When tasked with planning family meals for a party of fifteen, or more, in a town notorious for having restaurants that don't accept reservations during tourist season, you need to get creative. Even more so when toddlers and a variety of food allergies come into play. Creative, delicious, and amazing is exactly what you get when you hire Mary from Chef in my Kitchen to show up and take care of literally everything. From the preliminary discussion and menu planning, definitely a challenge when dietary restrictions are paramount, to communication and execution, Mary is a consummate professional. Her flexibility, expertise, and attention to detail meant that nothing was overlooked in the planning stages, which meant more time for me to focus on herding the rest of the cats necessary to pull off a once-in-a-decade family reunion. Sea scallops seared, dressed, and plated to perfection. Roast pork on one hand and a comprehensive low country boil on the other? Hardly a challenge. Tuna poke tasty, and beautiful, enough to convince a doubter of the merits of uncooked seafood? Piece of cake. Beef tenderloin executed so well as to exemplify why you should never cook such a cut beyond medium-rare? Check. And the rockfish poached in tomato-fennel broth? (Chef's kiss). Don't sleep on the lavender-vanilla ice cream, either. Among the many wonderful memories our family made during our time in Corolla, NC, Mary's meals stand out. If you are anywhere within a reasonable drive of Chesapeake, VA, and need a professional chef to take care of you, I can't imagine you doing better than going with Chef in my Kitchen. read more

In Spring 2019 I desired to hire a Private Chef to help my wife Helen & I celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. I contacted the Culinary Institute of Virginia and they put the call out to their staff. Chef Mary called me within the next 2 days and volunteered her services. I was immediately impressed by her credentials but even more so by her enthusiasm. She was as excited as I was and was bubbling with ideas. We met at the house once and refined my concept of a Mediterranean based menu. Chef Mary embraced my idea and then took it up several levels with her ideas on a themed cocktail, appeptizers and numerous flourishes based on her experiences. The day came and Chef Mary arrived promptly on time ready to dazzle. And dazzle she did! The signature Limoncello cocktail was a visual delight as well as a tantalizing aperitif. We had discussed a nice antipasto tray as appetizers. Mary must have misunderstood me. She prepared multiple trays of antipasto that completely covered a 6ft breakfast bar! I was totally prepared to make a meal from just the antipasto! The rest of the meal was fabulous. The entrees were superb, the vegetables other-wordly and the 2 deserts were the a fitting end to a perfect meal. The highlight for me was the Italian Rum Cake for which Chef Mary enlisted the help of her Sicilian grandmother in Florida to make! To say our guests were impressed would be an understatement. It was an altogether amazing evening. I have Chef Mary booked for our 50th wedding anniversary celebration. I can't wait to see how she raises the bar for that meal. read more

We highly recommend Chef In My Kitchen! From our first point of communication through her follow up email after our event, Mary is running an impressive business. She thinks about every detail and seamlessly executes so that her clients don't have to lift a finger - shopping for the groceries, preparing each course, setting the table, washing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen, and making the invoice simple & convenient. She drove from VA to NC for a special milestone birthday celebration dinner at our rental house in OBX, and the three courses she prepared for us were phenomenal. Each course was equally delightful to the eye and the tastebuds - just when we thought it couldn't get better, it somehow did! We chose a couple of courses from her menu and since she was open to working off-menu, we requested a specialty dessert that still has us drooling just thinking about it. She was open to us interacting with her during her preparation in the kitchen, and we learned some new techniques from watching & asking questions. Mary has such a fun personality and is so genuine, which makes her extremely easy to work with! Finally, she respectfully wore a mask the entire time she was with us which we appreciated. We will absolutely hire Mary again if we have another event in the area! read more

I gave my wife a Chef In My Kitchen gift certificate for her birthday which we recently used for our grouping of 6 (family and friends). It was one of the best nights of entertainment and good eats in quite some time. Mary not only guided us through the cooking process, but she also teaches you some finer points of preparation and cooking. Learned the proper way to use a knife, from holding to chopping. I would highly recommend this to anyone that wants something special to do as a couple of with a group of 6. Mary would probably entertain a larger group as well, but that didn't come up for us. Six people was perfect. We had quite a few choices in our dinner menu selections and we went for the Italian choice. All of them sounded really delicious. If you want a fun and different entertainment experience I highly recommend Chef In My Kitchen. You won't be sorry! Learn, Cook, Eat, Enjoy! Brian M. read more

Our "Chef in my Kitchen" experience with Mary was amazing! We'd absolutely do it again! The Mediterranean cuisine menu and wine pairing was so delicious! We had a group of four and Mary spent individual time with all of us and gave us all unique roles to complete with each recipe. She has such great knowledge about everything- knife skills, proper way to cut an onion, how to fillet a fish, etc - and answered all of our questions throughout the night. Not to mention she's incredibly fun to cook with and was very mindful of proper COVID safety! I would highly recommend Mary and the Chef in my Kitchen experience to anyone! I received a gift certificate as a present and it was one of the best gifts I've received! read more

