Fall private chef · Rhode Island & Massachusetts

A fall dinner, in your home.

A fall menu cooked in your home across Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and the Boston metro. Built around apple cider reductions, parsnip puree, pumpkin in the agnolotti, and the wild mushrooms that come in for a few weeks.

Reserve Your Fall Date
Fall cooking

The fall table.

Fall in Newport is when the cooking shifts. Apple cider reductions replace citrus. Parsnip puree shows up where cauliflower was. Pumpkin works its way into agnolotti, into cheesecake, into panna cotta. The local apples, pears, and winter squash hit their best stretch through October and into November. Dinners run longer because nobody’s in a rush when the weather turns.

The fall menu reflects that. It’s built around what’s actually peaking when the leaves go and the harbor wind picks up, not a static rotation. The apple-brandy glaze on the filet in early October tastes different from the same dish in mid-November, when the apples are deeper and the cider has body.

The sourcing is local. Newport Seafood for fish and shellfish. Aquidneck Meat for the filet, ribeye, and pork. Local farms for the apples, pears, and winter squash that anchor the season. Narragansett Creamery for cheese boards (Atwells Gold and Divine Providence are the regulars). Provençal Bakery for the bread. Wild mushrooms from local foragers when they’re running.

Fall 2026

The full fall menu.

Every appetizer, entrée, and dessert in the current rotation. Apple-brandy filet, miso sea bass, pumpkin agnolotti, lion’s mane steak, apple cider donuts. Updated each fall.

View the Full Menu (PDF)
A sample night

A fall evening on the table.

SAMPLE FALL MENU

A Fall Dinner

FIVE COURSES · IN YOUR HOME

FIRST

Oysters

Shallot Mignonette, Apple Granita

SALAD

Pear and Arugula Salad

Burrata, Hazelnut, Dried Cranberries, Meyer Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

FISH ★ MOST REQUESTED

Chilean Sea Bass

Miso Glaze, Mixed Mushroom, Braised Daikon, Dashi Broth, Nori

MAIN

Filet Mignon

Apple-Brandy Glaze, Sweet Potato Puree, Brussels Sprouts

DESSERT

Apple Butter Pavlova

Spiced Apple Butter, Honey-Poached Apple, Cinnamon Whipped Cream, Almond Crumble

Sample menu only · Yours is built around your guests and what’s peaking the week of your dinner.

Last October

Ten guests. One Jamestown house.

Last October, ten guests at a house in Jamestown with a fireplace already going by 5 PM. Oysters with shallot mignonette and apple granita to start, the granita just barely melting, sharp against the brine. Scallop crudo with brown butter vinaigrette and chive oil, plated like a still life. Pear and arugula salad with burrata, hazelnut, dried cranberries, and meyer lemon thyme vinaigrette, family-style around the kitchen island while the host poured a Pinot. Chilean sea bass with miso glaze, mixed mushroom, braised daikon, and dashi broth, served in shallow bowls with a single piece of nori on top. Filet mignon with apple-brandy glaze, sweet potato puree, and brussels sprouts, plated, the glaze going deep amber by the time the plates landed. Apple butter pavlova with honey-poached apple and cinnamon whipped cream, set out as the room moved closer to the fire.

That’s the shape. Yours gets built differently.

How a fall night runs

Three steps. One night.

01
Reach out
Send the date, headcount, and what kind of night you’re planning. I usually reply within 24 hours.
02
Menu design
I send a custom proposal, three to five courses, built around your guests and what’s peaking that week. You approve, change, or swap.
03
Event night
I arrive 2.5 hours before guests, prep, cook, plate, serve through the meal, and clean before I leave. The kitchen looks like the morning.
Common fall questions

Questions about fall.

When does the fall menu rotate?
Fall 2026 runs from mid-September through late November. Winter rotates the week after Thanksgiving. Some peak fall ingredients (heirloom apples, wild mushrooms, the deepest cider) are at their best from mid-October through mid-November.
Do you do private Thanksgiving dinners?
Yes. Thanksgiving is one of the busiest weeks of the year. I cook private Thanksgiving dinners across Newport, Middletown, Narragansett, Providence, Cape Cod, and the Boston metro. Most Thanksgiving dates fill in September. Book early. See the holiday menu page for the full Thanksgiving format.
What’s the most popular fall dish?
The Chilean sea bass with miso glaze and dashi broth is the most-requested fall entrée. The fall version is almost a different dish on the plate from the summer version, deeper, darker. The filet mignon with apple-brandy glaze is the most-ordered steak. The maple-cider lacquered chicken is the most fall-specific poultry dish.
What’s the most-requested fall dessert?
The apple cider donuts with spiced caramel and vanilla bean gelato. The chocolate hazelnut tart with salted caramel is the most popular dessert year-round.
Where do you source fall ingredients?
Newport Seafood for fish and shellfish. Aquidneck Meat for the filet, ribeye, and pork. Local farms for the apples, pears, and winter squash. Narragansett Creamery for cheese boards. Wild mushrooms from local foragers when they’re running.
Do you do mushroom toast?
Yes. Mushroom toast with wild mushrooms, ricotta, and thyme oil on focaccia is the sleeper hit of the fall menu. Guests who order it once tend to ask for it again the next time they book.
How many guests can you cook for?
Most fall dinners land between six and fourteen guests.
Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?
Yes. Fall has the strongest plant-forward options of any season, anchored by the lion’s mane steak, pumpkin agnolotti, and king oyster scallops.
How far in advance should I book?
Two to three weeks lead time minimum. Thanksgiving fills in September. Columbus Day, Halloween, and weekends bracketing Thanksgiving fill four to six weeks out.
Where do you serve?
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 a fall harvest dinner format?
Yes. Fall harvest dinners are one of the most-requested fall formats. Long table, family-style, anchored on a roast (porchetta, leg of lamb, prime rib) with five or six fall side dishes built around the season’s roots, squashes, and brassicas. Particularly popular for milestone birthday weekends and friend reunions.
Do you cook with cranberries from the local bogs?
Yes. The Massachusetts cranberry harvest in October feeds the cranberry chutney, the cranberry pavlova, and the cranberry shrub for cocktails. Cranberries from the bogs in Carver and Plymouth show up across the fall menu when they peak.
Can you do a fall brunch format?
Yes. Fall brunches lean toward heartier dishes. Pumpkin pancakes with maple butter, a smoked salmon Benedict on rye, apple-cinnamon French toast, sausage and apple hash, the cheese board with the seasonal Atwells Gold and a bowl of spiced nuts. See the brunch page for the full format.
Do you handle the wine pairings for a fall dinner?
Wine sourcing is your call. I do not stock or markup beverages. I will recommend pairings that match the menu (Pinot Noirs, Cabernet Francs, an off-dry Riesling for the heat-forward fall plates) and serve what you provide throughout the night.
Other seasons

Beyond fall.

Late March – early June
Spring
 Mid-June – early September
Summer
 Late November – early March
Winter
 Custom holiday format
Holiday Menus
Reserve your fall date

Tell me about your night.

Thanksgiving books first. Send the date, headcount, location, and what kind of night you’re planning. I usually reply within 24 hours.

Inquire About Your Fall Dinner