Private Chef in Queenstown
A chef who cooks where you are staying in Queenstown. You pick the menu; we shape the service around it from the 42 chefs registered with us here, and stay responsible for it, cleaning up included.
How much does a private chef cost in Queenstown?
For 6 people in Queenstown, a private chef costs less than dinner out.
AVERAGE PRICE · 6 GUESTS
1,242 NZD
207 NZD per guesteverything included
What's included
- Chef comes to you
- All ingredients sourced and bought
- Full meal cooked in your kitchen
- Spotless kitchen afterwards
HERE'S THE REAL BREAKDOWN
- 2 guests260NZD / guest = 520 NZD total
- 4 guests207NZD / guest = 828 NZD total
- 6 guests207NZD / guest = 1,242 NZD total
- 8 guests163NZD / guest = 1,304 NZD total
- 10 guests163NZD / guest = 1,630 NZD total
- 13+ guests155NZD / guest = 2,015 NZD total
How it works
Personalize your request
Share with us the details of your dream meal, including type of cuisine, preferences, and intolerances.
Receive menu proposals
Our chefs will design menus based solely on your wants and needs.
Get chatty with your chefs
Don't be shy about exchanging some messages with your chefs until your perfect menu is ready!
Book your experience
Once you are happy with your choice, submit your payment to secure your experience.
Enjoy!
All there is left to do is count down the days till your culinary experience begins!
Find your chef
Customize your request and start talking with your chefs.
42 Private Chefs in Queenstown
Get to know more about our top rated Private Chefs in Queenstown
More than 4,300 guests have already enjoyed the experience
4.48 Chef
The guests in Queenstown have scored the experience with their Private Chef with a 4.48.
4.74 Food quality
The quality of the menus cooked by our Private Chefs in Queenstown received an average score of 4.74.
4.55 Presentation
Not only taste counts! The presentation of our private chefs' dishes has received a 4.55 average score.
4.77 Cleaningness
The cleanup of the kitchen and dining area in Queenstown has been scored with a 4.77 on average.
A personal chef for any occasion in Queenstown
Since the first private chef joined Take a Chef in Queenstown in January 2018, more than 42 Private Chefs have joined our platform in Queenstown and offered their services as private chefs anywhere in Queenstown-Lakes District.
Most people who book a chef in Queenstown are here for a few days, in a house or a chalet with a kitchen they did not plan on using. You tell us the dates, how many are eating, what nobody can eat and roughly what you feel like, and we turn that into a brief the chefs actually work from, so you never have to explain it twice.
Our counter for Queenstown stands at 4,349 guests across everything that has come through it since 2018, requests included, so read it as the size of the interest rather than a tally of dinners served. What we can put a number on: 685 menu proposals written for guests here and 2,990 messages exchanged with them, rated 4.66 out of 5.
We pick out the chefs who suit what you asked for and tell you why each one fits; you choose between them, and we stay on the thread until the menu, the timings and the price are settled in writing.
That same 4,349 covers every request we have handled here, booked or not; across New Zealand, the guests who did sit down booked menus around 186.2 NZD per person, including 4.97 courses, and shared an average of 6.07 messages with their chef before the night arrived.
Booking the chef is only the beginning of what we do. Once the menu is agreed we confirm the date with the chef, check what your kitchen needs to have ready, handle the payment and stay reachable while the service runs in Queenstown. If something changes on either side, it comes back to us, not to you.
Frequently asked questions
Below, you can find the most common questions about private chef services in Queenstown.
A private chef service includes everything necessary to enjoy a personalized dining experience at home. This includes:
- Customization of a menu based on your preferences;
- Purchase of ingredients;
- Mise en place (preparation of ingredients) before arrival;
- Preparation of the menu at your home;
- Complete table service;
- Set up and cleaning of the kitchen and used spaces.
Please note that tableware and glassware are not included. Gratuity is entirely at your discretion.
The per-guest price of a private chef in Queenstown moves with the size of the table: smaller groups pay more per person than larger ones, because the work of a dinner does not halve when the guests do.
Booking prices range from 155 NZD to 260 NZD per person. For groups of 13 people or more, the price is 155 NZD per person. For groups of 7 to 12 people, the cost is 163 NZD per person. For groups of 3 to 6 people, the rate is 207 NZD per person, and for 2 people, the price is 260 NZD per person.
That figure is an average across New Zealand and covers the menu, the ingredients, the cooking at your place, table service and the clean-up. Seasonal produce, where you are staying and how soon the date is all shift it.
Tell us what you have in mind and we will come back with chefs who fit, each with their menu and the total price set out in writing before you decide.
Tell us the date, how many are eating, any allergies or things the table does not eat, and where you are staying. That is the whole of your side of it.
From there we put together the chefs who fit what you described, usually within a few hours, and each one comes back with a menu written for your evening, their experience and photos of their dishes. We tell you why each chef suits the brief, and you choose between them; if you want a course swapped or the timings moved, we stay on the thread until it is settled.
When you confirm, we handle the payment and agree the final details with the chef: kitchen access, what time they arrive, what they need from you on the night.
There are 42 chefs registered with us for Queenstown, but that list is not the answer, and you should not have to search through it.
Tell us the date, the number of guests and where you are staying, and we look at who is genuinely free that evening and close enough to reach your kitchen with the shopping already done. You get back a short set of chefs who fit, each with their menu and the reason we put them in front of you. You choose; we take it from there.
While there's no strict limit on guest count, private chef experiences are designed to create a more intimate atmosphere, perfect for gatherings of friends and family. Since most homes have limited space to accommodate large groups, parties typically don't exceed 15 people.
Yes, the chef always prepares the menu at your home for a more personalized experience. However, some prep work might be done beforehand for complex dishes.