Chef Mary provided catering for our large group while we spent a week at a beach rental. She worked with me to ensure we were ordering the right amount of food for our combination of adults and children and provided us with a menu and delivery schedule that allowed us spend our whole week with friends and family rather than cooking lunch or dinner. Her meals were delicious and provided a starter or salad, entree, side, and dessert. There were food options that our group of kids (ranging from 1-9 years old) all would enjoy and our left overs reheated to make a delicious lunch the next day. Our group of 25 people all agreed hiring Chef Mary was a perfect choice and we will be hiring her again next year! read more

Mary and her team are first-rate. We have hosted a chalet at the Oceana airshow for several years. This year each chalet was on its own to find a caterer. Another company put us in contact with Chef in My Kitchen. Mary was very responsive to our inquiries and flexible during the whole process. The food served was the best we ever had at the airshow. It was fresh, perfect for a warm day, and plentiful. During the weekend Mary and the staff were constantly checking in to make sure that we had everything that we needed - we never did. Her staff took care of everything and we had one less task to worry about. We can't thank Mary and the team enough and will definitely have them back next year. read more

Mary did an outstanding job working with us from beginning to end. We were a group of 10 adults and 6 children. After a few email messages, we talked on the phone and worked out dinners that would meet the needs of my group, including some food allergy issues. Mary had the food warming and ready to go when we arrived at our rental house. All I needed to do was take the side dishes and salads out of the refrigerator and we were ready. Every dish was label with instructions, making the process as simple as could be. The food was outstanding - fresh, well made, and included every thing we could possibly need. I would highly, highly recommend Mary for any event. read more

Mary catered a 70th birthday party for us with 8 adults and 2 kids. She was a pleasure to have in our house and the meal she prepared for us was one of the best I've had in the Hampton Roads area. She prepared a separate 'kids meal' for our 3 and 5 year old grandchildren and they loved it. The adults enjoyed a crab cake and beef tenderloin entree that was delicious! Mary is personable, was a pleasure to work with in planning the meal and is clearly a very talented chef. I would recommend her to family and friends and will look forward to the next opportunity to ask her to cater another event for us! read more

Absolutely extraordinary experience working with Mary! She listened carefully to my needs and then carefully crafted a perfect menu for dual locations, then proceeded to help me problem solve the event with amazing team members to facilitate a worry free night for us! THEN she blew everyone away with a delicious menu where she did live action stations, explaining what we were being served while accommodating last minute food sensitivities. We had lots of specific requests for this event and she exceeded every expectation. We can't wait to work with her again! read more

Superb! Delicious! Exquisite! Mouth-watering decadence! And I didn't have to lift a finger! Mary is not only a delightful person, she is a culinary genius. She prepared a most wonderful meal for my mom's birthday this past May. And it was especially lovely because as one knows during very difficult time you can't really go anywhere to celebrate. But.....after dining at home with Mary's personal touch, who would ever need to go out again??? My family is indebted to Mary for the experience she created for us. Always...thank you Mary. read more

For my birthday I decided to throw myself a themed party with heavy hors d'oeuvres. Because I knew timing would be an issue, I wanted to find a local caterer who could help with my vision. May was that person. She helped me plan a menu based on my theme and offered suggestions, while keeping everything within budget. Her team delivered and set up just before things started and everyone of my guests raved about the food. Mary is an absolute delight to work with and her food is amazing. The entire set up is a 10/10. read more

I highly recommend Chef in My Kitchen! We hired Chef In My Kitchen to cater our office holiday party in December 2023. Chef Mary was wonderful to work with through many changes leading up to our event, and event staff was very professional. The menu is quite extensive and there is definitely something for everyone. Food was beautifully presented, creative and quite delicious. There was so much more food than we imagined and leftovers were enjoyed by all. 10/10! read more

Mary Cook and her team catered our intimate wedding for 60 on 12/30/2023. Mary's attention to detail was second to none! I was a very particular bride with a specific vision and Mary nailed it for me. All our guest felt pampered and have yet to stop complimenting us on how amazing the food was both in flavor and in presentation! I look forward to using Mary and her crew again in the future. read more

From the moment I called Mary I knew she was going to be great to work with. She helped and gave suggestions for different dining styles for the party we were throwing. She showed up early and stayed until everything was cleaned up(she even swept the kitchen)! Her food was spectacular and made for an amazing event!! highly highly recommend read more

Mary was phenomenal to work with for our event! Not only did she respond quickly, but she accommodated our request for a large group (125 people) with only three days notice and worked within our budget. The food was delicious and the spread was absolutely beautiful! We will definitely be using her catering services again in the future! read more

Mary made our 50th Wedding Anniversary Dinner so special. The food was delicious from the Fall Harvest Salad to the Surf and Turf Entrée. We were also celebrating our son's birthday and she made it so special. She created the most mouthwatering dessert, Pumpkin Butterscotch Lava Cake - a must for the season! Everything was exquisite! read more

We had the pleasure of having Mary in my home celebrating my 50th birthday. She was so professional and knowledgeable. We made the chicken marsala & risotto. It was so delicious. I couldn't believe that i made something so good. We had the most fun and we all learned something. I highly recommend Mary and her services. read more

I highly recommend this caterer. From planning to execution our experience was exceptional! The food stations and grazing table were the perfect selections for our engagement party. Mary helped us plan a party that was personal and beautiful. Her staff was efficient and friendly. Thank you for the perfect evening!!! read more