CHEFIN connects you with vetted private chefs across the Hunter Valley. Your chef does the shopping, cooks at your accommodation, and leaves the kitchen the way they found it. That can be a cellar-door weekend at Pokolbin, a group house among the vines, a winery stay or a wedding at an estate. You pick the dining style.

We find the chef whose cooking suits your menu, your dietary requirements and the occasion, and a concierge stays with it from the first call to the last plate cleared — restaurant hospitality, wherever you are staying.

Family-style share plates start at $165 a head, GST included. CHEFIN chefs have cooked for more than 100,000 guests, including teams at Airbnb, Microsoft and Tesla. In a region you have come to for the food and the wine, the chef should be the easy part.

How CHEFIN Works

1. Select Your Style

Whether it’s an intimate 3-course affair or a lavish 5-course feast, choose a dining package that suits your occasion. View here.

2. Matched to Perfection

Our algorithm pairs you with a private chef whose expertise and culinary style match your desires.

3. Tailored to Your Taste

Collaborate with your chef to design a unique menu, exclusively tailored to thrill your palate.

4. Savor the Experience

Your chef takes care of everything, allowing you to relax and immerse yourself in the joy of dining.

Dining styles available in Hunter Valley

Looking for something different?

RESERVE A PACKAGE IN 3 EASY STEPS: 1. SELECT A PACKAGE, 2. ENTER EVENT DETAILS, 3. SECURE PAY ONLINE.

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Why Hire A Private Chef Through CHEFIN?

Amazing. Great Food. Chat. Relax & Have Fun. No Stress!

Beyond Just a Meal: Experience more than exquisite cuisine with CHEFIN. Every dish is a step into a story, creating moments that become memories. It’s not just about the food; it’s about enriching lives through culinary excellence.

Trusted Expertise: CHEFIN Private Chefs™️ are the heart of your dining experience, selected through a meticulous process for their passion and creativity. They’re not just professionals; they’re culinary magicians dedicated to perfection.

Uncompromised Safety: Your safety is our top priority at CHEFIN. We ensure food safety as a core principle, secure your payments in a trust until the event’s completion, and protect everyone involved with $20 million in public liability insurance for a completely secure dining experience.

Your Event, Stress-Free: From planning to execution, CHEFIN Concierges ensures your event unfolds seamlessly. Enjoy the celebration without the hassle, knowing every detail is crafted to your satisfaction with our 24/7 dedicated support.

intimate dining with friends

What customers say

Having a Chefin chef took all the hassle out of hosting our friends for dinner. It was nice to be able to enjoy the meal with our friends without spending the time cooking and cleaning in the kitchen. The hot smoked salmon cakes as a canapé.

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Chef cooking in a private kitchen

Took all the hassle out of hosting May

By offering CHEFIN’s culinary expertise, we have been able to create unique and memorable dining experiences for our corporate clients. The ability to offer personalized, in-suite dining experiences has elevated the overall travel experience for our corporate clients. With CHEFIN, we can curate bespoke menus to accommodate dietary preferences and create a sense of exclusivity that aligns perfectly with our clients’ high standards and discerning tastes.

We highly recommend CHEFIN to any corporate travel agency or business seeking to elevate their clients’ travel experiences. Their services have not only enhanced our offering but have also contributed to strengthening our client relationships and fostering memorable connections.

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With CHEFIN, we can curate bespoke menus Corporate Traveller

Chef Laurent and his assistants were so friendly and very professional in every respect of the service they provided for our party. The food presented was fantastic and enjoyed by all. At the end of the night they left the kitchen so clean, you would not have known anyone had been there. Thanks so much for making my wife’s 60th a memorable occasion.

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Chef Laurent Siloret Wagyu, porcini jus

The food presented was fantastic Grant Roe

Such an amazing experience of having our own private chef cook for us. Having Chef Miku come to our home allowed us to sit back, relax and enjoy the experience and something that we all enjoyed. The food was excellent. Thank you to Chef Miku for designing such a wonderful menu for us.

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Chef miku sharma plating

Such an amazing experience Nicole

I wanted to thank you for organising such a wonderful event yesterday. My husband deserved the best for his 60th and you delivered. Chef Winston was absolutely on the mark from go to woe. There was nothing I could ask him to do better. I will gladly recommend the team, we will see all of you for another function in the future.

