Our booking policy is flexible, so don't worry if these details change. Our chef services are available in 

, though many Culinista® chefs are happy to travel. For services outside of these areas, 

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Menu Ideas

You bring the jazzy playlist. We’ll handle the rest.

Everything you need to know to cook and host with ease.

Please enjoy $100 off gatherings of 12 people or more. Discount automatically applied. 

Gatherings

Meal Prep

A Season or Long Term

Cooking Classes

Chef Services Overview

The Culinistas is a resource that gives everyone the freedom and confidence to connect around a meal.

Our optional drinks service includes up to 2 drinks plus waitstaff who will arrive 1 hour before guests and provide 4 hours of service. Additional time will be billed at $60/hour. The Culinistas will provide ice and non-alcoholic ingredients. The host is responsible for providing alcohol.

Dairy

Eggs

Fish

Nuts

Gluten

Sesame

Beef

Alliums

Consider these five factors, and you’ll never stress about the last course. 

Stop refreshing your reservation app and kickstart your day from the comfort of home with these cozy menus. We’re playing the hits with fluffy ricotta pancakes, veggie-laden frittatas, granola butter for your toast, and a Calabrian egg salad. Round up your sleepy-eyed friends or make it a family affair: we think these spreads will please any crowd. What’s better? Only waking up to a 

. Two hour wait time—we don’t do that anymore.

Yes, you should be having fun at your own party.

No place at the table for gluten? These menus are up for the challenge.

We are tired of gluten-free meals that fall flat. These menus reset the bar, relying on aromatics, spice combos, and creative substitutions so they don’t need gluten to stand on their own. Creamy dips and colorful crudités steal the show; herb-laden dressings take grain bowls to new heights, and desserts use alt flours to enhance textures. Try your hand or 

, but either way, you’re in the clear to invite your pickiest eaters and pasta-loving friends.

Pick your next trip or reminisce about your most recent one with these menus. An expanded palate is a way to expand the mind so we collaborated with chefs whose regional expertise guided each dish. Unique ingredients, flavor combinations, and methods make themselves at home when cooked from your own kitchen, either by you or 

This is placeholder DEK copy for a menu listicle hero card.

Don’t be intimidated: this Spanish classic can be conquered at home, even without a paella pan.

, but you don’t know what to cook. Our menus go beyond the classics (though there’s nothing wrong with a roast chicken, and we’ve got a menu for that). Our goal is to make a gathering memorable by making the intangible element of delicious food completely tangible. We choose food by season, region, or culture to create a cohesive menu. We know how to balance flavors as well as the pacing of the night through the dishes we select and the dining format that we suggest. Get adventurous yourself, or 

 one of these lineups. Either way, these spreads are destined to impress and leave you and your guests dreaming of one more bite.

You’ll be slinging pies like a pizzaiolo in no time.

Caramelized, juicy, and perfectly tender every time

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, mangiamo!

Gail Simmons

Top Chef

Dana Cowin

Food & Wine

Gwyneth Parltrow

Goop

Paella Party

Pizza Party

Steak Night

Low Carb

Low Sugar

High Protein

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Low Fat

High Fat

Meatballs Marinara

Berry Bowl

RGC (Roasted Garlic Chicken)

Morning Glories

Lemony Pasta Fagioli

Power Green Salad

Sticky Salmon & Broccolini

Zucchini Nuggets

Our cooking classes can accommodate up to 12 people.

Culinista Kitchen® cooking classes start at  $500 (based on guest count) plus groceries, sales tax and a $15 travel reimbursement. We automatically add 20% chef gratuity to all cooking classes.

Our three cooking class menus—Paella Party, Steak Night, and Pizza Party—are carefully designed to teach you our Culinista Keys. Whichever menu you choose, you may customize it during the booking process. 

Our cooking classes are available in the NYC metro area, the Hamptons, LA, and the D.C. metro area.

Our cooking classes are for all ages, including kids, teens, and adults. They’re designed to help anyone become a better and more confident home cook. We will always adjust our course material based on the participants in class, getting more hands on with a small, adventurous group, or teaching by demonstration if the group is large. We won’t let kids do anything risky, but we will find fun ways to help them participate. Cooking classes are limited to 12 people or fewer. 

Our cooking classes are designed to help anyone become a better and more confident home cook by focusing on skills that can be applied to many dishes. A Culinista chef will demo the preparation of one full dish, teaching core concepts that we call 

, and cook three additional dishes to enjoy as part of your meal. 

Cooking classes are limited to 12 people or fewer. We will always adjust our course material based on the participants in class, either getting more hands on with a small, adventurous group, or teaching by demonstration if the group is large. We won’t let kids do anything risky, but we will find fun ways to help them participate.

