Buffet Style Catering – Family-Style Share Plates with a Private Chef Onsite
$165.00
Buffet style catering with CHEFIN means a private chef cooking and serving seven gourmet dishes family-style, so your guests simply help themselves while you enjoy the gathering. It’s a relaxed, flavour-forward way to cater a dinner, wedding or corporate event — all cooked fresh at your venue, with the shopping, cooking, service and clean-up handled for you.
What’s Included?
- 2 mains, 2 sides, 2 salads, 1 dessert — seven gourmet dishes, designed for sharing family-style
- 1 Private Chef travelling to you
- Premium ingredients, hand-selected and sourced locally where possible
- Shopping, preparation, cooking, service & clean-up
- A buffet menu fully customisable to your tastes, cuisine preference and dietary needs
Vegetarian, gluten-free and other dietary requirements are easily accommodated — just let your chef know when you book.
Book in 3 Easy Steps
- Select add to cart
- Enter event details
- Secure pay online
This package is priced per person, inclusive of GST, with a minimum of 10 guests. Hosting fewer than 10, or a larger event? Contact our concierge for a custom proposal.
If you would like to book this package and add service staff or additional products, simply add this package to the cart and then go on to add the additional packages. In case you want a different package, simply go back to the main shop page and view the rest of the Private Chef packages.
Prefer a no-fuss drop-off instead? That’s our Buffet Catering package.
Take a look at a sample buffet menu below — every dish is fully customisable to your taste.
Your Chef Tailors a Menu, Just for You
Buffet Menu Examples
Chef Robert’s Modern American Example Menu
Mains
Roast turkey, Mexico-Oaxacan mole sauce (V)
Crusted ocean trout fillet, Norwegian style spices (V)
Sides
Glazed fig, fresh goats curd, almond crostini (GF, V)
Southern-fried okra, whipped cream, potatoes
Salads
Beijing style crispy duck salad, greens, Hoisin, scallions
Texas spinach salad, pecans, pear, brie, aged balsamic dressing
Dessert
A traditional British delight of Indian Ras Hanout spiced apple pie (V)
Chef Tom’s Asian-Fusion Example Menu
Mains
Crispy five-spice pork belly (DF, GF)
Grilled chilli BBQ chicken (DF, GF)
Sides
Seasonal fresh Asian greens tossed in truffle & porcini oil, grains (DF, GF)
French-style baked lemon oregano potatoes, cheese (DF, GF)
Salads
Vermicelli noodle salad, Thai basil, mint, fresh herbs, lime soy dressing (DF)
Carrot salad, sesame ginger dressing (DF)
Dessert
Dark chocolate brownie, barley cream, roasted peanuts (GF)
Chef Mattia’s Mediterranean Example Menu
Mains
8 hours slow roasted Oberon lamb shoulder, salsa verde
Fennel, salt-roasted pulled pork, applesauce
Sides
Roasted baby carrots, labne, almond dukkah, bay leaves
Broccolini, chilli, preserved lemon, baby capers
Salads
Pearl barley, roasted cauliflower, pomegranate fig, mint salad
Wild rocket, heirloom tomato, asparagus salad, caramelised balsamic
Dessert
House baked triple choc brownie, fresh cream, mixed berries
CHEFIN Booking process
Next Steps
- Secure your booking by paying in full. If using bank transfer/EFTPOS, please ensure you use the order number as a payment reference.
- CHEFIN will email you a booking confirmation and calendar invitation. This will include a form to collect your information and particular needs/requirements.
- Once you have filled in the form and sent it back to us, and your booking is sooner than in 3 weeks, we will assign a Chef based on your needs and desires.
- Your assigned Chef will design a unique menu tailored to your brief, event, dietaries and tastes.
- You can preview this menu, provide feedback, and advise of any menu & event changes along the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens once my booking is confirmed?
After booking, you’ll receive confirmation along with a brief questionnaire about your event, food preferences, dietary needs and any special requests. From there, our concierge team coordinates the chef, menu and practical details leading up to the day.
How does CHEFIN choose the right chef for my event?
We select a carefully screened private chef whose experience suits your location, preferred cuisine, guest requirements and style of occasion. Chef availability is also taken into account, and you’ll be introduced to your chef before the event.
Can the menu be tailored to my guests?
Yes. Your buffet menu is developed specifically for your occasion rather than taken from a standard restaurant menu. Your chef will consider your tastes, dietary needs and selected experience, and you can provide feedback before the menu is approved.
What facilities will the chef need?
