FAQ

Is it safe to invite VIP Private Chef into my home during Covid?
Yes. VIP Private Chef are the ultimate professionals when it comes to hygiene and food safety. Touched by the experience of having a young baby with health issues, Josh and Renée have had Covid worthy hygiene standards embedded in their home and work for years. Our food safety practices exceed Covid requirements and we carefully monitor government directives to ensure compliance. If you have concerns around entertaining during Covid, vulnerable or immune compromised family and friends, please contact us to discuss how we can safely bring you together around the dinner table.

We have hold Food Safety Supervisors’ certification and apply extra hygiene practices:

-washing hands on entering & exiting & throughout the service,
-wipe down & sanitisation of surfaces regularly throughout the service,
-the mandatory practice of good respiratory etiquette,
-where possible, social distancing is adhered to
-practise exceptional hygiene between guests

 

What if my guests have specific dietary requirements?
No requirement is beyond the skill of VIP Private Chef, we can accommodate all and any requirements. Josh is a longstanding allergy Dad – no one understands better than he does, the need for delivering food that meets your specific requirements or how to execute it. Whether your needs are any combination of vegetarian, vegan, intolerances/allergy/anaphylaxis related or cultural requirements, VIP Private Chef has skillfully crafted full degustation menus to suit your every need. We have hand selected trusted suppliers for produce not grown at home. Inclusive dining is at the forefront of our business model, so please contact VIP Private Chef to discuss our ingredients, suppliers and how we can best accommodate you.

 

I can’t seem to book my preferred date, does this mean VIP Private Chef is unavailable?
Wherever possible, VIP Private Chef tries to accommodate all events, without compromising our quality or standards. If your desired date appears unavailable, please contact us and if we can, we will accommodate your booking. We have a trusted team that we are able to call on for support and their service philosophy matches our own.

 

What areas do you service?
VIP Private Chef is based at Erina on the Central Coast of NSW, however we service a wide area including: Sydney, Greater West out to the Blue Mountains, to the Central Coast & Hunter Valley and up to Newcastle. If you are outside our standard service area, please contact us – we will accommodate wherever we can, we may be able to help you out simply by adding a small travel surcharge.

 

What time will VIP Private Chef arrive?
VIP Private Chef usually likes to arrive 45mins prior to your dinner party commencing. For our catering clientele, we will confirm a mutually agreed time with you. For our anaphylaxis clients we understand your specific needs and prefer to do the majority of our prep in your home.

 

What’s included in the VIP Private Chef dinner party experience?
Gorgeous crockery and cutlery is supplied by VIP Private Chef. Personal touches such as printed menus add to the atmosphere. “Recovery packs” are also supplied for our guest’s comfort. For degustation and our customisable dinner party menu, the VIP Private Chef and a waitress is included in our pricing. We expect to be onsite for ~4hrs, however we ensure full tummies before we leave. Our guests supply the table settings, napkins and glassware. Our guests tend to prefer to set their own table, however if you would like us to do this for you, we are happy to. Our guests style their own table setting, however we have recently styled several photoshoots for our business – please ask us if you need some styling assistance we will accommodate you where we can. Your kitchen will sparkle when we leave and any leftovers will be packed away in your fridge.

 

What should I do to prepare for VIP Private Chef?
We would love for you to create some space in your fridge for our ingredients and leftovers, Let us know if you are hosting a special event so that we can incorporate this into our personal touches.

 

Is my kitchen big enough for VIP Private Chef? Do I need to supply any specific cooking equipment?
No kitchen is ever too small for VIP Private Chef. In fact, when Josh & Renée first met, the kitchen of her beachside bachelorette pad consisted solely of an old stove. Josh is a kitchen whiz who can work with what you have. If absolutely needed can look to bring extra equipment or alter the menu to suit the equipment available. We routinely service full degustation dinners out of galley kitchens. Please let us know if you have outside cooking access  or great ventilation as we like to bring our hibachi grill wherever possible. 

 

I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for if your menu offerings, does that mean that you can’t help me host?
Not at all. We offer a fully customisable service. Please let us know if you are after something specific and we will come up with a plan to meet your needs. Much of our business comes from clients approaching us with a “wish list”. VIP Private chef are renowned for their flexibility, willingness to work with you and satisfying our customers – try us!

 

How many people can VIP Private Chef accommodate for an occasion?
We aim to serve 8 – 20 people within the degustation prices quoted. That said – VIP Private Chef can accommodate anything you need. We have accommodated smaller groups by working with them to find a mutually suitable date or we have reduced the waitstaff for a more intimate and cost friendly experience. For larger groups – we can easily accommodate 60+. We have a trusted team that we are able to call on for support and their service philosophy matches our own.

 

I’ve heard great things about VIP Private Chef catering, but can’t find specific catering menus – what catering options do you offer?
VIP Private Chef is fast becoming the Central Coast’s preferred catering option, for events of all sizes. Our success is driven by our willingness to fully customise a menu to suit our clients needs and budgets. We enjoy working with our clients to develop exciting menu options that you wont find elsewhere. As all our recipes are handcrafted and food made from scratch, our quality and flavours are second to none. Sophisticated catering is now affordable. Please take a look over our “News & Events” page for details of recent events we have catered and our tailored packages.

 

We would love some music to set the mood for our dinner party, what can you suggest?
VIP Private Chef bring with them a small but mighty Bose speaker. We have a selection of dinner party music to get you in the mood. Let us know your desired tastes and we will add to our play list in advance for you. Live entertainment packages are available, we partner with some incredible local artists.

 

Does VIP Private Chef hold insurance?
Yes. Rest assured – VIP Private Chef is fully insured, so we can all relax and enjoy the occasion.

 

How can I secure my booking?

VIP Private Chef ask for a $200 flat fee to hold your date (this booking fee is not included in the per person costs associated with our services). A 30% deposit is then required within 7 days. If your booking is scheduled close to the event date, we may bring the 30% deposit date forward.

 

When is the final payment due?

So that we can focus all of our attention on your dinner and guests, we appreciate final payment on arrival at your event.