It covers my in-home chef service for the dates and plan you accept in your proposal, plus any written changes we agree later. If something is not written in the proposal or confirmed in writing between us, it is not part of the plan. These terms are how I keep the cooking, shopping, and timing predictable in your home, so you are not managing details you hired out to avoid.
What I do
I provide in-home chef service in your kitchen for the cook day(s) and service window in your accepted proposal, including the shopping method you choose and the menu direction we confirm in writing. I will use your kitchen setup, work within the time booked, and leave your fridge and kitchen in a good, usable reset at the end.
Your proposal lists what is included, such as: Kitchen walk-through. Shopping and groceries. Cooking in your kitchen. Portioning and labeling. Fridge and kitchen reset. Storm-day shift plan.
* Kitchen walk-through * Shopping and groceries * Cooking in your kitchen * Portioning and labeling * Fridge and kitchen reset * Storm-day shift plan
Holding your date
I only hold a date once two things are done: you sign this Private Chef Contract and the 30% retainer is paid. Until then, I can talk through menus and logistics with you, but I may accept another booking for the same date.
That retainer is what reserves your time on my calendar. If you cancel, whether any of the retainer is returned depends on my cancellation schedule for your booking. I will show you that schedule in writing so you can make a clean decision before you commit.
Payment
The price and what it covers are listed in your accepted proposal. Payment is split into two steps. First, a 30% retainer is due when you sign. Second, the remaining 70% is due before the event, based on your final numbers, by a date I set for your booking.
Invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date. If an invoice reaches 14 days unpaid, I pause any new shopping and cook-day scheduling until the account is brought current. That pause protects your food quality and my calendar, and it keeps the plan from drifting while an account is overdue.
Final numbers
For any dinner party, arrival meal, or stocked-fridge plan, I will ask you to confirm the final guest count, allergies, dietary needs, and any access notes by a deadline I set for your date. I need that confirmation so I can shop accurately, portion correctly, and avoid last-minute substitutions in your kitchen.
Your final numbers are what I price and plan from. The remaining 70% balance is charged from those final numbers even if fewer people attend. If you think your count may move, tell me early. I can often plan for a range, but I still need one final number by the deadline so shopping and prep stay calm and controlled.
Changes
If you want to change the plan after you sign, I keep it simple: you ask in writing, I price or confirm the impact in writing, and you approve it before I act. “Change” includes guest count, menu direction, service style, cook-day timing, and shopping method (house account, reimbursement, Instacart, or a card on file).
Some changes are easy, and some are not possible close to the date because they affect shopping, thawing, prep order, and time in your kitchen. I will tell you what I can still adjust and what I cannot, as soon as I see the request. If you send a change without written approval from me, I will treat it as a question, not a go-ahead.
Food and allergies
You are the best source for what is safe in your household. You agree to tell me about allergies, sensitivities, dietary needs, and “absolutely not” ingredients by the final numbers deadline. If something changes after that, tell me right away so I can tell you what is still realistic to accommodate.
I label what I portion and leave in your fridge with the dish name and any key notes I think matter for your household (for example, spice level or allergens). Once I hand food over to you in your home, you control how it is stored, reheated, and served. If you want me to leave a specific fridge map or reheat notes, I am happy to do that if you ask.
Other suppliers
If your plan includes anything I do not directly provide, like rental items, servers, bartenders, valet, flowers, or specialty cakes, you normally book and pay those vendors directly. That way, you control their choices, timing, and payments.
I will coordinate calmly on the day with any vendors you bring in, as long as I have their contact details and the arrival window ahead of time. If you want me to place a vendor order on your behalf, I can sometimes do that, but only if we agree the details in writing first, including who pays, whose name the order is under, and what happens if a vendor changes their timing or cancels.
Extra time and travel
Your proposal is priced around a specific cook window and the service pace we plan for. If the day runs longer because you ask for extra dishes, extra guests, extended service, or last-minute resets, I will tell you as soon as I see it happening. When it is possible, I will get your okay before I continue past the booked time.
Extra time is billed at my overtime rate, and any travel outside my usual area is billed at my travel rate. Those rates are the ones I set for your booking and can vary by season and schedule. If a delay is caused by something in the home I could not use as planned (no power, no water, no access), I will pause and ask you how you want to proceed.
Moving the date
If you need to move your date, tell me as soon as you know. If I am available for the new date, I will apply your retainer to the rescheduled booking under the postponement window and any fees I set for your booking. If I am not available, it is treated as a cancellation, because I cannot create a second date in the calendar.
For storms and building access issues, I follow the storm-day shift plan we set on day one. If something outside anyone’s control makes it unsafe or impossible to cook, shop, or access the home, I will contact you quickly with the simplest next option: shift the cook day, adjust the menu to what can be sourced safely, or pause and reschedule. Any perishable grocery costs already incurred still apply.
What I am responsible for
I am responsible for showing up and delivering the in-home chef service you booked, with the menu direction and shopping method we confirmed in writing. I take reasonable care in your home and kitchen, and I will tell you promptly if I see a safety issue, missing equipment, or anything that changes what I can cook well in your space.
I cannot be responsible for problems caused by things I do not control, like ingredient brand substitutions by a store, power or water outages, appliance failures, pests, or unsafe kitchen conditions that appear during the cook window. I also cannot take responsibility for food after I leave it with you, including storage temperature, cross-contact from other foods in the fridge, or reheating and serving choices made after service.
Canceling
If you cancel, tell me in writing so there is no confusion about timing. I keep a portion of the total based on how close the cancellation is to your date. The reason is simple: I block time on my calendar, turn away other work, and often start planning, holding prep time, and committing to shopping windows that cannot be recovered.
The cutoff dates and the amounts kept at each stage are the cancellation schedule I set for your booking, and I will provide it to you in writing. In general, the closer we are to the date, the more of the total is kept. Any non-refundable costs already incurred for your plan, including groceries already purchased at your request, are still due.
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