Let's start with dessert. A molten lava cake with vanilla bean ice cream. It had birthday candles…read moreon it. Ok back to the front of the meal. My kids hired Chef Tim to prepare a fantastic dinner for my 70th year on earth. Seared ahi, mochi rice crab cake, mini laulau were progressive appetizers that eased the flow of wine and conversation into just the right pace. A cold soup made from fresh green herbs served as a palate cleanser for the entree: a luscious chunk of opah (moon fish) drizzled with a white sauce along with jasmine rice and zucchini cubes. The fish melted like buttah in your mouth. Just when you thought there was no room for more, Chef Tim presented dessert. It was so good my son went back for seconds. Mahalo Chef Tim and his assistant April for preparing and serving a fabulous meal!

We had a great birthday dinner with Chef Tim. He was very easy to work with and extremely…read moreaccommodating for guests 7-75. Highly recommended for any special occasions! Did I mention he did a great job cleaning up after the big meal? it doesn't get any better than that!

My daughter had great conversations with Max regarding our menu, which was absolutely delicious!…read more Every item they chose was amazing, filled wontons, short ribs, delicious fish, rice and mashed potatoes!! The salad was incredible!!! But the banana cream pie was out of this world!! Delicious the night of, and also for breakfast..:) We had amazing dinners throughout Kona, but this was by far the best! Highly recommend.. Thanks Max and Austin!!!

Amazing meal, amazing experience! Max put together an amazing Hawaiian meal for our family of 8…read moreand gave us the full private chef experience. We looked at many other private chef options and Max stood out for his highest ratings and no add on charges that many other chefs include (ie., trip charges, additional server/service charges, etc.). Not only did Max offer the best value, he and Austin were a real pleasure to be with arriving 3 hours before serving to cook and prepare the food and setting at our location. Max was very flexible with the diet restrictions/requests of a few family members. Each item served was prepared perfectly and incredibly delicious! A real impactful memory and experience for our family and I highly recommend Max!! Thank you Max!

Chef Katherine prepared a lovely meal for our multigenerational family during our vacation to…read moreWaikoloa. She spent time curating a meal that met our dietary restrictions (one family member is GF, dairy free, and sugar free), while maintaining delicious flavors and not making some feel left out of the experience. We enjoyed the evening she put together from the appetizers and themed cocktails (plus mocktails for the kids), to her photographer that captured special moments from the evening, to savoring the yummy food. She also had wines picked out to match our meal and preferences. Every bite was yummy and enjoyed by all! She even prepared a special kids meal and kept the younger family members entertained with kid friendly foods and activities (like helping roll out the dinner rolls), we loved this special event, and will remember it forever! We strongly recommend Chef Katherine and her team to anyone visiting the Bic Island.

Chef Katherine and her team are absolutely incredible. We had the privilege of using Outrageous…read moreGourmet for a private in-home dinner for 10 to celebrate my parents' 50 year anniversary, and everything was perfect. From the signature cocktails to appetizers to the main course and dessert, every single bite was delicious. All of our courses were explained to us, too, which was really cool! Through Outrageous Gourmet, we were also able to coordinate floral centerpieces, beautiful table ware, tables and chairs to seat us all comfortably, and locally made leis for both of our parents on this special night. Chef Katherine and her team made this a night and our family will remember forever, and we're so grateful. Thank you!!

Chef Paul was fantastic to work with for my sister's 50th birthday celebration. He was responsive…read moreand was able to accommodate her dietary restrictions (gluten free & vegetarian). He had a special lei made for her too! Food was delicious. It is scary to book someone, never meeting them in person, but I would highly recommend Chef Paul!

We had such a great experience with Chef Paul. He was friendly, professional, and knows his craft…read morewell. He delivered an incredible 6 course meal for our group of 6 and we loved every bite of it.

I'm reluctant to leave a negative review for a small business, but it's hard not to when I've…read morereceived no response after several days to an inquiry on their "contact us" page on their website or to an iPhone test message that shows as blue and "received." Angela might be a great chef and might have a good reason for not responding, and my rating is based solely on the fact that she didn't respond and I need to move on and try to find someone else. I'm fine with someone being too busy or otherwise not available, but a response saying so is just common courtesy.

I don't usually do reviews but I noticed Angela needed a recent recommendation and I had to say how…read moregreat she is!! We had a larger sized group visiting the Big Island and we knew didn't want to cook every night or deal with the hassle of finding a reservation so we hired Angela for a couple meals on our visit. From start to finish she was so attentive to our dietary needs and likes and even came up with ideas that we wouldn't have thought of ourselves to help please our entire crowd. Angela and her crew and came and made us a couple of beautiful and delicious dinners-we were all wowed with how gorgeous her presentation was! She even made us a couple quiches for our mornings. She was such a delight to work with and made our trip so much more fun. My favs- ahi won ton nachos, her homemade sourdough bread, lilikoi cheesecake, Waimea filets with her purple potatoes- all were so yummy. We can't recommend her enough.

