Private chef hors d’oeuvres · Rhode Island & Massachusetts

Hors d’oeuvres that carry the night.

Cocktail-event service across Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and the Boston metro. Passed bites, stationed displays, raw bar setups, charcuterie boards. For galas, fundraisers, engagement parties, and pre-dinner cocktail hours.

Reserve Your Date
Why hors d’oeuvres

Bites that hold in one hand.

A good cocktail party has a rhythm. Guests arrive in waves, drinks come together at the bar, conversations form and break and re-form across the room. The food has to keep up with all of that. It has to hold in one hand. It has to look worth talking about. It has to taste like the chef cared, not like the caterer was running fifteen events that weekend.

That’s the job hors d’oeuvres do. Bites designed for the way a good cocktail party actually feels. Food that holds up to a conversation, looks worth photographing, and doesn’t need a fork.

Every item is made fresh. Menus are custom. Nothing reheated. Whether you’re hosting in Newport, Providence, Cape Cod, or anywhere across Rhode Island and Massachusetts, the menu is built around your event, your space, and your guest count. Passed trays, stationary displays, or both.

How a cocktail evening runs

Three steps. One night.

01
Reach out
Send the date, headcount, location, and the format (passed, stationary, or combination). I usually reply within 24 hours.
02
Menu design
I send a custom proposal built around your event, your space, and your guest count.
03
Event night
I arrive 2.5 hours before service, set up stations, prep, and run service through the evening. Refresh displays, manage flow, full cleanup before leaving.
A sample evening

A cocktail evening.

SAMPLE COCKTAIL MENU

A Cocktail Evening

PASSED & STATIONED

PASSED

Beef Tenderloin Crostini

Horseradish Cream, Crispy Shallot

PASSED

Seared Scallop

Brown Butter, Flaky Sea Salt

PASSED

Burrata Crostini

Heirloom Tomato, Basil Oil, Balsamic

STATION

Charcuterie & Cheese

Local Meats & Cheeses, Honeycomb, Seasonal Jams

SWEET

Dark Chocolate Tart

Fleur de Sel, Gold Leaf

Sample menu only · Yours is built around your event, your space, and your guest count.

Service options

Three service formats.

Passed service. Staff circulates with trays. Hot items go out first while they’re at temperature. Cold items rotate in second, plated to look like they were just set down.

Stationary displays. Grazing boards, tiered stands, charcuterie arrangements with honeycomb still in the comb and a wedge of Narragansett Creamery cheese at the center. Guests come to the food.

Combination service. Both. A stationary anchor (charcuterie, raw bar) with passed bites circulating around it. Best for longer events.

Recommended pacing. Eight to twelve pieces per person for a one to two hour cocktail hour. Twelve to sixteen pieces for longer events or receptions without a follow-up dinner.

The cocktail-event kitchen

Where the bites actually come from.

The food at a cocktail party is the part guests remember the next day, but it’s also the part most easily phoned in. Reheated bacon-wrapped scallops at room temperature. Stuffed mushrooms that sat in a chafing dish for two hours. Cheese and crackers with one wedge of brie and a mound of grapes. The bar carries the rest of the night.

A hors d’oeuvres event run by a private chef solves the same problem hot brunches solve. Things land at temperature. Hot bites go out hot. Cold bites go out cold. The raw bar gets refreshed every twenty minutes. The charcuterie board gets touched up so it never looks raided. The kitchen footprint stays small enough to disappear into the back of the house, and the room front-of-house just keeps moving.

The sourcing is local. Newport Seafood for the oysters, the scallops, the tuna for tartare bites, the lobster meat for the tartlets. Aquidneck Meat for the beef tenderloin on the crostini and the duck for confit. Charcuterie boards anchored with five to seven local cheeses (Atwells Gold, Divine Providence, plus seasonal selections from Narragansett Creamery), local meats, honeycomb, fresh seasonal jams, pickled vegetables, hummus, toasted nuts, and warm artisan bread from Provençal Bakery the morning of.

When hors d’oeuvres works best

What I cook at cocktail events.

