Hey Chef! frequently asked questions. Your Private Chef and Kitchen Staff Service in Lake Tahoe and Truckee
(877) 4-HeyChef (toll-free) | info@heychef.com

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Private Chef Service

How is your service different from others?
First, we don’t know of any other service available like ours.  It is true that many area concierge companies offer shopping services and can put you in touch with private chefs, but they do not offer the superior culinary expertise that Hey Chef! is dedicated to. We are the premier source to turn to when you want to work with the area’s finest private chefs.  All of our private chefs are professionally qualified and educated, affiliated and credentialed, food-safe certified and insured and prepare your food entirely in your home or in a licensed, commercial food facility.  Ask this of others and you’ll see why we are the source to contract for your private kitchen staff needs.
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What types of events do you help conduct?
Here is a list of some of the events we have helped make a grand success:

  • Anniversaries
  • Birthdays
  • Reunions
  • Family vacations
  • Holiday parties
  • After golf and après ski cocktail parties
  • Picnic baskets
  • Pre-arrival shop and provisioning
  • Pre-prepared, delivered meals
  • Interactive dinners (cooking classes with your menu and your guests)
  • Hostess and wait staff service only (when you want to do your own cooking)
  • Corporate retreats (breakfast and lunch food service during meetings and custom group parties)
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What party size do you service?
We routinely provide services for in-home parties of two to fifty guests. This party size is not desirable for catering companies who profit from economies provided by large groups of fifty or more guests on up to hundreds.  In short, if your home can accommodate the guests, we can serve them!
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What if I only need limited staff?
We can provide you with a wait staff member to help you serve and clean up.  Some of our clients request a bartender and hostess to great them and their guests when they return from golf or skiing or our staff can serve cocktails and appetizers while you prepare to go out to a local restaurant. Whatever your needs, HeyChef! can provide you with the chef and the staff you need to make your home-entertaining effortless and customized.
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Does your staff do other household duties?
We specialize in kitchen tasks only. We do not do personal errands, housekeeping or household management tasks. Our staff specializes in preparing, presenting and cleaning up after your home entertaining. This may include floral arranging, dishwashing and cleaning refrigerators but does not include the variety of tasks often described under the job title of household manager, nanny or personal assistant. We also are not event planners. If you have an elaborate event, it is best for you to hire staff to coordinate it. We provide services strictly related to the kitchen and your service.
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How do you charge for your services?
You may be accustomed to caterers who charge a price per plate, or price per guest. Our prices do not compare easily to this method; rather we charge for our time plus your expenses.  Basically, the chefs charge an hourly fee, the staff is charged at a flat rate per shift and food is billed at cost. We include an administrative fee and gratuity on each bill, along with any other applicable fees. A complete description of our fees and charges can be found in the Terms & Conditions.

Our Terms & Conditions state that an advance payment of 30% is payable by check to reserve our services.  When you send the check and the signed agreement, you’ll provide us with a credit card number that we keep on file to bill the remaining amount due; this amount may be charged to your card 24 hours in advance of the event, and any incidental charges will be charged following the conclusion of your event.  Your receipt, invoice and copies of receipts will be mailed to you.
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Why are your prices higher than a caterer?
Catering prices are typically 25% higher than a similar meal at a restaurant, partly due to the fact that caterers come to you for a one-time event. Similarly, when a private chef sets up a restaurant in your home, for one night, with a menu customized for you, with no economies of size, the prices are increased even further. If you desire a private event in your home but have a restricted budget, we may be able to accommodate you if you are willing to consider some different or unique types of entertaining. Contact us for more information.
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Are your charges higher on holidays?
Certain holidays are charged at a rate of 1.5 times the standard charges for chef and wait staff services.  These holidays are:

