How much does a private chef cost in Paris?
Every dinner is quoted for your table: the chef you choose, the menu, the number of guests and the level of service all shape the figure. We set out the formulas and what each one includes on our pricing page, and you receive a precise proposal within 24 hours.
What is included in each formula?
The chef formula covers the market, the menu, the cooking at your residence and a spotless kitchen on departure. Adding service brings a trained maître d'hôtel to the table. The full experience adds porcelain, crystal and silverware, so an empty apartment can hold a dinner worthy of a restaurant.
Do you work with Michelin-starred chefs?
Yes. Prémices composes dinners with Michelin-starred chefs and Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, cooking for your table alone. These evenings are arranged on request and confirmed with the chef within 48 hours.
Which cities do you cover?
Paris and Île-de-France, the French Riviera (Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Monaco), Provence and Marseille, the Alps, Normandy and Corsica. For destinations outside Paris we confirm the chef's availability before you commit to anything.
Can you cook in a rental apartment or villa?
Yes, most of our international guests host us in their rented apartment, villa or hotel suite. We only need a working kitchen; if the kitchen is too small, we adapt the menu or bring equipment.
How far in advance should I book?
One to two weeks is comfortable for a standard dinner in Paris; last-minute requests are often possible. Michelin dinners, large tables and dates outside Paris are best reserved three to four weeks ahead. December fills earliest.
How fast do you reply?
You receive a proposal within 24 working hours and the chef's confirmation within 48. One person follows your evening from first email to farewell.
Is there a minimum number of guests?
No fixed minimum: we compose dinners from two guests. Below six guests, a minimum spend may apply depending on the chef and the date.
Can you handle dietary restrictions and allergies?
Yes. The menu is composed for your table, so allergies, vegetarian or vegan guests, kosher-style or halal-friendly requests are folded into the menu itself, never treated as a side plate.
Do the chefs speak English?
Yes. Your coordinator works in English, and we assign chefs and service staff comfortable hosting an English-speaking table.
What does a typical evening look like?
The chef shops at the market in the morning, arrives two to three hours before your guests, serves an aperitif, then the courses at the table, and leaves the kitchen cleaner than found. You choose the rhythm; the evening usually runs four to five hours.
Can you also provide the venue?
Yes. If you have no place to host, we open doors that are not otherwise available: private mansions, rooftops and Haussmannian apartments in Paris. Venue sourcing is quoted separately.
Do you arrange wine pairings?
Yes, our sommeliers compose pairings course by course, from grand crus to confidential growers. You may also serve your own cellar; we never charge corkage.
Can I book a chef for several days?
Yes. For villa stays and chalet weeks we arrange a chef in residence, breakfast to dinner, with a menu that never repeats itself.
Do you organise corporate dinners?
Yes. Prémices serves houses including LVMH, Moët Hennessy, Air Liquide and IBM: board dinners, client evenings and team experiences, in your offices or in one of our venues.
How do payments work?
A deposit confirms the date; the balance is due after the dinner, by card or transfer, in euros. American cards are accepted. Corporate clients may be invoiced.
What is your cancellation policy?
A dinner moved more than seven days ahead is simply rescheduled. Closer to the date, we keep what covers the chef's committed time and purchases, stated clearly in your quote, never more.
Can you cater a proposal or an anniversary?
Yes, intimate occasions are our signature: a table for two after a proposal, a milestone birthday, a wedding eve. Tell us what the evening means and we compose around it.
Do you work with travel advisors and concierges?
Yes, a dedicated desk answers travel advisors, DMCs, villa agencies and hotel concierges, with commission terms and a 24-hour quote commitment. Write to us for the partner kit.
Why Prémices rather than a chef marketplace?
A marketplace sells you a chef; Prémices composes the evening. One contact selects the chef, the menu, the wines, the service and, if needed, the venue, and stays accountable for the whole night. That is why houses like LVMH and Moët Hennessy trust us with theirs.
What is the difference between a private chef and a personal chef?
A personal chef usually cooks regular everyday meals; a private chef composes a single, restaurant-level evening. Prémices arranges the latter: a chef from a starred kitchen, a bespoke menu, and service that lets you stay a guest at your own table.
How do I choose a private chef in Paris?
Look for three things: a verifiable background in demanding kitchens, detailed recent reviews, and a real conversation about your menu before any commitment. Every Prémices chef passes a test dinner before joining the network, and our 4.9/5 Google rating is built dinner by dinner.
Is a private chef worth it for just two people?
Yes: intimate tables are our signature, from proposals to anniversaries. For two guests you get the same calibre of chef and menu as a large table, with a service that knows when to disappear.
Private chef or Michelin restaurant: which should we choose for a special evening?
A restaurant seats you among others; a private chef builds the entire evening around your table alone. Same level of cooking, but the menu is yours, the timing is yours, and the room is yours, whether it is your apartment or a private mansion we open for you.
Can I book a private chef for a proposal dinner in Paris?
Yes. Tell us when you plan to ask, and the chef paces the courses around the moment. Home, rooftop or a confidential address we source: the evening is composed so the question takes centre stage.
Can I hire a private chef for a whole week in a villa or chalet?
Yes. For villa stays and chalet weeks we arrange a chef in residence, breakfast to dinner, with a menu that never repeats itself. Weekly terms are quoted within 24 hours.
Can you arrange a private chef on short notice in Paris?
Often, yes: 48 hours is usually workable in Paris, and every request gets an answer within 24 hours. December dates and large tables should be booked well ahead.
Can the chef cook aboard a yacht?
Yes, at port or at anchor, in coordination with the crew, across the French Riviera. See our private chef aboard a yacht.
Do you cater for weddings and large receptions?
Yes. The chef comes with a brigade and a maitre d'hotel for a villa wedding or a reception, from the welcome cocktail to dinner. See our private chef for a Riviera wedding.
Can you provide a chef for a chalet week?
Yes, a chef in residence who handles every meal of the week, in the French and Swiss Alps. See our private chef for a chalet week.
Which regions do you cover?
Paris and the Ile-de-France, the whole French Riviera (Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Saint-Tropez and beyond), the French and Swiss Alps, and the Normandy coast around Deauville.
Is discretion guaranteed?
Yes. Confidentiality is part of the service: chefs and team used to demanding clienteles, no communication about your events, total discretion on the venue and the guests.
Is the service available in English?
Yes. Our chefs and service team work in both English and French, for the international clientele of Paris and the Riviera.