Table · Christmas
A private chef for Christmas in Tuscany
Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas lunch are the two meals of the year when someone in the family spends the day in the kitchen instead of at the table. With a private chef at your villa or home, everyone sits down together: we do the shopping, cook on site, serve every course and leave the kitchen tidy.
We work in Florence, the Chianti, Val d'Orcia, Versilia and across Tuscany: in city apartments, private villas and holiday rentals.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, two different tables
In many Italian families, Christmas Eve is a meatless dinner built around the sea: raw fish, salt cod, fried dishes, a seafood pasta. Christmas lunch brings the land back: capon broth, tortellini or cappelletti, roasts, boiled meats with sauces. We can follow your own family tradition to the letter or reinterpret it as a tasting menu.
Guests travelling from abroad often ask us for the full Italian Christmas. In that case we explain each dish at the table in your language: the team speaks Italian, English, French, Spanish, Russian and Portuguese.
What the service includes
We build the menu with you, starting from who is at the table: children, vegetarians, intolerances and allergies are considered from the first message. We shop with the suppliers we work with all year round, and during the holidays that matters, because the best fish and meat must be ordered in advance.
The chef arrives a few hours ahead and cooks on site in your kitchen: nothing is transported and reheated. On request we add front-of-house staff and wine pairings, or we open the bottles from your own cellar. At the end of the evening the kitchen is left tidy.
Christmas in a Tuscan villa
More and more families and groups of friends rent a villa or a farmhouse for the holidays, in the Chianti, on the hills around Florence or in Val d'Orcia. It is where a private chef shines: a large kitchen, a long table and no restaurant to hunt for on 25 December.
If you have already booked the house, two photos of the kitchen are enough for us to know what to bring. We can cook a single meal or stay for several days, from Christmas Eve to St Stephen's Day, alternating big meals with simpler ones.
When to book a private chef for Christmas
Together with New Year's Eve, 24 and 25 December are the dates when private chefs are booked out first. Write to us by November: we send a written quote with the menu within 24 hours of your request, with no commitment.
If you are also planning a corporate Christmas dinner or New Year's Eve, we can organise everything together, with a single point of contact.
A sample Christmas menu
Every menu is bespoke: this example combines a seafood Christmas Eve with a traditional Tuscan Christmas lunch.
- Christmas Eve, starter: raw seafood and creamed salt cod
- Christmas Eve, pasta: spaghetti with clams or seafood risotto
- Christmas Day, first course: handmade tortellini in capon broth
- Christmas Day, main: stuffed guinea fowl or roast veal with seasonal vegetables
- Dessert: artisan panettone with mascarpone cream, or a dessert made on the spot
Frequently asked questions
How much does a private chef cost for Christmas?
It depends on the number of guests, the menu (raw fish and truffle cost more) and front-of-house service. As a reference, our private dinners usually range between €90 and €250 per person. For Christmas we send a written quote within 24 hours, with every item listed separately.
Do you cook both Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas lunch?
Yes. The evening of the 24th and lunch on the 25th work the same way: you can book them separately or together, even with the same chef.
How far in advance should we book?
Write to us by November: 24 and 25 December are among the first dates to sell out.
Do we need a professional kitchen?
No. A home kitchen with an oven and a hob is enough. Before confirming we ask for two photos so we know what to bring.
Do you cook for children, vegetarians and guests with allergies?
Yes, with dishes designed for them rather than a fallback plate. Please mention allergies when you send your request.
Where do you work over the holidays?
In Florence and its province, the Chianti, Siena and Val d'Orcia, Versilia and Forte dei Marmi, and on request in the rest of Tuscany.
Can we have the chef for several days over the holidays?
Yes, from Christmas Eve to St Stephen's Day or through to New Year's Eve, alternating big meals with simpler ones.
Book the chef for your Christmas
Tell us the date, the place and the number of guests: we reply with a menu proposal and a tailored quote.
Request a quote