. Birthdays, retirements and other family gatherings follow the standard, non-holiday rate.
Ideal For
Large Family Tables
Eight to twenty-five guests in a residential kitchen, more with added chefs.
Family Recipes
Grandmother's stuffing goes on the menu exactly as written.
Hosts Who Want to Sit Down
Courses served, plates cleared, the table managed for you.
Traditional or Elevated
Classic Thanksgiving, or a coursed version of it.
Shore & Beach Rentals
Thanksgiving at a Shore house or a Myrtle Beach rental.
Full Cleanup
The kitchen is left cleaner than it was found, roasting pans included.
How It Works
- 1
Reserve the Date
Send your date, guest count and town. Thanksgiving dates are assigned first-come, so reserve before the headcount is final.
- 2
Build the Menu
Traditional, elevated, or a mix — and send any family recipes you want cooked exactly as written.
- 3
Set Your Service Time
Tell us when you want to eat. The chef works backwards from that around your oven and counter space.
- 4
Chef Cooks Thanksgiving
The chef arrives hours ahead, cooks everything on site, and times every dish to land together.
- 5
Leftovers Packed, Kitchen Clean
Leftovers are portioned and refrigerated, the roasting pans are washed, and the kitchen is left spotless.
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
Thanksgiving dinners are cooked in homes across South Jersey, North Jersey, and Central Jersey, plus Philadelphia and the Main Line.
Off-season Shore rentals along the Jersey Shore and beach houses in Myrtle Beach are common Thanksgiving settings — a rental oven and counter space is enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Book Thanksgiving Private 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
Private Chef Cost
Every rate, minimum and fee in one place.
New Year's Eve Private Chef
The other date that sells out every year.
Private Dinner Parties
Coursed in-home dinners at the standard rate.
Vacation Rental Chef
Thanksgiving at a Shore or Myrtle Beach rental.
Special Occasion Chef
Birthdays, retirements and family gatherings.
