Private chef · Massachusetts

A Massachusetts dinner, in your home.

I cook in Back Bay brownstones, Brookline family homes and Wellesley dining rooms, all year. Every course is made in your kitchen and served at your pace.

Reserve Your Date

Cooking in Massachusetts

A private chef in Massachusetts.

I’m Paige Gilbert, and Partum Events is my in-home private chef service. I am based in Newport and cook across Massachusetts all year. In the Boston metro that means anniversaries in Newton, milestone birthdays in Wellesley, client dinners at an executive home in Weston, and weeknight dinners in Cambridge condos.

I plan the menu with you, shop for it, cook every course in your kitchen, serve the table, and clean up before I leave. A caterer cooks somewhere else and delivers. I cook in the room next to you, and each plate goes out when your table is ready for it.

The sourcing is local and regional. Newport Seafood supplies the fish and shellfish and Aquidneck Meat the lamb, beef and pork. Day-boat scallops come from the South Shore and the Cape, Wellfleet and Duxbury oysters when they are running, and produce from Massachusetts farms in season. In fall the cranberries come from the bogs in Carver and Plymouth. The menu follows what is good the week of your dinner.

How a Massachusetts night runs

Three steps. One night.

Reach out

Send the date, the town, the headcount, and the kind of night you are planning. I usually reply within a day.

Menu design

I send a menu built for your evening, usually three to five courses. We adjust it together until it is right. Once the menu is agreed, a signed agreement and a deposit hold your date.

Event night

I arrive 2.5 hours before your guests, then cook, plate, serve each course, and clean the kitchen before I leave.

What to expect

What the night looks like.

The first conversation is about what you and your guests like to eat, who can’t eat what, and whether you want plated courses or a family-style table. I come back with a menu built around those answers and the season, and it usually takes a round or two to get it right.

Before the dinner we do a quick walkthrough of the kitchen so I know what I am working with. Massachusetts kitchens range from Back Bay galleys and Kendall condos to newer Chestnut Hill and Wellesley homes with full ranges. Whatever the kitchen, the food on the table is the same.

On the night, I stay in the kitchen between courses and watch the table from there. Some hosts want me to introduce each dish, and others want me out of sight until dessert. Either is fine. Cleanup happens while you finish, and leftovers are labeled in your fridge.

A TYPICAL MASSACHUSETTS DINNER · HOUR BY HOUR

3:30 PM I arrive, unload, and set up the kitchen.

4:30 PM Prep is mostly done and the oven is hot.

6:00 PM Your guests arrive. You are out of the kitchen with them.

6:30 PM Everyone is seated and the first course goes out.

7:00 PM Courses follow at the table’s pace, each one plated to order.

9:30 PM Dessert.

10:00 PM The kitchen is cleaned, the dishwasher is loaded, and the trash is out. You are still at the table.

A sample night

A Massachusetts night.

SAMPLE MASSACHUSETTS MENU

A Massachusetts Evening

FIVE COURSES · STATEWIDE

FIRST

Wellfleet Oysters

Yuzu Granita, Champagne Mignonette

SECOND

Heirloom Tomato & Burrata

Arugula, Basil Oil, Aged Balsamic

PASTA

Charred Corn Agnolotti

Sweet Corn Velouté, Cotija

MAIN

Day-Boat Scallops

Brown Butter, Sage, Cauliflower Purée

DESSERT

Strawberry Champagne Cake

Macerated Strawberries, Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

One summer menu, as an example. In fall and winter it shifts toward the season. Yours is built around your guests, your date, and what’s at the market.

Every Massachusetts booking

What comes with the evening.

Every Massachusetts booking includes the full menu design, all the grocery and seafood sourcing, the in-home preparation, plated or family-style service at the table, and a complete cleanup of the kitchen. Table linens, plates, silverware and water glasses are complimentary.

Additional service staff for a larger group, any specialty rentals, and a travel surcharge for events more than ninety minutes from Newport are set out in your quote up front. Full pricing lives in the private chef cost guide.

You sit down to a set table, and there is nothing left to handle at the end of the night.

Boston metro · Fall and winter

Boston dinners, built for the season.

