About us
Private dining, made personal
Private Chef Finder is a UK private chef directory and food blog, built by people who have cooked for a living and hosted at home.
Hiring a private chef shouldn't mean scrolling through profiles nobody has looked at, or reading a price list that has nothing to do with your evening. We started Private Chef Finder to make the first part easier: a directory of independent private chefs, each approved by us before they're listed, that you can filter by area, cuisine, budget and rating.
The company was co-founded by James Callery, a professional chef and restaurateur who works as a private chef and is head chef at Hotel du Vin in Winchester. He previously led the kitchen at the Cross Keys in Newbury, Berkshire. His advice on cooking and hosting has appeared in Chowhound, EatingWell and Foodie, and he reviews the recipes we publish. You can read James's story here.
Alongside the directory we publish a blog: practical food and drink writing for people who cook, host and eat at home. It's the same standard we hold the directory to: no invented facts, no borrowed photographs, no content that exists only to fill a page.
How we work
We're a directory, not a booking platform. We approve every chef before their profile goes live, and you contact the chefs you like directly, using the details they've chosen to share.
We don't cook. We don't employ the chefs. We don't take payment for your event, and we're not a party to the agreement you reach with a chef.
Our standards
Four rules we hold ourselves to, and that you can hold us to as well.
Only genuine chefs
Every profile is reviewed by a person before it goes live. We don't publish a chef we haven't spoken to, and we don't write profiles on their behalf.
No fake reviews
No star ratings, no invented testimonials, no booking counters. If we can't show you where a claim comes from, we don't make it.
Clear about our role
We connect people with independent chefs, and that's all. We don't check qualifications, food hygiene, insurance or kitchens, and we're not responsible for the service a chef provides, so ask your chef directly about anything that matters to you.
Editorial independence
Chefs can't pay to change what our blog says about cooking, and sponsorship can't buy a better place in the directory. Sponsored content is always labelled.
The people behind it
- Professional chef
- Restaurateur
- Co-founder
- Culinary reviewer
Founded by a chef
James Callery
Co-founder · Professional chef & restaurateur · Culinary reviewer
James Callery is a professional chef and restaurateur and the co-founder of Private Chef Finder. He works as a private chef and is head chef at Hotel du Vin in Winchester. He previously led the kitchen at the Cross Keys in Newbury, Berkshire. His advice on cooking and hosting has featured in Chowhound, EatingWell and Foodie. James is our culinary reviewer: he reviews our recipes before they're published, and any article he has checked carries his name.
Read James's storyAs featured in
James's advice has been quoted in national food and drink publications, and his press features are collected on our press page.
Ready to plan your evening?
Browse the directory and contact the chefs who suit your evening. If you cook for a living, apply to join the directory instead.