Los Angeles
Dinner, at your table.
Crave-worthy plant-based food, from elevated elegance to rustic abundance. I cook in your kitchen, serve at your table, and leave it the way I found it.
- Private dinners for 8 to 40 guests
- From $125 per person · $1,600 minimum
Le Cordon Bleu trained · 20+ years in professional kitchens · Director and Head Chef at Violet Cooking School
What's included
Three courses, in your own home, cooked for the people at your table.
I've spent more than twenty years in professional kitchens. These days, I cook plants, and I cook them with the same technique, care, and expectation I bring to everything else: they should taste incredible.
- A planning session, and seasonal menus to start from
- All ingredients, shopped the day of
- Me, plus a kitchen assistant
- Three courses: a first course, a main, and dessert
- Plating and service at the table
- Your kitchen left the way we found it
Plated and elegant. Family style and generous. Or the kind of food you eat standing up with a glass in your hand. Every menu is written for the table it's going to and the people who will gather around it.
Who's in the kitchen
I don't do this alone.
I work with a great team of chefs and servers, people I've cooked alongside for years, so the evening feels like a breeze from your side of the kitchen door.
Pictured here with my friend and colleague Chef Manifa Nazarian.
"Jesse is the real deal."
Jon Robin Baitz
Le Cordon Bleu trained · 20+ years in professional kitchens · Director and Head Chef at Violet Cooking School
Styles and pricing
Three ways to do it.
| Style | Guests | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| PlatedThree courses, served at the table | 8 to 20 | $195 |
| Family styleThree courses, passed at the table | 8 to 24 | $165 |
| CocktailPassed appetizers and spreads | 15 to 40 | $125 |
Every price includes the planning session, all ingredients, my kitchen assistant, cooking, plating, and leaving your kitchen the way we found it. Minimum booking $1,600.
It covers menu development, planning, insurance, and my team's wages. It is not a gratuity. Sales tax applies. If you'd like to tip on top of it, that's entirely up to you and always appreciated.
Add on
- An additional course or an amuse-bouche$25 per person
- A server for the evening$350
- One signature cocktail$15 per person
- Plates, cutlery, glassware and linens, arranged for youAt cost, plus $150
- Trash removal$250
- Events outside LA County$40 per team member
On drinks. A server can pour wine through the evening, but buying the wine and any other alcohol is up to you. I don't offer bar service. One signature cocktail is as far as I go, and you provide the spirits.
Booking. Half up front to hold the date, the balance the day of. Two weeks notice to cancel or reschedule.
How it works
Three steps, and none of them are yours.
The planning session
We sit down and talk properly about your guests, any allergies, and what the evening is for. I'll send seasonal menus to start from, and we build the right meal for your table out of them.
I shop and prep
I arrive roughly four hours ahead with everything, and we'll work out the timing to suit your evening. You don't need to be home for that part.
Dinner, then clean
Three courses served at the table. Afterwards I clean, pack out, and leave the kitchen the way I found it.
Questions
The things people ask.
My guests aren't vegan. Will they notice?
They'll notice it's good. Every menu is plant-based, and I write it for people who love food rather than for people following a rule. Nobody has to identify as anything to enjoy dinner.
What do you need from my kitchen?
A working oven, four burners, some counter space and room in the fridge. If your kitchen is small, tell me. It changes the menu, not the answer.
Can you handle allergies and dislikes?
Yes. That's what the planning session is for. Tell me who's coming and what they can't or won't eat, and the menu is built around it.
What about wine and drinks?
You buy the alcohol. A server can pour through the evening, and I'll make one signature cocktail if you'd like, with spirits you provide. I don't run a bar.
Do you bring plates and glassware?
Most hosts use their own. If you'd rather not, I can arrange rentals for you at cost plus a $150 coordination fee.
Do you travel outside Los Angeles?
Anywhere in LA County is included. Beyond that, there's a $40 travel fee per team member, and we'll talk about the rest.
How far ahead should I book?
Three to four weeks is comfortable. Sooner is sometimes possible, so ask. Half is due to hold the date, the balance the day of, and you can cancel or reschedule with two weeks notice.
Ask about a date
Tell me about your dinner.
Fill this in and I'll come back to you within a day or two. Nothing here is binding, and I'm happy to answer questions before you commit to anything.
Got it, thank you.
I'll come back to you within a day or two. If it's urgent, write to me at [email protected].
People are my passion. Food is my favorite way to bring them together.