Boston does not slow down when the summer places do. My Boston metro months are the ones on either side of the holidays, when Wellesley and Weston families are hosting relatives, a Newton anniversary lands in the middle of February, or a Brookline household wants a real dinner for a milestone birthday without fighting for a table downtown.

Fall is where a lot of Boston clients find me first. The fall seasonal menu starts in September with apple-brandy filet mignon, Chilean sea bass with miso glaze, pumpkin agnolotti, and lion’s mane steak for plant-based guests, and it ends with apple cider donuts. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve the menu turns toward the holidays, and a December table in Newton reads differently from an October one.

Not every booking is a holiday. Corporate dinners at an executive home in Needham or Weston are a steady request, and the corporate dining guide covers how they run.

Coolidge Corner · Chestnut Hill · Brookline Village

A private chef in Brookline.

Brookline hosts differently from the rest of the Boston suburbs. The homes sit closer to the street, the kitchens are older brownstone galleys or new condo builds, and the dinner parties lean literary, academic and professional. Brookline is one of the steadier stretches on my year-round calendar.

Most of my Brookline clients used to entertain at restaurants in Coolidge Corner and Washington Square and switched to dinners at home after a milestone or two. At home there is no table limit and no ride back to Brookline Village at midnight, and the night runs as long as the conversation does.

December here includes Hanukkah as well as Christmas Eve, and I cook for both. Parents-only dinners during a kids’ sleepover are a common Brookline booking too.

Cambridge · Back Bay · Beacon Hill · South End

A private chef in Cambridge and Back Bay.

In the city the kitchens are smaller and the dining room often doubles as the living room. Guests are academics, doctors, lawyers, founders and people from the tech companies around Kendall, and the dinners happen on weeknights as often as weekends. I cook in Harvard Square, Kendall, Inman and Porter, and across Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the South End and the Seaport.

City buildings have their own logistics. If there is a doorman I check in at the front desk and unload through the lobby, and the freight elevators in Back Bay and Seaport buildings are usually available after a quick call. Street parking on Beacon Hill and the Cambridge side streets is tight, so I park briefly to unload and then move the car.

City menus run a little lighter and more precise, because these guests eat out often. Faculty and visiting-scholar dinners around Harvard Square come up through the academic year, and New Year’s Eve in Boston is part of the December calendar.

Wellesley · Newton · Needham · Weston

A private chef in Wellesley, Newton and MetroWest.

September is when MetroWest entertaining comes back inside. School is back, the deck dinners end, and weekend dinners shift from grilling outdoors to longer meals at the table. October and November are heavy birthday months, anniversaries move indoors, and the corporate calendar fills up toward the end of the year.

For a Saturday dinner in Wellesley or Newton, a chef at the house removes the hard-to-get reservation and the drive home, and lets the night run as long as it wants to. Most MetroWest kitchens are well equipped, and the occasional smaller kitchen in an older Newton home is no problem.

The regular MetroWest towns are Wellesley, Newton, Needham, Weston, Dover and Medfield, with Lexington, Concord, Sudbury, Winchester and Belmont too. Fortieth, fiftieth and sixtieth birthdays are a big part of it, and the milestone birthday guide covers the larger-family version.

Cape Cod · South Shore

Beyond Boston: the Cape and the South Shore.

Cape Cod has its own page. Private Chef Cape Cod covers the Cape from Bourne to Provincetown, from summer rental weeks to the families who keep the house open into October. A first night at a rental runs the way the vacation rental dinner guide describes.

On the South Shore I cook in Plymouth, Duxbury, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, Marshfield, Norwell and Hanover, and inland in Foxborough, Franklin and Attleboro. Newport is home base, and the Private Chef Newport page covers it.

The Massachusetts year

What the statewide calendar looks like.

Massachusetts runs two calendars side by side. The Cape opens with the Memorial Day rentals, fills June through August with vacation weeks and wedding weekends, and stays open into October for the cooler menus. The Boston metro runs steadier all year. Spring brings milestone birthdays and graduation weekends, fall brings parents weekends and the first dinners back indoors, and winter brings Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The holiday menu page covers that season.

May, late September and October are some of the best windows on either side of the state. The menus lean cozier.

Who books Massachusetts

What I cook across Massachusetts.

