I put in an inquiry for a private chef through Santa Barbara Chef Collective and was lucky to have…read morebeen paired with Chef Aspyn. We were a group of 8 friends and 3 babies traveling to Solvang for a weekend getaway, and we wanted to enjoy a quiet, delicious meal once the babies went down for the night. Booking through Santa Barbara Chef Collective was such a breeze--simple, straightforward, and catered to all our needs. Choosing the menu was super fun as we were given so many tasty options for each course. Chef Aspyn and her sous chef Alexis (who was so fun and sweet!) arrived right on time and quickly started preparing our feast. It was so nice how they set the table so we could enjoy an al fresco twilight dinner. Not only was every course delicious, but so, so beautifully plated. They also made us cocktails and mocktails (for the pregnant ladies), and kept our wine glasses full throughout the entire evening. It was clear that these chefs are not only skilled but passionate about their craft. To top it all off, they left our kitchen spotless - even washing baby bibs which we really appreciated. This dining experience was the highlight of our trip, and we couldn't have asked for a better meal. If you're considering a personal chef, I highly recommend Chef Aspyn!

Some of the best, most creative food and baked goods. From salads to appetizers to the absolute…read morebest chocolate chip cookies I've ever had.

Josie has been cheffing for my family for almost a decade. We absolutely LOVE her. We are self…read moreproclaimed foodies, and like healthy delicious and interesting food. She has many wonderful staples like her veggie shrimp rolls (must have)! But she is super open to trying new things. We often collaborate on the menu with Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty being one of our favorite go to books in a pinch. Josie is a wonderful warm person and can be trusted to respect your home, family and guests. She is a real professional.

Josie has been the personal chef for my clients for the past 3 years and she is PHENOMENAL!!!! Not…read moreonly is she super easy to work with, but her food is so delicious. And she knows how to cook for all types of palates, ages and appetites. My clients have an especially particular set of dietary needs and allergies that must be worked around. We have had a hard time finding a chef that knows how to adjust to those needs while keeping the food selections, fresh, delicious, and diverse, but with Josie, it's just been so easy since Day 1. They also have 2 toddlers and she always suggests healthy and fun selections for them and they LOVE it! She's also a great cooking tutor and is always happy to help and answer any and all questions. And get this...we are in Los Angeles and Josie is in Santa Barbara...but THAT is how valuable she is to us! We get her food brought down to LA from Santa Barbara. Yes. Believe it when I say Chef Josie is one of the best! When it comes to working parties and events that my clients host, once again, she makes it all so easy and her attention to detail is absolutely precise! For example...We hosted a pizza party because the house had a new wood-fired brick pizza oven installed. I discussed this with Josie, and at the time, she had never worked with wood-fired pizza ovens. However, the very next day she sent me all the information she had researched on it, and also took the initiative to find someone to show her how to work with a wood-fired pizza oven. Because of her research and initiative, she was able to show me via texting and Facetime, how to properly cure the oven a week before the party and then when it came to the actual day of the party, Josie & her assistant came down to cook and put the oven and her newfound wood-fired pizza skills to the test...and everyone LOVED it!!! The pizza was honestly some of the most delicious pizza I've had. And it's all because of the prep work Josie had done before and then when the time came, like a master at their craft, she just let her experience do the rest. And clean-up was a BREEZE!!!!! She and her awesome assistant were constantly cleaning as they were working, so by the time they had to leave, everything was already cleaned up and put away. I am SO GRATEFUL for Josie. She makes my clients very happy and that makes me extremely happy and also, my job that much easier! She is truly one of the best people you will ever work with.

It was an absolute pleasure working with Stacy and the whole Fire to Fork team for a recent wedding…read morein Paso Robles. Stacy was so communicative ahead of the wedding, it made my job so much easier. And then from the moment they arrived on site to the end, every one of the team members were so helpful and continued to go above and beyond. Just as important, the food was so good- the couple went with a charcuterrie table and BBQ food for dinner- it was a hit amongst the guests. I have two regrets- not getting a picture of the setup because it was beautiful, and not having enough room to eat more! Hope to work with you again in the future!

It was beyond a pleasure working with Stacey and her team at Fire to Fork! As a wedding…read morecoordinator, it's so important to work with vendors who are reliable, professional, and truly go above and beyond. Stacey and her team far exceeded every expectation. They were incredibly professional, always willing to jump in and help even when it wasn't necessarily their responsibility, and they made the entire experience seamless. The food was absolutely delicious and guests were raving about it all night. Their customer service was phenomenal, they created such a great experience for our guests, and they maintained a clean, organized, and well-stocked work area throughout the event. I would absolutely recommend Fire to Fork to anyone looking for exceptional catering and an amazing team to work with!

We came into Root Kitchen today for lunch today after the Gem Faire & enjoyed their culinary…read morecreations! Their customer service coupled with extraordinary food quality, was a treat to the core! Fantastic!!! Easiest 5***** Review!! Delicious!! Ps we ate the decadent burger before we took a pic ;)

Beautiful food, nice proprietor, beautiful presentation We…read morehad finger sandwiches and mini desserts for memorial reception- they added extras and supplied the beverages too

So happy we went with Louise for our private dinner. She was timely and made the best local picked…read moreand prepared dinner. It was for a 40th birthday and it was amazing. Highly recommend booking her for your next large party dinner.

