Private Chef in Santa Barbara, CA
Seasonal food made at home and carried to your table, from Montecito to Hope Ranch. You stay with your guests; the chef stays through dessert.
Raised Between the Vineyards and the Coast
Cordelle grew up an hour inland, in a family that fed whoever came by the vineyard on a Sunday, and learned to cook properly in Santa Barbara restaurant kitchens. In 2018 the cooking moved into people's homes.
The idea hasn't changed since: a long table, food from close by, and a host who gets to sit down. Each booking begins with a conversation about who's coming and why, and the menu grows out of that — the guest who can't eat dairy, the dish your brother still talks about, what the farm stands have that week.
- Unhurriedevenings, one booking a night
- Seasonalmenus for every guest list
- Food-safetycertified and insured
- Discreetin every home
Dinners Cordelle Cooks
Six kinds of booking, each one shaped on a phone call before anything is shopped.
Not sure which fits? Tell us what the evening is for and we'll suggest a shape for it.
Four Seasons on the Central Coast
Santa Barbara is an easy place to shop for dinner, with a farmers' market somewhere in the county most days and fish sold at the harbor. Your dinner is bought the morning you eat it, at cost with the receipts, so the menu follows the calendar.
- ✓Spring — peas, fava beans, spot prawns
- ✓Summer — tomatoes, stone fruit, sweet corn
- ✓Fall — squash, persimmons, wild mushrooms
- ✓Winter — citrus, rock crab, avocados
A Long Table and a Night Off
The host of a dinner party usually eats last and talks least. A private chef turns that around: the cooking happens out of sight, plates arrive when the table is ready for them, and the only thing you carry is the conversation. Above eight guests a server comes too, so the courses keep moving while you stay in your seat.
- Milestonebirthdays
- Familyreunions
- Neighborhoodsuppers
Three Ways to Serve It
Pick one for the whole night, or start with bites and sit down for the rest.
Plated courses
Each course arranged in the kitchen and set in front of every guest at once. Best for tasting menus and tables of up to twelve.
Family-style platters
Big dishes passed down the table so everyone helps themselves. Best for birthdays, reunions and anyone who likes seconds.
Standing supper
Small plates carried round while guests mingle, then dessert at the table. Best for welcome parties and garden evenings.
Every Guest Gets the Same Dinner
Tell us about allergies, intolerances and plain dislikes when you book. The menu is written around them from the first draft, so the guest who is gluten-free or vegetarian eats the same courses as everyone else — not a side plate of whatever was left.
- Gluten-freefrom the first course
- Vegetarianplates that match the table
- Dairy-freedesserts included
- Allergiestalked through on the call
Everything Except the Guest List
A menu call
Fifteen minutes on the phone about your guests, the occasion and what's in season.
Cooking and serving
Every course made in your kitchen and carried to the table.
Wine suggestions
You pour your own bottles; we'll suggest what to open with each course.
Serving platters
Ours come along if yours are packed away or too few.
Clearing up
Dishes, counters and floors left the way we found them.
Leftovers, labeled
Anything uneaten is boxed, labeled and left in your fridge.
Notes From Santa Barbara Hosts
My mother turned eighty and wanted everyone at her own table, not in a restaurant. Twelve of us, platters passed hand to hand, and she never once had to get up.
Two of our guests are gluten-free and one doesn't eat shellfish. Nobody got a lesser plate — all twelve of us ate the same five courses.
We booked a long weekend at a rental in Summerland — breakfasts, a beach lunch and two dinners. It felt like the house came with a chef.
Planning Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve?
Holiday dinners are the first dates to go each year. Send yours now and we'll pencil it in while you settle the guest list.
Before You Book
How is a dinner priced?
By the guest for cooking and service, plus groceries at cost. You see a written menu and estimate before anything is booked.
How do I book?
Send the form below. Cordelle calls to talk through the menu, then emails a written menu and estimate for you to change as you like.
We're staying in a rental. Will the kitchen work?
Rentals and older kitchens are fine. If the oven is unreliable, mention it — the menu can lean on the stovetop and the grill instead.
My guests have different allergies — is that a problem?
No. List them when you book and the menu is written around every one of them. Severe allergies get their own conversation on the menu call.
Who handles the wine?
You do — you pour your own bottles. With your menu we'll send a few suggestions for what to open with each course.
Do you cook outside Santa Barbara?
Goleta to Carpinteria is home ground. For the Santa Ynez Valley or Ojai, ask — the extra driving shows up as a travel fee on the estimate.
Start With the Date
Pick a date on the form. If it's already taken, we'll offer the nearest Friday or Saturday that's open.
- Call us(805) 555-0142
- Email ushello@cordelletable.com