Anniversaries

An anniversary at home

A multi-course dinner built around what the two of you love, served at your own table.

Fortieth, fiftieth, sixtieth

Family-home birthday dinners in Newton, Wellesley and Brookline, plated or family-style.

Client and team dinners

Board dinners and client hosting at an executive home or a city condo.

Christmas Eve at home

Christmas Eve for Boston-suburb families, cooked in your kitchen.

A Hanukkah dinner

Hanukkah dinners in Brookline, Newton and the Boston suburbs.

New Year’s Eve in Boston

A dinner at home instead of the restaurant rush.

Micro weddings and rehearsal dinners

Family-style dinners at the family home or the wedding-party rental.

Passed bites at home

Hors d’oeuvres served at private homes, including the holiday open house.

Common Massachusetts questions

Questions about Massachusetts bookings.

What parts of Massachusetts do you cover?

The Boston metro is the core: Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Wellesley, Needham, Weston, Dover and Medfield, plus Lexington, Concord, Sudbury, Winchester, Belmont and the rest of MetroWest. I also cook on the South Shore, in Foxborough, Franklin and Attleboro, and across mainland Cape Cod. North Shore towns such as Marblehead and Salem depend on the date, so send it and I will let you know.

Do you cook in Boston, Cambridge and Back Bay?

Yes, case by case. Cambridge, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the South End and the Seaport depend on the building, the kitchen and the parking, so send me the address and the date and I will let you know. Building access, such as a doorman or a freight elevator, is part of planning.

Do you cook in Brookline?

Yes, all of Brookline: Coolidge Corner, Washington Square, Brookline Village, Chestnut Hill, Pill Hill and the homes off Beacon Street. Weekend parking is tight, so most hosts have guests park on a side street off Harvard Street.

How many guests can you cook for?

Massachusetts dinners start at five guests, and there is no upper limit. For larger groups, additional service staff joins the booking so the format holds.

How far in advance should I book?

Two to three weeks is usually enough for a Boston-area dinner. For July and August weekends on the Cape, plan on six to eight weeks. Mid-week dates are the most flexible, and for the holidays, send your date as soon as you know it.

Is there a travel surcharge in Massachusetts?

Only for events more than ninety minutes from Newport. When it applies, the travel surcharge is set out in your quote up front, before you book.

How much does a private chef cost in Massachusetts?

Pricing depends on the menu, the service style and the date. The private chef cost guide lays it out in full.

What do I need to provide?

A working kitchen and your guests. Wine and drinks are yours to provide and pour, and I focus on the food. I am happy to recommend pairings that match the menu.

My kitchen is small. Can you still cook a multi-course dinner?

Yes. I have cooked five courses in Back Bay galley kitchens, Kendall condos and older Newton homes. In a tight kitchen more of the menu is finished ahead, and if the kitchen is undersized for the group, I bring what I need.

Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?

Yes. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, pescatarian, severe nut allergies, shellfish allergies, celiac, kosher-style and halal are all accommodated. The menu is built around the most restrictive eater, so nobody gets a modified version of someone else’s dinner.

Can you time a Friday-night dinner around Shabbat?

Yes. Friday-night service can be timed to start before sundown, and I cook kosher-style and keep dairy and meat separate when asked. Strict kashrut needs to be discussed before you book.

Do you cook weeknight dinners?

Yes. Weeknight dinners are common in Cambridge and Back Bay, often around a promotion, a publication or a visiting colleague. The pace is a little quicker so the night wraps by ten.

Do you cook holiday dinners in the Boston area?

Yes. Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are all part of the Boston-area calendar. See the holiday menu.

Do you cook corporate and client dinners?

Yes. Board dinners, client dinners and a new partner’s first night with the team, usually at an executive home in Weston or Needham or in a city condo. More on the format in the corporate dining guide.

Do you cook for parents weekend and graduation dinners?

Yes. Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Boston College and Boston University families book parents weekend and graduation dinners at home or at the rental they have taken for the weekend.

Do you do brunch, hors d’oeuvres or rehearsal dinners?

Yes to all three. See the brunch page and the hors d’oeuvres page. A holiday open house with passed hors d’oeuvres is a regular Boston-suburb booking, and rehearsal and welcome dinners are usually family-style at the family home.

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