Absolutely! Many guests are passionate about food and relish the chance to learn from the chef. You can pick up new kitchen skills and get a behind-the-scenes look at each dish on the menu. Feel free to jump in and cook alongside the chef for a truly interactive experience!
Yes, they're 100% fresh. Unlike restaurants with pre-made dishes, private chefs prioritize using the freshest ingredients possible. This is because the chef creates a customized menu specifically for you, then goes out and sources the finest ingredients to bring your chosen dishes to life.
Drinks are not typically included, but you can discuss adding them to the menu proposal with the chef.
Tipping for private chefs is entirely at your discretion. Our goal is for you to have an unforgettable experience, and the chef always appreciates a nice tip. However, the decision and amount are completely up to you.
Personalize your menu
A romantic dinner or a gathering of friends. Traditional dishes or exotic flavours. A fine dining experience or a family-style meal. Every private chef experience is unique! Submit your request and personalize yours.
Key information about our chefs in Queenstown
Discover more details about our private chefs and their services.
The average age of our private chefs in Queenstown
Percentage of our women chefs in Queenstown.
The average wait time from submitting the request and receiving the first menu.
Our very first private chef service in Queenstown.
Percentage of services with kids in Queenstown.
Maximum number of bookings for a personal chef by a single client in Queenstown.
Increase in the number of bookings for a chef from last year in Queenstown.
Languages spoken by our personal chefs in Queenstown.
Percentage of guests that hired a chef more than once.
Average number of days booked for multiple services at home with a private chef.
Photos uploaded to the platform by our private chefs in Queenstown.
Average timeframe from sending the request to booking.
How many chef services are booked in Queenstown each month?
Private chef reservations can vary seasonally depending on the destination. In Queenstown, for example, demand often increases during special dates like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, so it's best to book in advance.
In Queenstown the pressure is not spread evenly: the weeks around New Year and the ski season fill first, and a Saturday in a full week is the hardest date to cover well.
The earlier you tell us, the wider the choice of chefs who are actually free for your date. If the date is close, tell us anyway; we will check who is available before you plan around it, rather than leaving you to find out on your own.
Cost of a private chef in Queenstown
What a private chef costs in Queenstown depends on how many people sit down, but the number below is not a chef's hourly rate: it covers the menu built for your group, the shopping, the cooking in your kitchen and the kitchen left clean afterwards.
Per guest, prices run from 155 NZD to 260 NZD, and they come down as the table grows:
For 13 people or more: 155 NZD
For 7 to 12 people: 163 NZD
For 3 to 6 people: 207 NZD
For 2 people: 260 NZD.
These are the figures we see across New Zealand, not a quote. Season, where in Queenstown you are staying and how far ahead you book all move the final number, which is why every proposal you get is priced for your evening and shown in full before anything is confirmed.
Tell us the dates, the number of guests and anything the table cannot eat, and we put together chefs who fit that brief rather than every chef within reach. Each proposal arrives with the full menu, what is included and the total price, in writing, so you are comparing evenings and not guessing at them.
Nothing is committed until you say so, and we handle the payment once you do.
What is the most reserved type of cuisine in Queenstown?
We mainly offer six types of cuisine in Queenstown: Mediterranean, Italian, French, Japanese, Mexican, and surprise. The type of cuisine with the highest number of bookings is the Chef's special, but you can have anything you want (our surprise menu will cover that!).
Beyond these six types of cuisine, our private chefs personalize diverse menus for their clients every day, adjusting every detail to find the perfect menu for every occasion and every group. Our private chefs can accommodate any allergy or dietary restriction and suggest other cuisines or fusion dishes. Submit your request and hire a chef in Queenstown!
Why not try a Private Chef service in Queenstown?
Want to give your partner a special romantic surprise? Want to enjoy a dinner with friends and fancy trying something different? Or maybe you want to organize a lovely meal for the whole family to celebrate that special occasion without anyone having to cook? Take a Chef allows you to transform your home into one of the best restaurants in town. The only difference is that the entire experience is built around you and your guests. Select the type of cuisine, choose the dates and enjoy the experience!
Queenstown's best Private Chefs come to your home
Our chefs have trained in serious kitchens, and several have worked in Michelin-starred restaurants. That is worth something, but it is not what makes an evening work in a rented house in Queenstown.
What matters is the fit: a chef used to cooking for twelve in a kitchen built for four, one who has worked around the dietary requirement your table has, one who is free on your date and can get to where you are staying. We look at all of that before we put a name in front of you, and we tell you why each chef fits.
You talk to the chef directly about the detail, and the menu, the timings and the price stay in writing with us so nobody is working from a different version of the plan.
Dinner at the house you rented in Queenstown
Queenstown fills up fast. The good tables are booked out weeks ahead in season, the group is spread across a house up the hill, and getting eleven people down to town and back at the end of the night is its own piece of logistics.
A chef in the place you are staying skips all of that. Dinner happens on the deck or at the long table you already have, at the hour that suits the group, with the kids and the early sleepers still in the house. The chef brings the ingredients, cooks in your kitchen and leaves it clean.
We work out what the evening needs before anyone arrives: how many are sitting down, what the kitchen has, what time you want the first plate on the table. That is agreed in writing with the chef, and we stay responsible for the service from there.
Talk to our chefs in Queenstown
The chefs who cook in Queenstown work around what the town actually is: houses and lodges spread up the lake and over the hills, kitchens they have never seen before, groups who arrived that afternoon. They are trained professionals, and they turn up with the shopping done.
Tell us about the evening you have in mind in Queenstown, and we will come back with the chefs who fit it and the reason each one does.
Cities where you can enjoy a Private Chef
Discover cities of New Zealand where you can enjoy our experiences.