Private Chef in Luberon: Handpicked Names, What to Expect, and Tipping
Looking for a private chef in Luberon? You’re in luck – I’ll share my personal list of names with you.
Ever since my husband and I moved to Provence, we’ve noticed a strange phenomenon. Our list of family and friends keen to visit has ballooned. đ
Don’t get me wrong, we love hosting. But entertaining while trying to bond with our guests can sometimes feel more like a chore. So we thought of a solution…
Hire a private chef (or chef Ă domicile) to cook us a meal.
What’s better than a bespoke multi-course meal, right in the comfort of your home?
No more combing through Google reviews, or looking for parking, or waiting for a table. Let’s not even start with the rock-paper-scissors of appointing the unlucky driver for the night.
But finding the right chef can be tough, right?
That’s why I’ve started to research names and contact people, so I can curate my own list of Luberon private chefs. And since we’re mad foodies at home, I’m sure I’ll be meeting these culinary maestros in no time.
âAs much as I’d like to be Sunday brunch besties with these chefs, I am NOT affiliated with them. I created this list for my personal use, which I’m happy to share with you.
Generally, hiring a chef in Provence has the inclusions and exclusions below. Depending on the complexity of the menu, expect a price range of âŹ55-150 per person for a multi-course meal. Wine and cheese pairings, and other add-ons are cost out separately.
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Personalized menu planning
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Dietary or allergen adjustments
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Grocery shopping
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Transportation to venue
â
Preparation and cooking
â
Cleanup
â Beverages
â Wine pairing
â Cheese plate
â Table decoration
â Gratuity (optional – more on this below)
Most home chefs will offer pre-designed menus to help you decide. But these are customizable according to your culinary preferences, dietary restrictions, and allergies. Some can even create a children’s menu upon request.
Discuss everything with your chef. Remember, this is your bespoke dining experience, and they are there to help you.
7 Interesting Chefs Worth Hiring for Your Luberon Holiday
This list of gourmet chefs is primarily designed for one-off meal service. But if you’re looking for an in-home or multi-day cook for your vacation stay, all you need to do is ask them if they can accommodate.
Here’s my curated list of chefs (in no particular order):
1. Jean-Marc Larrue
This Seasoned Chef Comes with Decades of Brilliance and Stories
Specialty cuisine: Provençal
A culinary veteran, Jean-Marc has more than 35 years of experience under his belt toque. For him, cooking is a way to visit and show the world. And based on his profile, it seems he has indeed seen places.
Larrue’s career includes working in esteemed restaurants in Paris, Australia, and Corsica, regularly attending the World Culinary Summit in Singapore, and teaching French cuisine in South Africa.
He also runs Atelier Toque Chef, a cooking school in Avignon that specializes in Provençal cuisine. Classes are in French and English.
Chef Jean-Marc and team blew us away with the evening they put on for us, it was the highlight of the trip. The food was incredible, the service impeccable, and most of all it was very fun spending time with the team and sharing stories. I could not recommend the experience more. – Matt
My Personal Take:
A quick online search would tell you Jean-Marc has a long, impressive career in the culinary arts. When I saw him on the platform Take A Chef, I wondered why a seasoned pro like him was there.
But then I remembered a French documentary about the chef Ă domicile profession in France. Some chefs prefer the independent route vs. working in high-pressure, big-name restaurants.
Being an entrepreneur allows them to own their time and create their own dishes. More importantly, cooking is a lifelong art and passion. So many seek opportunities to share this joy with others.
Back to Chef Jean-Marc, I reckon private chef-ing is both a creative passion and a way for him to train his students. He usually brings with him an assistant.
It would be an honor to have a pro chef like him cook for us at home. I hope he doesn’t get annoyed when I ask him a lot of questions about this interesting profession. Brownie point: He speaks fluent English.
2. IrĂšne Khaletzky
A Colorful Personality Gives Mindful Eating a Spin
Specialty cuisine: Vegetarian
Want to eat healthy on your Luberon holiday? IrĂšne is a good fit if you’re seeking relaxation and a slower pace of life.
She focuses on vegetarian and Ayurvedic-inspired cuisineâa great companion for a wellness or yoga retreat and a health-focused holiday.
Based in Avignon and Saint-RĂ©my-de-Provence, she caters to clients in the departments of Gard, Var, and Vaucluse (Luberon).