Your chef will usually require a clean, functional kitchen or suitable preparation space, access to power and running water, and enough fridge space for the ingredients. Crockery, cutlery, glassware and table settings are generally supplied by the host unless your chosen package states otherwise. We’ll confirm the requirements with you beforehand.
When will the chef arrive at the venue?
For most events, the chef arrives approximately 90 minutes before the planned dining time. This allows enough time to set up, organise the workspace and complete the final preparation. Arrival times may vary depending on the menu, guest numbers and service format.
What is included in a CHEFIN private dining experience?
Your chosen package may cover menu planning, ingredient shopping, food preparation, cooking, plating, service and cleaning of the kitchen area. The inclusions are outlined clearly before you book, so you know what is being handled and can spend the occasion with your guests.
What is buffet style catering?
Buffet style catering is a way of serving a meal where the dishes are laid out for guests to help themselves, rather than a formal plated, course-by-course service. CHEFIN’s version is cooked onsite by a private chef: seven gourmet dishes — two mains, two sides, two salads and one dessert — served family-style so every guest can take exactly what they want.
How much does buffet style catering cost?
This package is priced per person, inclusive of GST, with a minimum of 10 guests. The price covers your private chef, all seven dishes, and the full shopping, cooking, service and clean-up — no separate add-ons for the core experience. For a custom quote on a larger or smaller group, contact our concierge.
Can you accommodate dietary requirements?
Yes. Vegetarian, gluten-free and other dietary requirements are accommodated as standard — just share your guests’ dietary needs when you book, and your chef will design the buffet menu around them.
What’s the difference between this and CHEFIN’s standard Buffet Catering package?
This package is served family-style at or near the table by a private chef on site — a minimum of 10 guests. CHEFIN’s separate Buffet Catering package is a delivery-only drop-off, with no chef on site, for groups of 20 or more; wait staff and equipment hire can be added on request. If you’d rather have it delivered than have a chef on site, or you’re catering for 20+ guests, that’s the package to look at — or contact our concierge and we’ll point you to the right fit.
Perfect For
CHEFIN’s buffet style catering is a fit for:
- Birthdays, graduations and anniversaries
- Weddings and other private celebrations
- Christmas, housewarmings and bar & bat mitzvahs
- Corporate events — team offsites, office parties and training days
Experience Flow
1. Book online and share your event details, cuisine preferences and dietary needs.
2. Your private chef designs a custom buffet menu and confirms it with you.
3. On the day, your chef arrives around 90 minutes early to set up and prepare.
4. Your seven dishes are cooked fresh and laid out family-style for guests to help themselves.
5. Your chef handles the clean-up — you keep the leftovers.
Where We Cater
CHEFIN’s private chefs provide buffet style catering across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Gold Coast, Newcastle and the Hunter Valley — plus the surrounding suburbs in each market.
How Does a Family-Style Share Plates Buffet Work?
This is a family-style way of serving, where everyone can get their hands dirty and enjoy an informal meal together. It’s delicious yet casual — the perfect way to relax and dig into a great meal with your guests. Your chef will prepare and serve all of your dishes, then leave you to enjoy the feast without interfering with your conversations.
The dishes can be served either on your dining table where everyone is seated, or in a separate area for a more buffet-style of dining. Each person can help themselves to whatever they would like to eat, in a portion as large as they would like. Afterwards, your chef will also clean up and make sure your place is tidy — even cleaner than they found it.
When Should I Order Buffet Style Catering?
This style of dining is perfect for casual, informal gatherings with larger groups of people. Choose this buffet style when you want the meal to be communal, and for everyone to gather and connect around the table. Fun and flavour-forward, this style of dining is less stiff and formal than a traditional sit-down meal with table service.
Order buffet style catering for any large event, such as birthdays, graduations, Christmas, weddings, anniversaries, bar & bat mitzvahs, and housewarmings. It’s also a great fit for corporate events and catering — team building exercises, team offsites, office parties, and training days all work well with a shared, help-yourself format.
Why Share a Meal?
There’s a reason buffet style catering works so well for bringing people together: it turns the meal itself into the icebreaker. Sharing food helps guests relax, start conversations with people they might not otherwise talk to, and settle into the kind of easy, unhurried gathering a plated dinner rarely allows. Whether it’s a private celebration at home or a corporate event with colleagues, a shared table does a lot of the hosting work for you.
Why Choose CHEFIN Over Other Private Chef Services
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.
Unmatched Safety, Hygiene & Privacy Standards: 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, protect everyone involved with $20 million in public liability insurance, and operate under Chatham House Rules for discretion.
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.