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Chef Winston Zhang plating

My husband deserved the best for his 60th and you delivered. Mary

Working alongside CHEFIN has been an absolute pleasure, as we both share a deep passion for creating unforgettable memories and experiences. At Unforgettables Collective, we specialize in crafting unique and romantic moments, and partnering with CHEFIN has allowed us to elevate the love-filled experiences we offer to our clients.

The dining experiences curated by CHEFIN have added an extra layer of magic to our proposals and special occasions. The attention to detail, culinary expertise, and personalized service provided by the CHEFIN team have consistently exceeded our expectations. From intimate candlelit dinners to grand gestures of love, CHEFIN has helped us create memorable moments that couples cherish for a lifetime.

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have added an extra layer of magic to our proposals and special occasions Unforgettables Collective

Meet our signature Hunter Valley Private Chefs

Chef Bryce Reynolds Hunter Valley & Newcastle private chef profile

Bryce Reynolds

Executive Chef
  • Location: New South Wales, Australia, The Hunter Valley Region, Newcastle
  • Cuisines: Indigenous Australian, Mediterranean, Modern Australian
Chef Jimmy Calligeros Profile Photo

Jimmy Calligeros

Chef de Cuisine
  • Location: Australia, Newcastle, New South Wales
  • Cuisines: Continental European, Modern Australian
Chef John Hampson Profile Photo

John Hampson

Executive Chef
  • Location: Australia, Newcastle, New South Wales
  • Cuisines: Continental European, Indigenous Australian, Modern Australian

Explore all CHEFIN Private Chefs

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How much does a private chef cost in the Hunter Valley?

You pay per person, and the rate depends on the dining style and how many are coming. Family-style share plates start at $165 a head, three-course plated fine dining at $195, and five-course at $245. All inclusive of GST, with nothing added at checkout. There is no call-out fee, no ingredient surcharge and no cleaning charge either. The number you are quoted covers the chef, the groceries, the cooking, the service, and the kitchen left the way they found it.

Each package page shows its current rate. For an exact figure on your date and guest count, ask the concierge. Prices can shift on public holidays, over the summer and long-weekend peaks, and for last-minute bookings, and a booking deep in the vines may carry a travel component depending on where you are staying.

What every package includes:

  • A vetted private chef, matched to your menu and dietary requirements
  • Menu design and revisions with your chef before the event
  • All ingredients, sourced and shopped for by your chef
  • Cooking on site at your accommodation, arriving ahead of service
  • Full kitchen and dining area clean-up
  • Concierge support from booking through to the event
  • All taxes: the displayed rate is the final rate
  • Public liability coverage, and payment held in trust until after your event

What sits outside the per-person price:

  • Wait staff and bar staff: available as an add-on
  • Drinks, tableware, glassware and cutlery: can be arranged as add-ons

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Where can I find private chefs in the Hunter Valley?
Through CHEFIN. Tell the concierge your date, where you are staying, how many are coming and what the weekend is for, and we come back with chefs who are free and whose cooking suits it. You are not trawling directories or chasing quotes, and every chef has already been checked before you see them.

Can a private chef cook at my Hunter Valley accommodation?
Yes — it is most of what we do here. Chefs cook at cellar-door cottages, vineyard houses, group lodges and holiday rentals across Pokolbin, Lovedale, Cessnock and Rothbury. They bring everything, cook in the kitchen that is there, serve, and clean up before they go. Check with your host that the kitchen can be used for cooking, give the concierge the address and the numbers, and we plan around the space.

Can I combine a private chef dinner with the wine?
That is the whole idea in the Hunter. Chefs build menus to match what you have brought back from the cellar doors, or design courses around the region’s Semillon and Shiraz. Bring the bottles you have picked up over the weekend and your chef will cook to them. Tell the concierge if a wine match matters and we pair you with a chef who works that way.

What is the difference between a private chef and a personal chef?
A private chef is booked for one occasion — a weekend, a milestone, a wedding — and cooks and serves on the day. A personal chef visits regularly to prepare meals for a household to eat through the week. CHEFIN provides both across the Hunter. A third option, employing a full-time chef on salary, is a different arrangement again. Tell the concierge which you are after.

 

Do private chefs clean up after cooking?
Yes. Every CHEFIN booking in the Hunter Valley includes full clean-up of the kitchen and dining area, and your chef leaves the space as they found it. Clean-up is part of the per-person price, not charged separately. That matters in a rental or cellar-door cottage you would rather leave spotless.

Do private chefs do the grocery shopping?
Yes. Your CHEFIN chef sources and shops for all ingredients and brings them on the day. You do not need to buy anything or arrange delivery, and the ingredient cost is included in the per-person price rather than billed afterwards.