Translated from French:
IrĂšne delighted us with a cuisine that was as aesthetic as it was tasty, full of colours, healthy and generous at the same time… A bit like her person, after all!
My Personal Take:
I looked at IrĂšne’s Instagram page (@irenekhaletzky) and three things popped out: color, health, and personality. In fact, some client testimonials highlighted that last bitâpraising not just the food but also her person.
To me, that’s a huge plus. Sharing a meal with loved ones isn’t only about the food but also about the feel-good energy of everyone in the house.
IrĂšne creates delicious-looking and rainbow-inspired dishes. While I’m not a vegetarian, I do love plant-based meals. How can I not love the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables in Provence?
I’m keen to try IrĂšne’s burrata gĂ©ante, nectarine sautĂ©e a l’ail, pignon, framboises, huile d’olive fumĂ©e et balsamique pur. Typing that makes me hungry.
â +33 6 36 22 21 97
Read Google reviews on IrĂšne here
3. Yvan Gilardi
This Haute Cuisine Talent Also Charms the Grill
Specialty cuisine: International & barbecue
After 18 years of working in gastronomic restaurants, Yvan created his own business Toquadom, short for “la toque Ă domicile” or home chef.
His Instagram feed (@toquadom) is peppered with gourmet dishes, the likes you would eat in a fancy restaurant. But what I find interesting is he also excels in…barbecue?
Now, you wouldn’t normally associate the French with barbecue but after living in France for years, I can tell you, it’s a big thing in the French countryside.
Yvan helps Weber©, a barbecue brand, create recipes and cooking classes. Did you know he’s also a regular face at the annual Championnat de France de Barbecue?
Translated from French:
During a weekend with friends, we called on Yvan to concoct an exceptional dinner. We wanted to treat ourselves to a good restaurant meal, but at home.
What a pleasure to savor refined and sought-after cuisine directly in our living room, for 18 guests! Really great as a concept. The little extra we hadn’t thought of but which is great fun: the kitchen is perfect at the end of the meal
My Personal Take:
Picture this: A fabulous party for 15, poolside under the Provençal sun. We’ll kick off with a laid-back lunch barbecue where the only agenda is to chill, chew, and chat.
As the day lazes into apĂ©ro, we’ll segue to an elegant, starlit dinner.
Then everyone will be buzzing for days about how amazing the day was and they’ll ask, “Jenny, when’s the next one?”
That kind of party? I think Yvan is the man for the job.
â +33 6 13 19 81 65
â toquadom@gmail.com
Check out Google reviews on Ivan here
4. Natchoo Aiello
This Culinary Maverick Ditches Menus for Intuition
Specialty cuisine: Mediterranean & Provençal
One of the things I love about French cooking is their emphasis on fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. So “What’s on the menu?” depends on what’s available in the market that morning.
Based in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Natchoo seems to take the “farm-to-table” approach a notch higher. The main feature? No set menus. He’d rather know what you like first and craft a menu based on that.
I won’t be The Luberon Spy if I didn’t do proper snooping. So I went to his Instagram page (@natchooaiello) and spotted a group of smiling American guests. They were cycling in and around the Luberon, I gathered.
Below the photo, Kristin comments, “Having you make amazing meals for us was definitely a highlight of our trip!”
Natchoo created amazing memorable meals, beautiful presentation, fresh local cuisine, each meal unique. For our party of ten, he created our most enjoyable evenings of our vacation.
My Personal Take:
Sometimes I don’t like to know everything I’m about to eat. I prefer to be surprised.
If you look at the menu board in French restaurants, you’ll often see plat du jour or dessert du jour. I like getting these.
My husband JĂ©rĂŽme is the same. When ordering in a restaurant, he would ask the server, “What’s your favorite wine/dish/dessert?” and goes with whatever the person says.
I like Natchoo’s ‘no set menu’ approach. I’d probably hire him for a date night with my husband at home. And the only brief I’ll give him is, “Surprise us.”
â +33 6 14 25 99 97
â natchooaiello.chefprive@gmail.com
Read Google reviews on Natchoo here
5. Clément Gehin
This Travel-Savvy Chef Delights with Culinary & Pastry
Specialty cuisine: International & pastry
The meal he prepared was the best Iâve ever had. There were eleven of us for dinner. Each course was superb and the timing was perfect. We were given just the right time to finish our servings and enjoy our conversations before the next course arrived.
