Chef Elizabeth Harley

Private Chef In Santa Fe

I've been in the food service industry for over twenty years. I attended culinary school in Arizona after graduating from the University of Virginia, then interned at the prestigious Inn at Little Washington - a five-diamond Relais & Chateau (currently Michelin starred). I have traveled extensively, and cooked in a variety of situations; from catering tents at outdoor weddings to fully-stocked commercial kitchens. I've designed curriculum and taught culinary classes for both children and adults. I owned and operated a food truck, then moved my smoothy/juice business into a store-front location. I have also provided a weekly meal service for clients who order ahead from a rotating list of menu items to heat & serve at home.

I'm very familiar with the many food allergies and dietary restrictions in our world today, and have developed menus which can be adapted to almost any situation.

Most importantly, I approach cooking from a creative and nurturing place. Unlike the hectic, competitive, ego-driven chefs characterized in TV and movies. My goal is to provide the foundation for you and your guests to relax and enjoy each other's company while appreciating good food together.

{Please be aware that the cost of this service includes: design of the menu, purchase of the raw materials, transporting food & equipment to client venue, menu preparation, table service and cleaning of the kitchen. Cocktail and/or wine service may require additional staffing, depending on the size of your group, and needs to be discussed before final booking, if possible.}

For me, cooking is...

A way to bring people together, and nourish body, mind & soul!

I learned to cook at...

Scottsdale Culinary Institute , and The Inn at Little Washington

A cooking secret...

Don't rush it. Food is better when you keep calm and enjoy the art of cooking.

My menus

New Mexico Menu

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Antipasto platter of fine olives, local cheeses & charcuterie, seasonal fruits, pickled vegetables, local nuts + fresh bread

Duck and sweet potato empanadas with green chile walnut sauce and charred leeks

Blue corn cakes topped with carne adovada and cotija cheese

Local feta, pumpkin and wild mushroom tamales, served with pickled jalepeños and red chile sauce

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Ancho roasted squash & quinoa salad with blue corn croutons, pepitas and avocado dressing

Arugula salad with local feta, toasted piñons, avocado and prickly pear dressing

Mixed local greens with black beans, sweet potatoes, garlic chives and lime vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Beef, pork or chicken slow-cooked in molé sauce and served over chevré polenta with grilled vegetables

Chicken almondrado ~ mexican style baked chicken in almond sauce, served with saffron rice and blue corn tortillas

Herb roasted local pork with papas bravas and wine-braised red cabbage

Bison braised in new mexico red wine, vegetables, herbs and served with blue corn polenta

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Ancho chocolate torte with mango dust and lavender whipped cream

Almond lemon cake with prickly pear sauce

Wine-poached pears with dark chocolate walnut cookies

Winter french tasting menu

STARTER

Choose 2 dishes

Duck confit with orange balsamic glaze and charred leeks in a potato nest

Pâté maison with fruits, mustard, cornishons and crusty bread

Wild mushroom galette with herb walnut pesto

Savory bleu cheesecake with hazelnut crust and roasted plums

White bean anchoiade and olive tapenade served with socca (farinata) bread

Salmon rillettes

FIRST COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Caramelized onion pissaladiere

Panisse with roasted red pepper & almond sauce

Ratatouille tart in a chevre polenta crust

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Local pork roasted in herbs de province and served with green lentils & wine poached pears

Beef short rib bourguignon with duck fat potatoes

Salt baked sea bass with lavender beurre blanc

Moroccan lamb braised with butternut squash, green olives and preserved lemon

DESSERT

Choose 2 dishes

Chocolate torte with grand marnier sauce

Lemon mousse with roasted red grapes

Apple tarte tatin

Summer in france

STARTER

All inclusive

Ratatouille kabobs - grilled vegetables and polenta cube skewers with fresh herb pesto

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Butterhead lettuce salad with nut-crusted chevre and pomegranate vinaigrette

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Beef bourgignon - slow cooked in red wine with pearl onions and local root vegetables (vegetarian option: portabello bourgignon)

DESSERT

All inclusive

Almond cake with fresh berries and dark chocolate sauce

San Francisco in June

STARTER

All inclusive

Seafood paella

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Salad of local greens with seasonal fruit, nuts and baked chevre

Fresh baked herb focaccia

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Moroccan Lamb braised with butternut squash, chick peas, green olives & preserved lemon

DESSERT

All inclusive

Almond cake with poached local cherries

Spring Italian

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Italian cheeses and cured meats with pickled spring vegetables

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Arugula salad with fig and pinenuts

Roasted green bean panzenella

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Pistachio pesto pasta primavera

Italian style stewed beef with porcini mushrooms and pearl onions

Risotto ala milanese with rosemary roasted pork loin

Beef braciola stuffed with basil and mozzarella, served with a mushroom ragu

Halibut braised with fresh fennel and tomato, served with roasted asparagus

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Tiramisu

Chocolate hazelnut cake

Spring Mediterranean

STARTER

Choose 2 dishes

Beet hummus with grissini bread sticks

Grilled eggplant rolls with feta & olives

Pistachio phyllo bites

Antipasto platter of olives, local cheeses,charcuterie, seasonal fruits, marinated veggies, spreads/dips and fresh foccacia

