Full-Time Private Chef

DM Estate Staffing•SF (Presidio Heights), CA

39d•Hybrid

About The Position

A busy, professional family based in San Francisco and Sonoma is seeking an exceptional full-time Private Chef to lead their household's culinary program, daily meals, children's meals, events, and guest support. This is a family of six with a genuine love of food, including young children who eat a simplified version of the family's meals. The household entertains often, hosting dinner parties and small events, and this role will work alongside a dedicated household team, so a natural, collaborative approach is essential. The family leans heavily Mediterranean in their everyday eating, favoring fresh fish, lean proteins, and vegetable-forward dishes that are both healthy and deeply flavorful. Some of their favorite restaurants, Dalida, Cotogna, Sushi Ran, and Flour + Water, offer a good sense of the style and quality they gravitate toward. This role calls for a Private Chef of real caliber, someone with high-level private service experience, who can bring sophistication, organization, and genuine culinary creativity to daily family meals as well as elevated entertaining. The ideal candidate sources organic ingredients, cooks without seed oils, and has a deep, intuitive understanding of healthy cooking, think exceptional salads, soups, and sandwiches for lighter meals, and thoughtfully composed Mediterranean-inspired dinners built around fish, chicken, and light red meat. Menus are planned in advance, and the ability to prepare craft cocktails and create meaningful culinary experiences for guests is a meaningful plus. Just as important as the cooking itself, and honestly some days even more so, is the energy this person brings into the home. This kitchen sits at the true center of a house that's buzzing with good, fun, vibrant energy, and the right Chef needs to genuinely thrive in that environment, not just tolerate it. Someone who feeds off the liveliness of the household and brings their own warmth and enthusiasm to match is exactly who we're looking for. Tuesday-Saturday, lunch and dinner service, roughly 11am-8pm. 45-55 hours average weekly schedule. Infrequent travel with the family may be requested with advance notice.

Requirements

7+ years of professional culinary experience at a high level; private service background strongly preferred
Deep knowledge of organic, health-forward, Mediterranean-driven cooking
Strong menu development and advance planning skills
Experience cooking for both adults and children, including simplified meals for young kids
Comfortable and skilled with entertaining and dinner party execution
Cocktail preparation experience a plus
Clean background check, valid driver's license, and willingness to travel between residences
Must have exceptional employment references
Discretion, maturity, and a genuinely collaborative, team-oriented approach
Comfortable working within a busy, high-touch household environment
Legally authorized to work in the US
Ideally local to the Bay Area; local candidates will be given first preference

Responsibilities

Plan and prepare daily lunch and dinner service, Tuesday through Saturday
Develop weekly menus in advance in coordination with the team and family
Prepare a simplified, age-appropriate version of family meals for young children
Source organic, high-quality ingredients; maintain relationships with premium purveyors and markets
Cook without seed oils, prioritizing clean, health-conscious preparation throughout
Plan and execute dinner parties and events in coordination with the family's event planner
Prepare craft cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for guests while entertaining
Maintain kitchen organization, cleanliness, and inventory across both residences
Travel with the family to Sonoma as needed
Work collaboratively and communicatively with the broader household team