  • New Year's Eve (December 31)
  • New Year's Day (January 1)
  • Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January)
  • Valentine's Day (February 14)
  • St. Patrick's Day (March 17)
  • Easter Sunday
  • Mother's Day (second Sunday in May)
  • Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
  • Father's Day (third Sunday in June)
  • Independence Day (July 4)
  • Labor Day (first Monday in September)
  • Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November)
  • Christmas Day (December 25)
For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions.
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Do you have references or testimonials?
You can find testimonials throughout our site to see what people have to say about our service. In order to protect our clients' privacy, we do not routinely hand out references for our contracted chefs and hired personnel.
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Do you have sample or preset menus?
We’ll work with you to create a personal menu that reflects your unique style, the season and atmosphere and preferences of your guests, but if you still want us to give you some idea of the range of menus and ideas we can offer, take a look at some sample menus that have been popular in the past.
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Do you buy wholesale or retail food?
Our private chefs shop at local markets and superior quality food provisioners. The cost of these items is the same you’d pay if you were shopping the event for yourself. We provide you with copies of the receipts and invoice you for all costs. You directly reimburse us – there is no mark up (try that with a caterer!).
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Do you provide tastings?
It is not our practice to provide tastings for clients as this would significantly increase the cost of working with a private chef on a for-hire basis. You can rest assured that all our chefs have been screened by our executive team.
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What about serving alcohol?
When our chef and staff enter your home, they are serving you as domestic help. Your homeowner’s insurance provides for this type of staff, similar to butlers and cleaning services. When it comes to alcohol, we are happy to serve your guests at your direction. But the responsibility of buying the alcohol and regulating consumption by the guests rests with the homeowner. When we provide you with a bartender, you are hiring wait staff with the experience to mix and serve drinks – at your direction. When we provide you with bar service, we can purchase all the set ups, mixers and supplies needed to provision a bar; however, while we can even help you with varietal selection and quantities, you must purchase the alcohol. In short, for liability reasons we do not connect ourselves to the chain of commerce as relates to alcoholic beverages.
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What if some grocery items are not available?
Your chef reserves the right to substitute seasonal or specialty items dut to freshness and quality when shopping.
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Can I provide my own (blank)?
The advantage of working with Hey Chef! is our flexibility to meet your needs. Our clients routinely provide their own alcohol and wine from their personal cellars, and we can help with those purchases if you desire. If you are considering alternate party plans to stay within a budget, or just as a twist to your traditional parties, we can help you plan that, too!
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How do I reserve you?
A signed agreement, a check representing 30% advance payment, and a credit card on file are necessary to reserve our services.
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Can I select a chef?
If you have a favorite chef you’ve previously contracted with and want them to return to your kitchen, please request him/her by name and we’ll do our best to reserve him/her for you again. If you have not used our services before, our administrative staff will match you with a chef that can create and execute the menu you desire.
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Will you travel to provide your services?
We charge for time traveling to, but not from, the job site.  This time is included in the chef’s hourly charges.  Staff is charged to you at a flat rate per shift, regardless of the location, unless specified for your event’s location.  If lodging or daily expenses are incurred, they will be billed to the client.
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Do your chefs travel out of the area to serve clients?
If you have a short- or long-term assignment out of the area or desire vacation coverage for your regular staff, we can arrange for placement of your preferred chef and/or staff. You or your personal staff are responsible for all pre-screening tasks such as an in-depth interview and background and credit checks to ensure you are offering a position to a qualified candidate.  HeyChef! charges a fee for their placement equal to 25% of the annual wage, or proportionate time period. Details are included in our company Terms & Conditions.
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How can I control my costs?
If budget is a primary concern, it is critical that you advise us at the outset of your planning. We can usually accommodate a range of budgets, but our personal services are not a match for everyone.  If you desire a private event in your home and you have a restricted budget, please see Expand the Possibilities for some ideas on alternative forms of entertaining (interactive cooking, sophisticated potluck and dressed up take out).
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Why do you give a range estimate instead of an exact price?