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Wild mushroom tart with chilled asparagus soup

Fennel & orange salad with red onion and olives

Curried cauliflower & lentil salad

Grilled vegetable salad with herb vinaigrette & feta

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

North african spiced wild salmon served over green lentils and roasted shallots

Tahini marinated chicken kabobs with tzatiki sauce and grilled ratatouille vegetables

Chicken braised with butternut squash, figs, and preserved lemon and served with garbanzo & pistachio cous cous

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Blood orange almond ricotta cake

Ginger custard with chocolate figs

Chocolate avocado mousse

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Chef Elizabeth's reviews

4.83

•

41 services

Chef Elizabeth was simply amazing. The care she took in not only preparing an amazing meal but explaining a story behind it was greatly appreciated. It was incredible to see someone so passionate about what they do. I would HIGHLY recommend you book her if ever in Santa Fe. She orchestrated our party of 8 so well you would have thought she was only cooking for two. Can't say enough about her culinary skills. -Ed Muniz (Houston, TX)

Chef Elizabeth provided us an unforgettable experience. She worked with me for a couple of weeks in advance to develop and tweak the menu based on our tastes and dietary needs. On the evening of our menu, she was so warm and told wonderful stories about her life and recipe development. And the food was truly out of this world. Highly recommend Chef Elizabeth!

Elizabeth was fabulous. Very responsive when planning menu and gave a variety of choices for every course in alignment with our request of New Mexico cuisine. She was punctual, kind, friendly and overall a pleasure. Cleanup was perfect- such a treat to just enjoy her wonderful cooking!

Chef Elizabeth is amazing! She was friendly, engaging and communicative from the start. And her food was absolutely fantastic! We loved our meal and the entire experience. We cannot recommend Chef Elizabeth enough - outstanding!

Chef Elizabeth did a fantastic job. The food and service was excellent. Highly recommend her for your next catered experience.

Chef Elizabeth is a highly professional chef and her attention to detail and quality of food were just what my friends and I were looking for. Communicating with Chef Elizabeth via Take a Chef was extremely easy and the price and expectations were conveyed clearly and executed flawlessly. The 4 courses we were served exceeded our expectations and we would use Take a Chef again and recommend Chef Elizabeth to anyone in the Santa Fe area.

Chef Elizabeth Harley was terrific! The empanadas were the best we’ve ever had, the chicken almondrada was moist, delicious, and had perfect seasoning. Our salad had the freshest greens too! We were 15 ladies celebrating my birthday and it was the best evening ever. Thank you!!!

If you get the chance to hire Chef Elizabeth, definitely do it!! She served our group of 11 a fantastic meal, and she is as nice and accommodating as she is a good cook, which is saying something. From the menu to cleanup, she was professional, punctual, and super friendly. Our favorites from the meal were the local pork and the chicken molé with a polenta cake, but everything was amazing. We have a member of our party with Celiac disease, and everything was gluten free. Overall, it was a phenomenal experience and one we won’t soon forget!!

Chef Elizabeth Harley was incredible. We chose her French Winter menu for a private dining event of 13 people. Chef Harley had a high bar to beat: we had all spent the last 3 days eating at Santa Fe's finest restaurants. And while I was nervous that we had set her up for failure, she immediately proved that she was just as good, if not better, than all of the high end restaurants we had visited. I got to watch the faces of all of my self-proclaimed foodie friends as they tried the Duck Confit starter: it was amazing! The flavors were eccentric and balanced. Each course was uniquely different, well proportioned and took our pallets on a journey. Chef Elizabeth was fantastic to work with. From building the menu to cleaning up after the meal, she did everything and with such a calm, professional and very friendly manner. I highly recommend working with Chef Elizabeth for your private dining events. And a special thank you to Eric for all of your help in facilitating the evening.

Elizabeth exceeded all expectations. From her punctuality to her welcoming/engaging personality up to the menu and quality of food- she was top notch. Loved her personality too! Highly recommend 6 stars out of 5!

Elizabeth was amazing and blew us away! Four courses, all incredible. She was funny, sweet and even made me a special dairy free meal. Would highly recommend her to anyone!

Elizabeth was absolutely wonderful. She did a great job hosting a dinner for my friends bachelorette party in Taos. She was extremely professional, kind, engaging, and the food was delicious.

Beth, was amazing, everything went beautifully!! Everything was above and beyond my wildest expectations! The meal was fabulous. Beth was so conscientious about all of our dietary needs, and made special things for our 4 year old granddaughter- so thoughtful!!

Beth prepared a wonderful dinner for our evening with friends. I would highly recommend her! Looking forward to our next dinner!

Chef Beth was beyond what we could have expected! The food, service, and friendliness was top tier and we enjoyed every second of our meal with her. As a large group with varying tastes and dietary restrictions, Beth knocked it out of the park! This was the highlight of our weekend getaway and we can't wait to go back and do it again! Thank you Beth for such a memorable experience!

Beth was friendly, professional, and very helpful leading up to the event. The food was delicious, interesting, elevated, and catered specifically to our needs. I would recommend Beth to anyone, we had a fantastic experience!