Chef Aj Schmidt

Private Chef in Gallatin Gateway

I have always enjoyed the connection food can give to people and bring strangers together. I have worked around the country in different concepts from casual to upscale fine dining. My favorite thing to do when I am traveling is to explore food options and learn new flavors and techniques. I continue to learn and grow and spread the love through food!

For me, cooking is...

A work of art and expression. Being able to source fresh and local products and showing the care and attention to detail.

I learned to cook at...

I first learned to cook as a kid with my grandmother. For me it was a great way to bond, and I was very interested at a young age.

A cooking secret...

Work ethic, adaptability, yearning for knowledge, and respect for the food and where it comes from.

My menus

Surprise 2

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Beets / Pistachio / Confit Apples / Goat Creme

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Pozole Rojo: Pork / Hominy / Roasted Chili Sauce / Fresh Cabbage / Shaved Onion + Radish

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Elote en Fuego: Chorizo / Roasted Corn / Poblano / Cream Corn / Salsa Verde Butter / Tajin

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Tres Leches Cake

Local

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Beets / Pistachio / Confit Apples / Goat Creme

Local Green / Strawberry Vinaigrette / Shaved Onion & Fennel / Apple / Feta / Walnut

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Baked Brie / Maple Glaze / Cranberry & Walnut / Crostini

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Short Ribs / Caramelized Onion Cream / Pappardelle / Pancetta / Mushroom / Garlic Breadcrumb / Herb oil

DESSERT

All inclusive

Apple crisp / local ice cream

Local Tastings

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Caesar salad

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Tenderloin / Brava’s Sauce / Polenta Cakes / Broccoli + Honey Almond Crunch

DESSERT

All inclusive

Apple crisp / local ice cream’

Surprise 1

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Caesar salad

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Steak- Garlic + Herb Mash / Beef Jus / Local Roasted Carrots / Brown Butter Honey / Pecan Crumble Honey / B

DESSERT

All inclusive

Spiced White Cake (Seasonal Flavor)

Surprise 3

STARTER

All inclusive

Bison Carpaccio / Parmesan / Capers / Crostini / Olive Oil

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Burrata / Greens / Confit Tomato / Fig / Spiced Pepita / Balsamic + Olive Oil Drizzle

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Pan Roasted Salmon / Miso Butter Lentils / Mushroom and Leek Creme / Crispy Shallots / Caviar & Herb Oil

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Cheesecake (Seasonal)

Italian

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Potato and Pancetta soup

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Cacio e pepe

DESSERT

All inclusive

Vanilla panna cotta

The Basics of French Cuisine

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Baked Brie / Maple Glaze / Cranberry & Walnut / Crostini

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Steak Au Poivre / Roasted Potatoes / Red wine Pan Sauce / Local Vegetable

DESSERT

All inclusive

Crepes / Choice of topping or filling

French

STARTER

All inclusive

Green Bean a la Parisienne

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

French Onion Soup / Gruyure / Crostini

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Chicken Fricassee / Seasoned Rice / Herb Oil / Crispy Shallot / Truffle oil

DESSERT

All inclusive

Chocolate Mousse / Fresh Strawberry / Almond Cream

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Chef Aj's reviews

4.82

•

90 services

Aj was incredible. Our guests kept saying it was the best wedding food — and honestly some of the best food ever. Every dish was amazing, but his apple crisp has me completely obsessed. He was kind, professional, and made the whole experience feel so personal. We’re so grateful we chose him.

AJ provided an incredible experience. The dishes were amazing and everyone loved them. He also recommended local things to do in the area. The whole experience was perfect.

Chef AJ was absolutely incredible! The food was amazing and beautiful and we truly had the best time. AJ navigated all of our requests, arrived timely, and was super professional. This was the best private chef experience ever! Highly highly recommend.

For "How did you receive the menus", we discussed it over the Take a Chef chat. AJ was incredibly responsive and super easy to plan this dinner. He made the whole experience extremely enjoyable, relaxing, and worthwhile. Definitely would recommend Chef AJ to others.

Aj was great. On time and great preparation.

Chef AJ was amazing. We hired him for our elopement dinner with our family and friends and he took what we wanted and created an incredible spread. My husband wanted a specific steak and AJ had no problem accommodating anything we had asked. Everything from the appetizers to desserts was phenomenal, I would highly recommend him to anyone!

Really listened to the needs of my clients and built a fantastic menu that they enjoyed very much!

Chef AJ was phenomenal. We had such a wonderful time and the food was delicious. I would highly recommend him if you are in the Bozeman/Yellowstone area.

We hired Chef AJ for a bachelorette weekend at our Airbnb in Pray, Montana and he absolutely delivered! He was punctual, super communicative throughout the planning process, and made everything so easy. The food was incredible—every dish was beautifully prepared and full of flavor. It felt like a luxury dining experience right in our own kitchen. Highly recommend!

Great chef

Chef AJ did an amazing job! He was prompt, fun, and cooked some amazing meals. We experienced some transportation issues as we came into Montana, and he adjusted beautifully. 10/10 recommend!

Chef Aj listened to what I wanted in the food and the evening and took the reins and delivered on every point. He was punctual, engaging, and professional in every way. Most importantly the food was outstanding.

This experience was the highlight of the entire trip. Couldn't recommend enough

Chef AJ was amazing and the food was delicious!

Aj was so amazing! From start to finish he made the experience awesome! Very engaging, very personable! 10/10 recommend!

Hired AJ to help celebrate my 40th birthday with my entire family on the Madison River. Tent pole memory experience! Before his arrival, we discovered the kitchen in our VRBO has challenging burners and the grill turned out to be unusable…didn’t matter for, AJ. Food was incredible and prepared in perfect order with time built in between each course. Our family has a tendency to rush through meals, but with this one we shared stories and memories, on a top notch culinary experience we will carry with us for a lifetime. Everything we had was delicious. He introduced us to several new flavors using fresh local produce. However, my personal favorites were the beats with the goat cheese crème. Also, the duck fat fried potatoes. I finished mine and my wife’s who is pregnant and was getting full at that moment in the meal. Highly, highly recommend Chef AJ. Would not have changed a single item from the menu, or, the presentation. Thanks, Chef!

AJ was incredible and really helped to make the occasion special. The brunch menu he put together had variety, depth and lots of left overs! He made it very easy to communicate with him, and was quick to answer any questions. And the food was absolutely delicious!

Chef AJ created a memorable experience for our group of 8 while we visited Big Sky. He catered to the children with their own menu and created an upscale 4 course option for the adults. The food was delicious, he was prompt, communicative, and kind! Would definitely recommend!

AJ was a treat! We were running late getting home but he wasn’t! He had everything ready when we got back and quickly got the meal going. The courses were timed well and plated beautifully, he was fun to interact with during dinner, and it was overall a fantastic experience! **this urgent asked how we received the menu but it was all through the app, and that was not listed. He communicated quickly, answered all our questions and made it very to coordinate. ***He was also the only chef that worked with us on our large group with teenagers and offered a separate, less expensive option for the teens. They ate first and then the adults could enjoy the evening. This was clutch for us!!

Aj was fantastic to work with- very easy communication, on time, the food was incredible, and we would definitely hire him again! It made it easy for our large group to relax and not worry about organizing dinner. We had AJ at our house two separate nights and everything was perfect