Chef Zacki Murphy

Personal Chef In Durham
Chef Zacki Murphy

Get to know me better

Top Rated, Highly Experienced Personal Chef w/ A Passion for World Cuisine & Down Home Cooking

I'm Zacki Murphy, Zacki’s Culinary Creations (ZCC) founder and CEO. I'm a food stylist, Zagat-rated BBQ restaurateur, and lifestyle & nutritional consultant with over 37 years of experience as a seasoned professional chef. I am a Hillsborough native, an art education graduate of the University of North Carolina, and am known for my food presentations, customized baskets, and décor design. I worked for Martha Stewart as a food stylist and menu planner and was the first woman to take Lexington-style BBQ (Zacki's PBQ) to the streets of NYC.

I'm now in Durham, NC, and am a personal chef who "Cooks In Your Nook" - I travel to your home and teach a participation adventure or just cook for you. I prefer small groups where it's more personal. Having traveled for many years in my former Ford model days, I learned many other cuisines. For 10+ years, my "Ancient Mediterranean Meal; Food from the Time of Jesus," has been a favorite lecture and catering event for churches and schools. I even had the pleasure of filming a lesson with the Bishop Michael Curry (before the Royal Wedding) where he even offered to wash the dishes. All of these experiences have brought me as much joy as it has been to share it!

At ZCC, we also offer team-building classes for corporations where we teach "FoodCraft" board building. ZCC corporate clients have included The Durham Symphony, Voyager Charter School, Epic Games/Fortnite, GSK & Fuji Films.

If you've got an upcoming special event, birthday party, anniversary, or just a fun get-together for friends, Zacki's Culinary Creations would welcome the opportunity to cook for you.

Photo from Zacki Murphy

More about me

For me, cooking is...

A blessing; a gift. I love to share & teach what has been a lifetime of learning or assist you by setting the ambiance & creating a delicious memory.

I learned to cook at...

I attended the Epicurean Cooking School in LA, but learned mostly from Jonathan Waxman at Ma Cuisine Cooking School.

A cooking secret...

My spice/herbal mixture called "Ancient Mediterranean Seasoning." It has 12 biblical spices & sea salt. It goes on everything but ice cream!

My menus

Chef Zacki's reviews

4.59
33 services

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