Private chef · Providence, Rhode Island

A Providence dinner, in your home.

Providence eats well. Federal Hill grocers in the morning. East Side dinner parties on long tables. Downcity lofts with the Industrial Trust Tower lit up in the window. Cooked in your kitchen, served at your pace.

Reserve Your Date
Cooking in Providence

The Providence table.

Eating with a private chef on the East Side is different from eating at a Federal Hill restaurant on a Saturday. The dinners that get remembered are usually the ones that don’t happen at a restaurant. The 35th-birthday dinner for ten on the East Side. The Brown/RISD parents’ weekend dinner at the College Hill rental. The promotion dinner with eight close colleagues at a Wayland Square apartment. The pre-Trinity-Rep dinner at the Downcity loft.

With a private chef, the night happens in your home, apartment, or loft. Custom menu built around your guests. Full in-home service. Complete cleanup. You stay at the table the whole time.

The sourcing is local. Newport Seafood for the fish and shellfish. Aquidneck Meat for the lamb, beef, and pork. Clements for produce. Narragansett Creamery for the cheese boards (Atwells Gold and Divine Providence are the regulars). Provençal Bakery for the bread. Local farms in Tiverton and Little Compton for heirloom tomatoes and stone fruit. Schartner Farms in Exeter for berries and sweet corn when they hit. The menu reflects what’s actually peaking the week of your dinner.

How a Providence 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.
03
Event night
I arrive 2.5 hours before guests, prep, cook, plate, serve through the meal, and clean before I leave.
A sample night

A Providence night.

SAMPLE PROVIDENCE MENU

A Providence Evening

FIVE COURSES · PROVIDENCE, RI

FIRST

Crispy Duck Bacon Bites

Fig Jam, Goat Cheese, Honey, Crostini

SECOND

Burrata & Heirloom Tomato

Basil Oil, Aged Balsamic, Sea Salt, Crostini

PASTA

Beef Ragu with Ricotta Cavatelli

Slow-Braised, Parmesan, Basil

MAIN

Filet Mignon

Red Wine Reduction, Cauliflower Potato Purée

DESSERT

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

Salted Caramel, White Chocolate Whipped Cream

Sample menu only · Yours is built around your guests, your date, and what’s at the market.

Every Providence booking

What’s included.

Every Providence booking includes:

  • A custom menu designed around your guest count, occasion, dietary needs, and the season
  • Full grocery sourcing from Rhode Island purveyors, fish markets, and farm stands
  • In-home preparation in your kitchen, your timeline
  • Plated multi-course service or family-style dinner, your choice
  • Full table service throughout the evening
  • Complete kitchen cleanup at the end of the night

Not included by default: wine and spirits, specialty rentals (linens, glassware, larger serving pieces), additional staffing for larger groups or for hors d’oeuvres receptions, and gratuity. Wine, spirits, rentals, and staffing are typically discussed upfront if relevant.

You arrive to a set table. You leave the night with nothing to handle.

The Providence kitchen

What the night looks like from the kitchen.

Federal Hill apartments tend to have smaller kitchens. Galley layouts. The oven is sometimes a 24-inch range and the fridge fills fast once a fourteen-guest dinner load lands inside it. The menu adapts. Pre-set first courses, fewer last-minute platings, more sauces finished in advance. Nothing the table sees changes. The kitchen workflow does.

East Side homes around Wayland Square and Blackstone Boulevard run differently. Full kitchens, generous counters, double ovens in some of the older Italianates. Five courses with hot pickup all night is the easy version of the job there. The Downcity lofts split the difference. Generous open-plan kitchens with limited storage. I bring the staging carts and the cold-hold coolers either way.

Providence has its rhythms. Brown and RISD parents weekends in October. Trinity Rep openings. Federal Hill family birthdays. WaterFire Saturdays in the warm months. Dates that touch any of those windows fill earliest. Six to eight weeks ahead is realistic for those nights.

Who books Providence

What I cook in Providence.

Milestone birthdays

The East Side dinner party

Thirties, fortieths, fiftieths. The Providence East Side and College Hill milestone birthday dinner is a regular booking, often family-style for ten to fourteen guests.

Read more → Brown/RISD weekends

Parents weekend dinners

Brown and RISD parents weekends turn the East Side and College Hill into dinner-host central. Hire the chef so the family weekend doesn’t become a kitchen weekend.

Read more → Anniversary dinners

Two on the East Side

Anniversary dinners for two or a small group are an intimate, multi-course format. Built around what you love. See the anniversary post for the full format.

Read more → Holiday gatherings

Christmas, NYE, Easter, Mother’s Day

Providence holiday dinners cook every winter and spring. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dates fill in October.

See holiday menus →
Common Providence questions

Questions about Providence bookings.

Do you cook in Federal Hill, College Hill, and the East Side?
Yes. Providence bookings span all neighborhoods including Federal Hill, College Hill, the East Side, Downcity, Wayland Square, and the West End. Each neighborhood has its own kitchen quirks (Federal Hill apartments tend to have smaller ovens; East Side homes have full kitchens) and the menu adapts.
How far in advance should I book in Providence?
Two to three weeks for most Providence dinners. Holiday dates and Brown/RISD parents weekends fill earlier. Six to eight weeks is realistic for those windows.
How many guests can you cook for in Providence?
Most Providence dinners land between six and fourteen guests. For larger groups, additional staff joins the booking.
Do you cook in Providence apartments and lofts?
Yes. Downcity lofts, Wayland Square apartments, and East Side homes are all regular bookings. The minimum requirement is a working oven, four functioning burners, and counter space for plating. Smaller kitchens get menu adaptations.
Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?
Yes. Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, pescatarian, severe nut allergies, celiac, kosher-style, and halal are all accommodated. The menu is built around the most restrictive eater.
Do you do brunch in Providence?
Yes. Providence brunch bookings are common for milestone birthdays, Mother’s Day, family gatherings, and Brown/RISD parents weekends. See the private chef brunch page for the full brunch format.
Do you do meal prep in Providence?
Yes. Providence is within the meal prep service area. See the meal prep page for delivery details and weekly cadence.
Do you cook for corporate dinners in Providence?
Yes. Providence corporate dinners are a regular booking, often at executive homes or downtown lofts hosting visiting clients.
What’s the difference between a private chef and a caterer?
Every dish is cooked to order in your Providence kitchen the night of the dinner. Not reheated from a van. I’m in the room the whole night.
Do you cook in nearby Cranston, Pawtucket, North Providence, and Barrington?
Yes. Cranston, Pawtucket, North Providence, Lincoln, Smithfield, and Barrington are all within the Providence service window. Bookings in those towns run the same way as Providence proper.
Can you do a Providence rehearsal dinner or graduation dinner?
Yes. Brown and RISD graduation dinners and downtown rehearsal dinners are regular bookings, often family-style at the family home, the rented brownstone, or the East Side rental house.
Do you handle the wine and cocktails?
Wine and cocktails are your call. I do not stock or markup beverages. I will recommend pairings that match the menu and serve what you provide throughout the night, including champagne service if it fits the occasion.
How does plating work in a smaller Federal Hill kitchen?
Composed first courses get pre-set on plates ahead of guest arrival. Mains plate at the kitchen counter as service moves. The dessert is built earlier in the evening and finished tableside or pulled from cold-hold. The kitchen footprint stays manageable.
Also serving

Beyond Providence.

Statewide
Rhode Island
 35 minutes south
Newport
 Kent County
East Greenwich
 Across the bay
Cape Cod
 60 minutes north
Boston metro
Reserve your Providence date

Tell me about your night.

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

Inquire About a Date