Corporate receptions

Company gatherings, partner welcomes

Mingling crowd, formal energy, food that signals the company cared.

Read more → Engagement parties

An Ocean Drive house

An Ocean Drive house, the ring still new, twenty close friends and a tray of duck confit blini moving through the room.

Read more → Galas and fundraisers

Newport summer events

Newport hosts a regular cycle of summer galas, fundraisers, and milestone celebrations that need cocktail food worth the night.

Read more → Holiday gatherings

Christmas Eve open houses

Christmas Eve open houses, New Year’s Eve receptions, summer Fourth of July patios.

See holiday menus →
Common cocktail-event questions

Questions about private chef hors d’oeuvres.

How many pieces per person do you recommend?
For a one-to-two-hour cocktail hour, eight to twelve pieces per person. For longer events or receptions without a follow-up dinner, twelve to sixteen pieces per person. I advise during the consultation based on your specific timeline.
Do you provide serving staff?
Yes. Three servers per twenty-five to thirty guests is the standard for passed service. Stationary setups require less staffing. We figure out the right configuration during the consultation.
Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?
Yes. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, pescatarian, severe nut allergies, celiac, kosher-style, and halal are all accommodated.
Do you do raw bar setups?
Yes. The raw bar includes oysters, little neck clams, shrimp cocktail, scallop ceviche, tuna tartare bites, and lobster or crab legs depending on what’s available.
Can the charcuterie display be the centerpiece?
Yes. The charcuterie and cheese display is built to be the room’s anchor: five to seven local and imported meats and cheeses, honeycomb, fresh fruit, seasonal jams, hummus, pickled vegetables, toasted nuts, and artisan bread.
How far in advance should I book?
Two to three weeks for most events, especially during peak season (May through October). For New Year’s Eve, holiday gatherings, and summer waterfront events, six to eight weeks is recommended.
Can I combine hors d’oeuvres with a seated dinner?
Yes. Passed hors d’oeuvres during the cocktail hour, followed by a seated multi-course dinner is one of the most common formats. I handle both.
Where do you serve hors d’oeuvres?
All of Rhode Island plus Cape Cod and the Boston metro suburbs. Travel surcharges apply for events more than 90 minutes from Newport.
Can you do an outdoor summer cocktail event on a patio or lawn?
Yes. Newport summer galas, Cape Cod outdoor receptions, and East Greenwich lawn cocktail parties are some of the most-booked summer formats. The setup includes weatherproof stationary displays, hot-hold equipment for the passed bites, and a portable bar setup if needed.
Can you do a cocktail event in a non-residential venue (gallery, store, office)?
Yes. Newport, Providence, and Boston metro non-residential venues are a regular booking. Galleries, retail openings, office holiday parties, fundraiser evenings. The kitchen requirements adapt to the venue. A small back-of-house prep space and a sink are the baseline.
Do you handle the bar and cocktail program?
Wine and cocktails are your call. I do not stock or markup beverages. I will recommend pairings, build a custom signature-cocktail menu on request, and work with your bartender or bar service if you have one in place. For events that need a bar setup but no bartender, I can stage a self-serve bar with garnishes, glassware, and signage.
How much space does a cocktail-event setup need?
For a stationary display alone, an eight-foot dedicated table works. For a stationary plus passed setup, the kitchen handles passed-bite assembly while the stationary anchor lives in the room. For a raw bar, an additional six-foot table with ice service is needed. I map this out during the consultation.
Will leftovers be packed up after the event?
Yes. Anything that holds well gets packed in labeled containers before I leave. Charcuterie, cheese, breads, pickled vegetables, dessert. The hot passed items are typically depleted by the end of service so leftovers there are minimal.
Other services

Beyond cocktail events.

Multi-course in-home dinners
Private Dinners
 In-home brunch service
Brunch
 Thanksgiving, Christmas, NYE
Holiday Menus
 Weekly meal service
Meal Prep
Reserve your cocktail evening

Tell me about your night.

Send the date, headcount, location, and the format you’re imagining. I usually reply within 24 hours.

Inquire About Your Event