A dinner party in Philadelphia should end with you at the table, not at the sink. Modern Classical Chefs brings a private chef to your home for the evening: a menu built around your guests, the shopping, the cooking, each course plated and served, and a clean kitchen when the night is over.
Our cooking is modern European, rooted in classic French technique, upscale yet comfortable.
Cooking in homes across Philadelphia and the Main Line, from a kitchen in Laurel Springs, New Jersey, about half an hour from Center City.
How the evening comes together
It starts with a conversation: the occasion, the guest count, what everyone loves, and anything anyone avoids. From there we build a menu for your table, drawing on more than seven hundred recipes, and send it over for you to react to. If you like it, great. If not, tell us and we keep going until it is right.
On the day, one of our chefs arrives with everything, cooks in your kitchen, plates and serves each course, and leaves the kitchen the way they found it.
Two ways to book a private chef
- Classic for Two ($425, food included). Dinner for two, several courses, with the groceries already in the price. Built for anniversaries, birthdays and proposals, or a night in that beats any reservation.
- Classic Tailored ($135 per guest, $510 minimum). A dinner party menu written for your guests and served course by course at your table. Groceries are added at what they cost us, nothing more. For parties over eight we add a server, from $325.
A 50 percent deposit reserves your date, and the balance is due the week before.
Looking for weekday dinners instead of one evening? That is our personal chef service in Philadelphia, cooked fresh and dropped off ready to eat.
Occasions we cook for
Milestone birthdays and anniversaries. Dinner parties with friends. Engagement dinners and proposals. Tasting menus for a table that wants to talk about the food. Holiday dinners where the host gets to sit down.
What it costs, up front
Our prices are published, so you can see what an evening costs before you ever reach out. What each tier includes, course by course, is in our guide to what a private chef costs.
What you can count on
Over 120 five-star Google reviews, nothing below four stars, and every one of them answered.
A small team, on purpose. Chef Dan Ninerell writes your menu, and the chef who cooks it has worked alongside him for years, so the evening is the same whichever of us is at your stove.
Philadelphia and the Main Line
We cook for dinner parties across Philadelphia and the Main Line, including Bryn Mawr, Ardmore, Wayne, Haverford, Gladwyne and Narberth, and in Montgomery County and Delaware County homes beyond the Main Line. Our kitchen is in Laurel Springs, New Jersey, so South Jersey, Princeton and the Jersey Shore are home ground too.
If your town is not on that list, ask us.
Questions before you book
How much does a private chef cost in Philadelphia?
Dinner for two is $425, food included. A tailored dinner party runs $135 per guest with a $510 minimum, and the groceries are added at cost. Over eight guests, a server is added from $325. Your exact number comes together on the consultation call.
How is a private chef different from a personal chef?
A private chef comes for one evening: a dinner party, an anniversary, a celebration. A personal chef cooks for you week after week. We do both.
Do you cook dinner parties on the Main Line?
Yes. Bryn Mawr, Ardmore, Wayne, Haverford, Gladwyne and Narberth are all in range, and so is Philadelphia itself. Our kitchen is in Laurel Springs, New Jersey, about half an hour from Center City.
Do I need to provide anything?
Only the kitchen. The menu, the shopping, the cooking, the serving and the cleanup are ours.
Can you work around allergies and dietary needs?
Yes. Tell us about every guest when we plan the menu, from a gluten or dairy allergy to a vegetarian at the table, and the menu is written around them.
How far ahead should I book?
Reach out as soon as you have a date. The deposit is what reserves it.
Do larger parties need extra staff?
Over eight guests, yes. A server joins the chef, from $325, so courses go out together and nobody waits.
Ready to talk?
The consultation is free, with no obligation. Tell us the occasion and the date, and you will get a straight answer about whether we are the right fit.
Or call 856-332-5769.