Prior to cooking, toasting grains helps to intensify its flavor

Boost Your Grains

All cooked in one vessel, efficient with minimal clean up

One Pot Wonder

Nut + herb + citrus + olive oil, all you need for a perfect pesto

Pesto Equation

All great dishes start with an aromatic base to develop flavor

Build A Foundation

A dish that alchemizes three bold and distinct flavors to hit sweet, sour, savory, salty, and bitter notes

Trifecta

Creating delicious flavor combinations using both cooked and fresh ingredients

Pizza Topping Equation

Herbs that thread flavor throughout a recipe and garnish

Infusing Oil

Browning your protein (crisping the exterior while softening the interior) will help to intensify its flavor

Char Goes Far

Using a sharp ingredient to cut the richness from heavier ingredients

Balancing Act

Large format & straightforward recipes that are ideal for crowds

Party Meal

Layering different types of the same fruit or vegetable to your dish for an extra level of complexity

Tomayto Tomahto

Using natural sweeteners in place of processed and refined sugar

Sweetness Substitute

The unexpected pairing of something sweet to a protein complements the dish

Sweet Ingredient + Savory Protein

Marinate for Flavor

Classics Redone

Creative use of soaked nuts, puréed veggies or dried fruit as your thickener to develop the right consistency

Alternative Thickeners

Use leftover herbs or vegetable scraps to strengthen the flavor in a dish and reduce food waste

Infused Broth

Using onion powder to enhance the onion flavor helps to save cooking time

Onion Powder Power

Using a multitude of soft stem herbs helps to brighten your dressings & marinades

All the Herbs

You’re here to cook, not do math. But knowing a few simple equations—like the 1:1:1 meatball ratio and the fruit salad formula—is the secret to kitchen freedom, and there’s no final exam.


Formula

Flavor keys include techniques from across the culinary spectrum (think: infusing, searing, marinating, pickling) but they all share the same goal: to maximize every ingredient’s flavor, every time you cook. 

Flavor

We’ll help you be efficient in the kitchen by strategizing prep, cook, and rest times, as well as cleaning along the way. 

Timing

A good meal is a feast for all the senses. Consider how you pair colors, textures, shapes, and sizes, and your guests will be impressed even before they take a bite.

Style

Our goal is that healthy cooking and consistent gathering around the table is a sustainable part of your life. That means supporting sustainable food systems and creating recipes that eliminate waste in your kitchen.

Sustainability

A generous attitude is the secret ingredient in any gathering. These keys ensure the mood is right, everyone feels comfortable, and the gathering is seamless. 

Hosting

Health starts with pure, unprocessed ingredients: fresh vegetables, whole grains, wild and grass-fed proteins.  We incorporate clean ingredients where you'd expect and also where you wouldn't expect, like using oats or nuts to create flours and blending veggies into sauces.

Health

Cleaning won’t feel like a chore if your recipes are structured efficiently (ours are), you clean as you cook, and you send your guests home with leftovers.

Less Mess

Fall Plated

A French-ish spread featuring forkable and finger-friendly bites. Pairs perfectly with our Negroni Bar.

Classic Cocktail Hour

Thanksgiving Sides

Getting out of bed is reason enough for a party. This Brunch & Bubbles menu cheers you on with Savory Dutch Babies, Apple Crumble Parfaits, and a glass of something bubbly.

Fall Luncheon

Cancel that reservation; the steak, and its beloved sides, are getting cooked up in-house.

Steakhouse Classics

Quiet Luxury

Christmas

Quintessential Culinistas Fall

Thanksgiving 

Find comfort in Mediterranean classics like meaty Swordfish & Crushed Olives, and fall in love with something new, like our hearty Farro al Limone.
  

Fall in the Mediterranean

If you’ve ever wondered what autumn in Tuscany looks like, look no further. Gorgonzola Grapes start the party, clearing the way for a stunner of a main: caper-studded Veal Piccata. Buon apetito!

Tuscan Table

Never stress about dinner again.

The Culinistas is a resource that gives everyone the freedom and confidence to connect around a meal. Our vetted private chefs are available for in-home:

Brunch, cocktail hour, dinner party, or barbecue? We’re here to help. 

Give us your kitchen for a couple hours, and we’ll leave you with meals for the week.

Weekly Meal Prep

Need a chef for the summer, a short trip, or a forever position? We’ll get you staffed.

Seasonal & Long Term Services

The Culinistas is a resource that gives everyone the freedom and confidence to connect around a meal. We connect you with vetted private chefs for in-home meal prep, gatherings, and seasonal and long term needs. Explore our services. 

No matter the season, there’s a reason to host. We have hundreds of menus for intimate parties and gatherings. Explore a few of our favorites.

Explore our library of seasonal, international, and year-round favorites. 

Homepage menus

Menus for Gathering

Curbed

Bloomberg

Forbes

Marquee

Let a Culinista chef handle the cooking this week. We’ll come to your home with groceries and leave your fridge stocked with vibrant meals—and your kitchen spotless.

See what’s new for this week's meal prep.

Homepage Dish Group

Press

Companies logos

Fan Mail

Learn the Culinista keys to cooking and hosting @

Let’s cook together

Homepage

Lessons from the Culinista Kitchen® 

In the home

Learn from the pros

Fun and relaxed

How It Works

Cooking Classes Group

Our cooking class menus are designed to help anyone become a better and more confident home cook by focusing on skills that can be applied to many dishes.

Menus Group

Class Menus

All Culinista chefs come highly referred and must pass a background check and a cooking interview.

Thoroughly Vetted

Our chefs have gone to top culinary schools and/or worked in the best restaurants

Professionally Trained

We handpick the perfect chef for you based on their skills and your needs

Perfectly Paired

Our Chefs

Our chefs hail from top restaurants around the country

We teach the way we cook. These eight keys are the foundation of every recipe and menu we create. Understanding these keys will empower you to cook with confidence, so you can sit down to every meal feeling free and triumphant.