HOW IT WORKS
Booking a Private Chef, Step by Step
One message starts it. A fixed itemised quote follows within one business day — and we reply within 1 hour, 08:00–20:00 SAST.
You send one WhatsApp message with your date, guest count, area and dietary needs. We consult on the menu, send a fixed line-by-line quote, and a deposit locks the date. On the day we shop, cook, serve and clean — you own the evening and none of the work.
The short version
You send one WhatsApp message with your date, guest count, area and dietary needs. We consult on the menu, send a fixed line-by-line quote, and a deposit locks the date. On the day we shop, cook, serve and clean — you own the evening and none of the work.
The five steps
Every booking runs the same five steps, whether it is a dinner for two or a spit braai for a hundred. Nothing moves forward without your written approval of the quote.
- 01The brief — date, guests, place, occasion, dietary needs, in one WhatsApp message
- 02Menu consult — within one business day, on WhatsApp or a call
- 03Fixed itemised quote — line by line, VAT treatment stated, valid in writing
- 04Deposit locks the date — 50% deposit, per our published terms
- 05The event — we shop, cook, serve and clean
What happens after you pay the deposit
The date is yours. Your booking confirms in writing with the agreed menu, the itemised quote and the named chef assigned to your event. Every confirmed event also gets a named backup chef under our backup-chef policy.
Between booking and event day we finalise groceries, rentals and timing with you. Groceries are billed at cost with receipts on the settled invoice. If anything changes — guest count, dietary needs, load-shedding windows — one message updates the plan and the quote before you owe anything more.
- Written confirmation: menu, quote, named chef, named backup
- Grocery plan and timing finalised with you before the day
- Changes re-quoted in writing before they cost you anything
What we need from you
A standard home or villa kitchen is enough — hob, oven, counter space and running water. We scout your kitchen in the consult and bring induction backup where a kitchen runs small or off-grid.
Access and power are the two things that make event day smooth. Tell us about gate codes, parking, stairs and load-shedding schedules up front, and we plan around all of it.
- Kitchen basics: hob, oven, counter space, running water
- Access: gate codes, parking and load-in route
- Power: load-shedding windows flagged in advance — we plan around them
The guarantees behind every booking
Four guarantees sit behind every confirmed event, published in full on our booking protection page: chef replacement-or-refund, a fixed itemised quote before you pay a deposit, published cancellation tiers, and a named backup chef for every event.
- Chef replacement-or-refund guarantee
- Fixed itemised quote before deposit — the number you approve is the number you pay
- Published cancellation tiers — no surprises
- Backup-chef policy — every confirmed event has a named backup
Questions, answered.
We update this guide annually — figures re-verified October 2026.
Related guides & services
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Replacement-or-refund · Fixed itemised quote · Published cancellation tiers