Great food, super nice caterer and reasonable pricing. Guests were very pleased with the menu.read more

The best decision you can make is hiring Chef Chris!…read more My husband and I live on the east coast and decided to have a fourteen person immediate family only wedding in beautiful Santa Barbara. While planning a wedding across the country is no small feat, we also decided to do it on a 4 month timeline. The thing that mattered most to us was creating an intimate, relaxed, and elevated experience. My husband and I are self proclaimed foodies, so that aspect of the day was very important to us. We were so lucky the Craft House Inn referred us to Chef Chris - from our first conversation I knew he was the perfect fit for our special day. We gave him a very high level idea of what we desired but he somehow knew exactly what we wanted and needed. Everything was so fresh and he has such a deep undertanding of flavors and appreciation for quality ingredients. He was able to curate a thoughtful menu that catered to the adults and the children that were there (I've never seen my nephews and niece eat so much! Even the adults were tempted by the fresh made spaghetti and meatballs!). His expertise went beyond the plate as he was able to curate thoughtful wine pairings--another thing he took off my shoulders. Across the entire menu, each bite was spectacular. When mentioning the stress over not having a cake yet, he had the perfect suggestion, his beautiful fiancé who happens to be an incredible local baker. She did not disappoint! When I think back to that day, I really appreciate his calm, professional, and warm presence that perfectly set the tone for the evening. The food was unforgettable. We feel so honored that he took his time and energy to create such a thoughtful experience on the most important day of our lives.

Chef Chris cooked an incredible dinner for my group of friends to celebrate my birthday dinner…read more From the first email he was collaborative and responsive in helping to choose a menu that would work for all my friends tastes and preferences. On the night of the dinner he arrived promptly, was very professional and created an amazing meal that made the evening more special. The menu was seasonal and everything was perfectly prepared. The Lemon olive oil cake with Rosemary Buttercream was unique and delicious. I look forward to having another meal from Chris and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a great meal and an extra special dining experience!

We were lucky enough to find Cindy at the last minute when our plans moved us from Napa/Sonoma to…read moreSanta Barbara. She was easy to work with and created a really beautiful dinner for 10 that was exactly what I wanted and absolutely delicious! She and Diane created a truly special evening for us. I would recommend Cindy WITHOUT reservation!

Cindy cooked for my family every week for months and we were never disappointed by her delicious,…read moreunique, and comforting dishes. Our personal favorite were her desserts, of course. Cindy is such a wonderful person to have in your kitchen she is kind and always has a smile on her face. She even took the time to teach me a couple of her recipes before I went off to school. I highly recommend you give her a call because you'll be left full and happy.

All Purpose Flower did a great job! The dishes were beautifully presented and full of flavor --…read moredefinitely the kind of service you'd expect from a professional personal chef team. Communication was easy, they responded quickly, and everything looked elegant. I'd recommend them for small events or dinner parties if you want something special and stress-free.

Be cautious -- this caterer misrepresented her role, lacked insurance, and left us with costly…read morerepairs and cleanup after our wedding. We hired Golzar Meamar of All Purpose Flower Catering to cater a formal wedding dinner at our home. This was a very meaningful event for us -- both of us are in our seventies, in our second marriage, and surrounded by close friends who traveled from across the country. Because of past experiences hiring private chefs, we were extremely careful to choose someone we could trust. Golzar presented herself as "the one and only chef" at All Purpose Flower Catering and told us she had won a celebrity chef award; she led us to believe she would personally be cooking at our wedding. Only five weeks before the event did we learn she would not be attending and that she was sending a freelance chef instead. At that point, it was too late to find another caterer. We later learned that Golzar has no employees of her own and uses a staffing agency (Instawork) to supply all kitchen and waitstaff. When we asked for proof of workers' compensation insurance, she could not provide it and refused to obtain documentation from the agency. This left us exposed to liability if anyone were injured in our home -- something our own insurance broker confirmed we were not covered for. Throughout our planning, Golzar's communication was often unprofessional and dismissive. She sent three different "final" invoices, each with new calculation errors, and became defensive whenever we tried to correct them. On the day of the wedding, the meal was fine overall, though my fish was cold. Unfortunately, the chef left our cooktop covered in grease puddles that disabled the burners. We now must wait a month for repairs, leaving us without a working stove. The waitstaff also did no cleanup, leaving us with days of work to restore our kitchen and property. While our guests enjoyed the evening, the experience with this caterer was stressful, misleading, and costly. Future clients should ask very direct questions before hiring this company.

We just had an amazing birthday dinner prepared for us by Chef Johnny the owner of Semi Private…read moreChef. I can't speak highly enough of the professionalism and attention to detail that Johnny exhibits . He provided a number of menu choices and was very flexible. The food was delivered on time and he went over each of the courses in detail. I would not hesitate to use Semi Private Chef again for any dining experience.

We were looking for a special dinner for a party of 11 girlfriends to celebrate a milestone…read morebirthday in beautiful Montecito. Chef Johnny made the occasion perfect! We couldn't have made a better choice. So many fresh and local menu choices and super easy to communicate with. The dinner was delicious and he added some special treats. He arrived on time and took care of every single detail. We all had an amazing evening and enjoyed chatting and laughing with him while he was prepping and throughout the meal. Thanks Johnny for a wonderful experience! Hire him - you won't be disappointed!

Coco was fantastic. The food was as good as any 5 star restaurant. She has a wonderful…read morepersonality and worked with our family to adapt to the needs of everyone. I would highly recommend her as a private chef for any event. We created a menu for the week and the experience was fantastic. She came daily, prepared the food and when she left the kitchen was immaculate. Thank God she had left overs because the food was so good. Our week would not have been as great had we not been lucky to have Coco as our chef for all our dinners.

Chef Coco was amazing!! We found her on Yelp and hired her for a family dinner. We loved her so…read moremuch we asked for another night and she was able to accommodate us. She has love, soul and an amazing talent to make everything wonderful and delicious. Very much recommend her and will use again.