He was friendly, engaging and open to our observing and participating in the preparation. The kitchen was left spotless. After he left, the eleven of us talked about which was our favorite course and, for the most part, we couldnât really come up with one that stood out alone. Each course was outstanding. He made the evening an absolute delight. – Mark
My Personal Take:
As an avid traveler and pastry lover, you have my attention, Chef Clément.
I like that he is both a cuisine and pastry chef. To an ordinary person like me, it’s like having a double major in physics and fine arts.
Perhaps my perception was influenced by my brother who’s a trained gourmet chef. As a dessert lover, I used to beg him to make cakes and pĂątisserie for me. But his answer was always the same: “I can cook anything you like. Just not cakes and pastry. It’s not my forte.”
And judging from what I’ve seen on ClĂ©ment’s website and Instagram page (@lefoodista), he seems to cater to a wide range of eventsâprivate dinners, birthday parties, and wedding soirĂ©es. He even designs cakes!
I’m already thinking about hiring this chef for my 10th wedding anniversary. I think he fits the bill.
â +33 6 15 53 24 92
â clement.gehin@lefoodista.fr
Learn more about Chef ClĂ©ment’s offerings here
6. Gaetano Scagliarini
This Italian Maestro Infuses Provence with La Dolce Vita
Specialty cuisine: Italian & French
Meet Chef Gaetano, a professional chef with 15 years of experience in restaurants, hotels, and cruise ships.
His expertise fuses French and Italian cuisines, with a special penchant for seafood. As he’s based in Marseille, I bet he has access to some of the best seafood suppliers in the Mediterranean.
A quick look at his Instagram page (@gaetano_scagliarini) tells me he likes to travel and spend time with friends. A good example of joie de vivre, I’d say!
We had such a glorious evening and dinner prepared by our lovely, fantastic chef. Such a delightful indulgent thing to have a chef come to the house, prepare a 3 course meal and leave no trace he has been there but the leftovers in the fridge. -Katherine
My Personal Take:
The Luberon (and Provence) has such a “colorful” centuries-old history with Italy.
Aside from geographical proximity, two major historical events cemented French-Italian fusion in this area: the Roman empire colonization and post-WWII migration.
When it comes to food, you can taste the Italian influences in Provence. Think olive oil, wine, garlic, and tomatoes.
That’s why I was thrilled to find Chef Gaetano (and the next chef I’ll mention below).
Italian-Provençal meals perfectly embody the sunny, joyful, and slow living in the South of France. The next time I have international guests, I won’t hesitate to call Chef Gaetano to give us a memorable feast.
â +33 6 65 44 28 12
â gaetano.scagliarini@gmail.com
Check out Chef Gaetano’s availability here
7. Giuseppina Mabilia
This Italian Signora Artfully Blends Provençal, Italian, and Venetian
Specialty cuisine: Provencal, Italian, Venetian
Some people are born cooks. Giuseppina seems to be one of them.
In fact, her first gig was cooking for an heir of HermĂšs (yes, the French luxury brand). She received a standing ovation from all the guests. And that was the moment she knew she’d become a chef.
Born in Venice, Giuseppina’s signature style blends Provençal, Italian, and Venetian flavors.
She ditches the set menu and cooks from scratch, presenting her meals family-style for a truly intimate dining experience. She caters to gatherings from 4 up to 40 people.
“I really enjoyed Giuseppina’s cooking class on “Forgotten Provençal Recipes” and got more out of it than expected – it was not only a cooking class showing the recipe proceedings, the order of steps and the ingredients, it was an experience in itself. Giuseppina is very inspiring to listen to, her cooking it’s delightful and familiar. – Cristina
My Personal Take:
As I read Giuseppina’s profile, her artful dishes hit a nostalgic note â they’re simple, organic, and effortlessly chic.
For some weird reason, I remembered how back in the day, I used to enjoy watching Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, and Giada De Laurentiis on TV.
Not that their culinary talents ever turned me into a chef, but there was a certain allure to their intuitive flair. Those are women who breathed life into age-old family recipes and carved their own paths in the culinary world.
Giuseppina seems to mirror these traits, and then some. She’s definitely on my list for our next family meal in Provence.
