The best dinner parties have one thing in common: the host is at the table. Not carving, not plating, not apologising for the timing on the fish. If you are planning a private dinner in Oakville, Burlington or Milton, this is how to hand the cooking to a chef and keep the evening.
Two ways to do it
Cooked on site. Claire arrives ahead of your guests, cooks in your kitchen, plates each course and clears down. You host; the kitchen is handled. This is the private-chef version and suits anniversaries, milestone birthdays, small celebrations and the kind of dinner where the food is the point.
Dropped off, ready to serve. The menu is cooked out of home and delivered ready for the table — family-style platters, a grazing board, courses that need nothing more than warming through. It suits relaxed evenings, showers, and gatherings where you want to serve it yourself.
Building the menu
Every menu is custom. Start with the occasion and the guest count, then the things that matter: someone is vegetarian, someone is coeliac, the guest of honour hates coriander. Those go in at the quote stage and the menu is written around them. Simple, elegant food that is cooked properly beats a complicated menu every time.
Timing
Advance notice is recommended, especially for events. The earlier the date is confirmed the more choice there is on the menu. Send the date through even if the guest list is still moving; the headcount can be firmed up later.
What to have ready
- A rough guest count and the occasion.
- Dietary requirements and strong dislikes, by name.
- Whether you want it cooked on site or dropped off.
- The rhythm of the evening: drinks first, one long sit-down, or grazing across the night.
- Your kitchen, if cooking on site — a standard home kitchen is all that is needed.
Small events and showers
The same approach scales to baby showers, engagement drinks and small family celebrations across Oakville and the west GTA. Grazing boards and shared platters are the usual answer for a crowd that mingles; a plated menu for one that sits.
Request a quote with the date, the number of guests and where you are. Claire replies herself, usually within a working day.
