Private chefs in Aspen
Private chef in Aspen, CO
A private chef in Aspen is dinner at the house after the last run, with the boots drying by the door and nobody needing a table in town. Indulge cooks in Aspen, Snowmass Village and the valley below them, for a single dinner or a week with a chef in the house, through the ski season and again in summer.
Ski weeks with a chef in the house
The season runs from Thanksgiving week, when Aspen Mountain and Snowmass open, to the middle of April. The weeks from Christmas to New Year are the busiest of the year, followed by Presidents' Day week and spring break in March.
A ski week has its own rhythm, and the menus follow it: an early breakfast that gets everyone to the lift, lunch left to the mountain, something warm for après when the family comes back in, and dinner at the table once the boots are off. Michael plans the week around who is skiing, who is not, and which nights the house has guests.
Cooking at nearly 8,000 feet
Aspen sits just under 8,000 feet, and the kitchen knows it. Water boils at around 198 degrees, so pasta, grains and braises take longer, doughs and cakes need their recipes adjusted, and sauces reduce faster in the dry air. Michael plans for it from the first draft of the menu. Menus at altitude lean on clean, generous flavors rather than one rich course after another: Colorado lamb, trout, roasted roots, and slow braises for the coldest nights.
In winter, Independence Pass is closed and everything comes up the valley on Highway 82, so the shopping is planned a day ahead, not an hour.
Summer, and the occasions we cook for
Summer is the second season. The Food & Wine Classic fills the town in June and the Aspen Music Festival carries on through July and August, so long weekends with house guests and dinners on the deck after a concert are the summer pattern. Peaches and sweet corn arrive from the Western Slope from late July.
Across the year we cook for dinner parties in the West End and on Red Mountain, family weeks in Starwood, Snowmass Village and Woody Creek, holiday dinners and New Year's Eve at the house, birthdays and engagements, and small weddings with the mountains behind the table.
How an Aspen booking works
Plan the holidays early. Send your dates, the address and who will be in the house, with ski days and any dietary needs. Michael writes the menus for the stay and refines them with you. Michael and the team travel to Aspen for the booking: for a dinner they arrive about two hours before guests, and for a stay the chef is in the house from breakfast until the dinner plates are cleared. Shopping, cooking, service and cleanup are handled. Please email for pricing and availability.
Places to host
Venues in Aspen that welcome your own chef
Most of our dinners are at home or at a rental. For a bigger party, these Aspen venues let you bring in an outside chef or caterer.
- Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum (Aspen Historical Society)
Caterers apply to the venue's list
- T-Lazy-7 Ranch
Caterers apply to the venue's list
- Wheeler/Stallard Museum (Aspen Historical Society)
Caterers apply to the venue's list
Every venue sets its own rules for kitchens, rentals and insurance, and they change. Tell us the venue when you send your inquiry and we will check with them before you book.
Questions
Private chefs in Aspen, CO: questions
Can a private chef cook for our whole ski week in Aspen?
Yes. A chef in the house for the week, with breakfast before the lifts, something warm for après and dinner every night, planned around ski days, guests and dietary needs. Tell us your dates, the house and how many you are, and whether you would like every meal or dinners only.
When should we book a chef for Christmas and New Year in Aspen?
As early as you can. The weeks from Christmas to New Year are the busiest of the Aspen season, and Presidents' Day week and spring break follow close behind. Send your dates, the address and the number of guests, and we will be in touch about the menus and the shape of the week.
Do you cook in Snowmass Village and Woody Creek as well as Aspen?
Yes. Aspen, Snowmass Village, Woody Creek, Old Snowmass, Starwood, Red Mountain and the houses up Castle Creek and Maroon Creek, with Basalt by arrangement. Winter roads set the timing, so Dominique plans the team's arrival around the drive and the forecast.
Does cooking at altitude change the menu?
Only in the method. At nearly 8,000 feet water boils around 198 degrees, so grains, pasta and braises take longer and baking needs adjusted recipes. Michael plans for it before the first shop, so the menu you approve is the one that reaches the table, cooked the way it should be.
Book a private chef in Aspen, CO
Please email for pricing and availability, or send an inquiry with your date, location and number of guests.
Or call 631-949-2941, or send a text