Private chefs in Litchfield County
Private chef in Litchfield County, CT
A private chef in Litchfield County is dinner at the farmhouse you drove up to on Friday night: a long table on the porch or in the barn, food from the farms down the road, and nobody driving home on unlit country lanes. Indulge cooks for weekend houses in Litchfield, Washington, Kent, Salisbury, Sharon and around Lake Waramaug, from the first warm weekend of spring to the holidays.
Weekends in the Litchfield Hills
Most houses here are weekend houses, and the weekends are short. A chef in the house means Friday dinner is on the table when you arrive from the city, Saturday lunch is outside, and Sunday brunch is cleared away before the drive back. Michael plans the whole weekend as one menu, so nothing repeats and nothing is wasted, and Dominique sets the timing around arrivals, walks, tennis and late starts.
For a single dinner, the team arrives in the afternoon, cooks in your kitchen and leaves it clean.
Barns, porches and lake houses
Dinners here happen in converted barns in Washington and Roxbury, on screened porches in Sharon and Salisbury, and on docks at Lake Waramaug as the light goes. Many of the houses are old, and so are their kitchens, so menus are planned for the stove you have, with the grill or a wood fire doing some of the work. Dominique brings lighting for barns and lawns, where it gets dark fast once the sun drops behind the hills.
Menus follow the farms: asparagus and ramps in May, corn, tomatoes and peaches in August, apples, squash and local cheese in the autumn, and something braised by the fire once the weather turns.
Foliage, the holidays and the rest of the year
October is the busiest month in the hills. Peak color usually comes around the middle of the month, the roads fill on weekends, and a table at home is easier than a table in town. Thanksgiving and the December holidays bring families back to the country house, and we cook the whole holiday or just the big dinner.
Through the rest of the year: birthday and anniversary dinners, house-warmings, rehearsal dinners and small weddings on the lawn, and long lunches for friends driving up from New York.
How a Litchfield County booking works
Send an inquiry with the dates, the town and how many will be at the table, and tell us whether it is one dinner or the whole weekend. Michael writes a menu around what the farms have that week and refines it with you. On the day the team shops, cooks, serves and cleans up; for a weekend, the menus run from Friday dinner to Sunday brunch. Please email for pricing and availability.
Places to host
Venues in Litchfield County that welcome your own chef
Most of our dinners are at home or at a rental. For a bigger party, these Litchfield County venues let you bring in an outside chef or caterer.
- South Farms
Caterers apply to the venue's list
- 19Main
- Candlelight Farms Inn
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 Litchfield County, CT: questions
Can a private chef cook for a whole weekend at our Litchfield County house?
Yes. A chef for the weekend means Friday dinner when you arrive, breakfasts and lunches around your plans, a Saturday dinner party if you are having one, and Sunday brunch before the drive home. Tell us the dates, the town and how many are staying.
Which towns in Litchfield County do you serve?
Litchfield, Washington and Washington Depot, New Preston and the Lake Waramaug shore, Kent, Cornwall, Sharon, Salisbury and Lakeville, Norfolk, Roxbury and New Milford, and the rest of the county by arrangement. For houses over the Massachusetts line, see our Berkshire County page.
When should I book a private chef for foliage season in the Litchfield Hills?
As early as you can. Mid-October weekends and Thanksgiving are the busiest dates in the hills and fill first. Send your dates as soon as the plans are set and we will tell you straight away whether the weekend is open.
Can you cook in an old farmhouse kitchen or a barn?
Yes. Michael plans the menu for the kitchen and the setting, uses the grill or an outdoor fire where it helps, and brings any equipment the house lacks. For barn dinners, Dominique plans the lighting, the tables and the service so the evening works after dark.
Book a private chef in Litchfield County, CT
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