Booking a private chef for a chalet week is still new territory for a lot of guests. Here's exactly how it works, from the first message to the last plate cleared.
1. Get in Touch — Even Before Your Dates Are Final
Most chalet holidays in the Bernese Oberland are booked many months ahead of the trip itself, but the chef is often arranged separately, closer to the date. You don't need confirmed dates to start the conversation — a rough window, your group size, and the chalet location is enough for an initial proposal.
2. Talk Through the Occasion
Is it one big dinner, or meals across several nights? A ski-week chalet group, a family gathering, a milestone birthday? This shapes the menu more than anything else — and it's also where cuisine comes in: whether you're craving handmade Italian pasta and risotto, a Swiss alpine classic like raclette or fondue, or a blend of both, the menu is built around what you actually want to eat.
3. Receive a Tailored Proposal
Within 24 hours, you'll get a proposal covering the menu direction, per-person pricing, and what's included — ingredients, cooking, plating and table service. Dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies) are factored in at this stage, not worked around later.
The best private dining evenings are the ones where the only thing guests have to do is sit down.
4. The Day Itself
- I arrive with all ingredients and any specialist equipment already sourced.
- Your kitchen's basic appliances — stove, oven, fridge — are all that's needed.
- Cooking happens on-site, so the chalet fills with the smell of dinner being made, not reheated.
- Each course is plated and served at the table, restaurant-style.
- The kitchen is left clean — no stack of dishes waiting for you after dessert.
5. After Dinner
That's it. No delivery containers, no rented chafing dishes to return — just an evening that happened in your own space, built around your table.
Curious what a private chef actually costs, or how it stacks up against a catering company? The other two guides in the Journal cover both.