We give you an estimate after we’ve spent just a short amount of time with you gathering information over the phone.  But until we get a deposit to book our services, no chef or staff have been contracted on your behalf.  The range from conservative to full budget encompasses a broad number of possible chefs (they all charge different rates) and staff that can be contracted on your behalf. It also gives you a chance to reevaluate your event and guide us in the direction you want to go. It is our practice to give you a budget that proposes the highest level of service we offer; thereafter, if you choose you may make alterations to your plan to keep your event within your budget.
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What is the timeline of working with you?
The answer to this depends on the amount of time you contact us in advance of your event.  For some events we are contacted a year in advance, for others just days. In either case, we strive to move the process from estimate to plan to service as quickly and as comfortably as your schedule allows. The initial conversation takes about 25 minutes, after which we will provide you an estimate, agreement and request for advance payment.  Planning your menu can take as little or as long as you desire, usually not more than an hour.  You can call us as often as you like to update us on the details of your event, but contact with the chef results in hourly charges, so keep this in mind to control your costs.  We will call you to confirm details, review the final menu and check in on the day of or day before your event.  All of this takes just moments, and the amount of time is considerably less for repeat clients.
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What if my guest list size changes?
If your guest list changes in size, so will your grocery costs. It is advisable (especially when there are big swings in head count) to inform us of changes to your guest list as we approach the event date.  But it is critical to advise us of your final guest count prior to the chef shopping for your menu.
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What if I need other services (rentals, flowers, music, nanny, etc.)?
To help you successfully plan your home event, our administrative staff can provide referrals to local providers for such things as rentals, flowers, music and nanny services. You are responsible for determining the quality and appropriateness of these services, as well as securing them and reviewing their contracts and terms in detail. Your private chef can review your party rental list for accuracy and completeness or other items procured; however, you will be charged for the staff’s time to do so.
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What do I need to provide?
In order to help assure the success of our chef and staff in your home, and to assist you in a seamless and effortless party, we have compiled a list of items for your consideration.  If you would like to know what items are needed in your kitchen for our chefs to make your event a success, please see How to Equip a Kitchen.
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How do I prepare for a chef's arrival?
In order to help assure the success of our chef and staff in your home, and to assist you in a seamless and effortless party, we have compiled a list of items for your consideration in order to Make the Most of Your Private Chef.
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What is your cancellation policy?
Our cancellation policy is outlined in the Terms & Conditions.
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What if I’m unhappy with (blank)?
We’re confident you will be happy with the services we provide because the menu was created by you and is being prepared and served in your home. Additionally, the staff we contract on your behalf are all professionals and have been carefully screened by our executive team. It is not our practice to review or revise your bill after an event. If for any reason you are dissatisfied, the time to tell us is during the event so that we can find a solution. It is rare that clients are surprised by the size of their bill because we do our best to give you an estimate that will encompass all the possibilities of service.  Some people want to leave all the planning to the chef, while others want to plan every detail alongside. Please keep in mind that planning can become as detailed as you wish, and the total time the chef dedicates to planning and completing your event will be reflected in the bill.
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What if weather conditions play a factor?
Occasionally, circumstances beyond our control occur on the day of your event such as foul weather, road closures or power outages. When this happens we will do everything reasonably within our power to execute your planned service and meals.  In the event that we cannot provide services as planned, we will submit for payment an invoice for the labor and expenses incurred up to that point.
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Can we hire a chef away on a temp or permanent basis?
If you are so impressed with one of the chefs or staff we assign to you that you would like to hire them for a temporary or permanent assignment, you may be able to do so. We will help you communicate the job position and/or assignment to your preferred candidate and negotiate an appropriate wage. You or someone on your professional staff should do all pre-screening tasks such as an in-depth interview and background and credit checks to ensure you are offering a position to a qualified candidate.  HeyChef! charges a fee for their placement equal to 25% of the annual wage, or proportionate time period.  Details are included in our company Terms & Conditions.
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