Are there any extra costs or taxes added at checkout?
No. CHEFIN prices are inclusive of GST, and the per-person rate covers the chef, all groceries, the cooking, the service and full clean-up. There is no call-out fee, ingredient surcharge, cleaning charge or tax added on top. The only extras are add-ons you choose yourself, such as wait staff or drinks, and travel for accommodation well off the main roads. The price quoted is the price you pay.

How many guests can a private chef cater for?
From a degustation for two up to a long table for a big group. Most Hunter bookings are the group that has come up together — six to twenty for a milestone or a weekend away — but larger numbers are fine with enough notice, and we add wait staff for bigger events. Give the concierge the headcount and we match a chef who cooks well at that scale.

Can a private chef in the Hunter Valley cater to dietary requirements?
Yes. Dietary requirements are collected at booking and the menu is built around them — gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan, halal, low FODMAP and specific allergies. Hunter chefs on the platform cover more than 20 cuisines, so a dietary preference rarely means a lesser dish. Flag severe allergies explicitly so your chef can manage cross-contamination.

Private chef experiences for every occasion in the Hunter Valley

People book a private chef in the Hunter Valley when they have come up for the weekend and want the food to match the setting. These are the occasions we cater to most.

Cellar-door weekends: a long lunch or a plated dinner at the house while the group handles the wine.
Milestone birthdays and anniversaries: a degustation among the vines for the occasion that has outgrown a restaurant.
Weddings and elopements: intimate ceremonies and receptions at an estate or a hired venue, plated or as a shared feast.
Hens and bucks weekends: a chef cooking at the accommodation while the group stays put.
Corporate retreats: winery stays and team weekends with dinners cooked on site.
Group getaways: family and friends in one house, eating well without anyone cooking or cleaning.

2 private chefs working on fresh ingredients for a private dining function

Where CHEFIN private chefs cook across the Hunter Valley

CHEFIN chefs cook across the Hunter Valley and the surrounding region. If you are staying anywhere in these areas, we have chefs who go there regularly.

We cook wherever you are staying: vineyard houses and cellar-door cottages, a holiday house or group lodge, holiday rentals, estates and function venues, and outdoors on decks and terraces among the vines. Tell the concierge what the space is like and your chef plans around it.

The wine country: Pokolbin, Lovedale, Rothbury, Broke, Mount View
Cessnock and around: Cessnock, Nulkaba, Bellbird, Kearsley
Maitland and the lower Hunter: Maitland, Morpeth, Branxton, Greta, Lochinvar
Further afield: Wollombi, Singleton and the upper Hunter for winery and property bookings
Beyond: Newcastle, the Central Coast and Port Stephens, where our chefs also cook regularly

Private Chef Winston and Gigi prepping a home dinner

Private chefs for Hunter Valley weddings and events

The Hunter is one of Australia’s busiest wedding regions, and not every celebration wants a big catering company. For an elopement, a small ceremony, a rehearsal dinner or a day-after lunch, a private chef is the right size — a plated menu or a shared feast, cooked at your estate or accommodation, with the food built around you rather than a set package. You get a chef and a concierge rather than a production line, and the same team handles the menu, the cooking and the clean-up. For larger catered weddings, ask the concierge and we will point you to the right CHEFIN service.

Cooking in the Hunter Valley: cuisines, seasons and produce

The Hunter is Australia’s oldest wine region, and its chefs cook to that. Modern Australian leads, then French, Italian and Japanese, and the chefs on the platform cover more than twenty cuisines between them. What sets the culinary style here apart is the wine — a chef in the Hunter is as likely to build the courses around a Semillon or a Shiraz as around a protein, and every menu is tailored to the table and what is seasonal.

The region grows and makes more than the wine it is known for. Hunter Valley cheese and dairy, beef and lamb from the surrounding farmland, olives and citrus, and produce from the valley floor — matched, of course, to Pokolbin Semillon, Hunter Shiraz and the cool-climate wines coming out of the higher vineyards. It is genuine farm-to-table, and the flavour shows it.

The seasons run warm and long. Summer is peak visiting season, for long lunches and lighter plates on the terrace; autumn is vintage, when the vines turn and the region is at its best; the mild winter is Hunter reds and slow cooking by the fire; spring brings the first produce back and the run-up to the busy season. The venues run from cellar-door cottages to vineyard estates with room for a crowd. Tell your concierge where you are staying.