Contact Giuseppina on her website
Hiring a Private Chef: How It Works and What to Expect
When you hire a private chef in the Luberon, here’s what you can anticipate:
Menu Planning – Once you’ve chosen your chef and made contact, the first step is to fine-tune the menu. Some will give you with pre-designed menus to choose from; others will start from scratch.
Either way, this is a collaborative process where the occasion, your dietary preferences, and local seasonal ingredients are considered. The result is a customized menu, designed just for you.
Grocery Shopping – On the day of your event, your chef will source the freshest in-season ingredients from local markets and suppliers.
Preparation and Cooking – Generally, a chef will arrive at your holiday home two (2) hours before the meal, so they can prep and cook. Sometimes, they will have an assistant or two, if needed.
They will bring all the ingredients and the most important tools for cooking. But they may also use your pots and pans, plates, glasses, and linen. To be sure, inform your chef what you have (and don’t have) available in the kitchen.
Meal Service – Once the dishes are ready, your chef will serve the meal. Depending on your arrangements, this could be a formal, multi-course dinner, a casual family-style feast, or a buffet spread.
Cleanup – The cherry on top? Your chef will clean up the kitchen, leaving it as neat as they found it. No need for you to lift a finger.
What You Can Do Before the Chef Arrives
- Discuss your “kitchen situation” – area size, available equipment and tools
- Ask the chef what they need for serving food (e.g. plates, cutlery, wine glasses, etc.)
- Make enough space in the fridge
- Free up space in the kitchen, especially the sink, dishwasher, and kitchen counters
- Empty the trash and put new garbage bags – In France, we segregate trash into compost, paper, and glass
- Provide a parking space for their car
Tip: When checking out accommodation choices, pay attention to kitchen size and amenities. Hiring a chef won’t be beneficial if the kitchen isn’t well-equipped or spacious enough.
Should You Tip a Private Chef in France?
No, you do not tip a private chef in France. It’s a nice gesture but in France, tipping is not required or expected.
Bear in mind that most private chefs are business owners. They’ve already set their prices to reflect the value of their time and skills. Think of it this way, would you tip the owner of a restaurant? A consultant?
While a tip (or pourboire) is a sweet gesture, it could be awkward or embarrassing for the French chef (or for you if they refuse your tip).
I know, I know…it can feel really weird, especially if you come from a tipping culture like the U.S.
If you’re happy with the chef, here’s what you can do instead:
- Recommend their services – the best way to say ‘thank you’
- Write a glowing review online – help them get found and hired
- Send them a postcard when you get home – they can share this as a testimonial on their website or social media
- When you pay, round off the amount – You can say, “C’est bon. Gardez la monnaie, s’il vous plaĂźt.” You can say it’s for the assistant or server.
- Give them a token of appreciation. – a book, a bottle of wine, a memento from your travels
The Wrap-Up: Hire a Private Chef in Luberon, Provence
Voila! That’s my handpicked list of Luberon private chefs.
I hope you find it as valuable as I do. Don’t forget to bookmark it for your trip.
As I explore these services myself, I’ll be sure to keep this list fresh with my insights. And hey, if you decide to cook up a storm with any of these culinary whizzes, do share your experiences. Pop me an email – I’d love to hear your stories.
Let’s keep this list active with updates so we can support more small businesses and, of course, continue eating well. Bon appĂ©tit!
FAQs about Private Chef Meals in Luberon
What does a private chef service in Luberon include and exclude?
Hiring a private chef in Luberon typically includes menu planning, shopping for ingredients, meal preparation, and kitchen clean-up. Extras such as wine, cheese pairing, and beverages are excluded.
How much should I budget for a private chef in Luberon, Provence?
The cost for a private chef in Provence can vary depending on the number of guests, menu, and extras such as wine. As a rough guide, budget anywhere from âŹ50 to âŹ150 per person.
Do I tip a private chef in France?
In France, tipping a private chef isn’t necessary or expected. Instead, a positive online review or personal referral is often appreciated. If you insist on a tip due to exceptional service, 10% to 20% of the total bill is a good starting point.
Still planning your trip to the Luberon in Provence?
đ Can’t decide where to base in the Luberon? Avoid analysis paralysis – choose where to stay in the Luberon.
đ Read this to help you decide which Luberon villages best fit your interests.
đ If it’s your first time in Provence, make sure to read up on the hotshots of the Luberon (there are 5).
đ Not planning to rent a car? No prob, there are many ways to explore the Luberon without a car.
