ExperiencesPrivate Chefs & Dining
A private chef at your Tuscany villa.
The experience
How we
arrange it.
The most-asked-for thing we arrange, and the easiest to get right: a private chef at your villa. For one dinner, the night the trip is built around, or for every evening of the week, with breakfasts and the odd long lunch if you want them. The kitchen is yours; the chef brings the rest.
We work with a small roster of resident and travelling chefs covering Tuscan classics, refined contemporary tasting menus and several who specialise in wine pairings from the region. At partner estates such as Castelfalfi, the menu extends to set-pieces of their own: a Chef in Villa service, a sunset flambé dinner, an aperitivo laid out at the estate's wine bar. Tell us the kind of meals you want and we propose by name.
What a Private Chef Actually Does
The chef shops the local markets, cooks in your kitchen, serves and clears; you do nothing but sit down. It can be one dinner or every meal of the stay, and dietary needs and children's menus are handled in advance. The point is the absence of friction: no booking a table for twelve, no driving home after the wine, no one in the family stuck in the kitchen on the night that matters.
Beyond Dinner: Aperitivo, Lunch and the Sunset Table
Dinner is the start of it. We also arrange the aperitivo hour on the terrace (see the Tuscan aperitivo, properly understood), long lunches that run into the afternoon, and the set-piece sunset dinner, at Castelfalfi, a flambé service finished at the table as the light drops. For families, an afternoon tea is an easy win on a slow day.
Where It Happens Best
The villas that flatter a chef: Casale I Bianchi, five hundred and fifty square metres of restored farmhouse with a kitchen to match; Villa Oddi, where twelve sit down to dinner without moving a chair; and Borgo Bernardini, where the long table runs the length of a hamlet courtyard. When the dinner is the occasion itself, we host those too.
Plan the meals before choosing the service
A single celebration dinner, several family meals and daily cooking are different briefs. Start with the villa, dates, number of adults and children, and the meals you want covered. Mention whether you want the cook to prepare breakfast or lunch, serve at the table, or leave a meal ready for your return. Confirm the hours and staffing required for each arrangement.
For the difference between a villa cook, a private chef and a resident kitchen team, read our guide to chef options and costs. A cook included in a particular rental is not the same as an independently arranged chef evening. The villa quote should specify included meals and whether ingredients, drinks and service are extra.
What to include in the dinner brief
Give the chef a sense of the evening: relaxed sharing dishes, a seasonal Tuscan menu or a more formal sequence of courses. A sample brief might be an aperitivo, a pasta course, a main with vegetables and dessert, with timings adapted to the children and the rest of the party. The menu is agreed with the chef; it is not a fixed package promised at every villa.
Tell us about allergies and dietary requirements before a menu is proposed, including any need for separate preparation or specialist ingredients. Confirm those arrangements with the provider. For a large party, also confirm the table, seating, kitchen equipment and an indoor alternative to an outdoor dinner.
Compare the complete quote
Ask whether the quote includes shopping, ingredients, the chef, assistants, table service, travel and clearing up. Wine and equipment hire may be separate. Compare the full evening rather than a headline fee per person, and ask what happens if guest numbers change.
If you are arranging a milestone dinner, our birthday celebration advice covers the villa and event questions. For a family week, large villas in Tuscany provide a starting point for finding somewhere everyone can eat together.
What we arrange
- A private chef for one dinner or the whole stay
- Market shopping, cooking, service and the clear-up
- Tuscan classics, tasting menus or wine-paired dinners
- Sunset and special-occasion dinners, flambé at the table
- Aperitivo and grazing tables on the terrace
- Dietary needs and children's menus
Frequently asked
- Can we have a chef every night?
- Yes. We arrange a chef for a single dinner, several nights, or the full stay, with breakfasts and lunches added if you want them.
- What kind of food do the chefs cook?
- From Tuscan classics to refined contemporary tasting menus, including chefs who specialise in pairing with the region's wines.
- Can the chef cater for allergies and children?
- Yes, tell us the dietary needs and ages at enquiry and we brief the chef in advance.
- Is the chef included in the rental?
- An independently arranged private chef or sommelier is quoted separately unless explicitly included. Some villas include specified cook services or meals; check your property quote for staff hours, food, drinks and service charges.
- Can you arrange a special sunset or celebration dinner?
- Yes, including set-piece dinners at partner estates, such as the sunset flambé service at Castelfalfi.
Enquire