Each year, our family gathers for a week to reconnect and spend time together, as we all live in…read moredifferent places (Palo Alto, Ca, Houston, TX and Asheville, NC). This year we rented a home on Keauhou Bay on the big island of Hawaii, and enjoyed a week in paradise! One of the best things we did to make our time together really special was to have Big Island Chef, Martha, and her team prepare three dinners for us: two buffet style and one drop-off. We had high expectations, but my goodness, we were blown away by how delicious the food was (and by the generous portions!). Martha had sent us menu ideas, but we simply told her what we liked and didn't like (not much) and asked her to prepare an omakase ("I'll leave it up to you") menu for us. The ingredients were all incredibly fresh, most of it local fish, meat and produce, much of it sourced from her own farm. She is an enormously talented chef who clearly loves what she does, and her clients reap the benefits of her passion for food. We thoroughly enjoyed every single bite of our dinners, and there were plenty of leftovers for a complete meal the following evening, too. She is happy to share her recipes with you, with one exception: her legendary (and fabulously decadent!) Honey Caramel Macadamia Nut Tart that she served us with homemade macadamia nut ice cream. All five adults and our two young grandchildren are still raving about the meals Martha prepared for us, and are an integral part of the afterglow we're basking in from our week in Hawaii. I would highly recommend Chef Martha to anyone seeking a private chef for any event, but especially for families who are renting a home and want a break from the kitchen. Our culinary experience with her was truly 5-star on all accounts! Mahalo, Chef Martha!!!

Martha is an incredible chef. I was lucky enough to have her cook a private meal for myself and…read moreguests. Attention to detail, delecious food, easy communication all equalled a wonderful dining experience. Appetizers, all courses plated and her incredible macademia caramel tart for desert made for a perfect evening. I look forward to my next trip to the Big Island and having Martha create another magical evening.

Very much recommend Island Thyme Gourmet! We ordered meals for home delivery to our vacation rental…read morefor our family because we wanted to eat well but avoid restaurants and get a break from cooking ourselves. The food was delicious and arrived with clear instructions on how to easily assemble or warm up. Exactly what you want to take your mind off of meal prep while on vacation. They have a variety of options on their rotating menu, generous portions and nice sides to order in addition to the main menu items. We liked stocking up on some salads. Fresh ingredients and some healthy/balanced meals. They were also so easy to communicate with and place orders. We will definitely use their service on a future trip to the Big Island.

OMGosh, I highly recommend Island Thyme! My husband and I, and our 2 teenage kids, visited the…read moreBig Island in March. We rented a beautiful house and decided we'd cater a couple of meals in to enjoy our space. First of all, Clare (who delivered our meals and the wife of Chef Dan), could NOT be any sweeter. She was so responsive via email prior to our arrival. She proposed menus for us, and she cheerfully delivered them. Our first meal: filets with sautéed mushrooms and onions and the most delicious red wine Demi glace sauce (I could literally drink the sauce), with Caesar salad, roasted local veggies, and ulu gratin was SPECTACULAR. The Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream with macerated strawberries was out of this world. The second meal Chef Dan prepared for us was Mahi Mahi in parchement (with a super spectacular leek and mushroom topping), saffron basmati rice, and sautéed garlic bok choy. The salad that night might have been my fave. The passionfruit vinaigrette (much like the red wine Demi glace, I could literally drink). Both my husband and I are still talking about the salad dressing! We are leaving this part of the Big Island and heading to the volcano area for the last leg of our trip, and I have the leftover passion fruit vinaigrette packed in the cooler! Also, Clare/Dan prepared a beautiful fruit tray for breakfast, and the Macademia Nut tarte that Clare picked up from another baker/chef ... also delish.

I can't say enough good things about Puako Provisions and Catering. My husband and I used them for…read moreour wedding in Hawaii and couldn't have been more thrilled. Noah has a passion for delicious beautifully prepared food. Planning the meal for a wedding can be stressful but not with them. They have so many great food options to choose from and everything was sooooooo delicious. Noah is not only a great chef but also a wonderful friend!!! The day of the wedding went great and the whole staff was wonderful to be around. They worked hard with a smile. I hope to have more events that I need catering for so I can have their delicious food and presence. Thank you Noah, you are the best!!!

Chef Noah provided our group of 11 people with 4 days of AMAZING food (all meals and snacks). We…read moredecided to hire a chef and not worry about the cooking, grocery shopping, dinner clean up etc... He made our vacation the wonderful vacation it was! We loved his flexibility with our food requests (dinner time, menu planning, etc....), cocktail requests, and shopping for THE BEST quality ingredients. There was NOTHING we didn't love that he cooked for us. Salads were fresh and delicious. His grilling skills are 100%. The servers he hired to help were fun and friendly and we enjoyed having Noah and his team as a part of our vacation. Would recommend without any hesitation. Would fly him to Los Angeles or Cleveland (home) to cater a special event.

We called on Dec 30th for a catered NYE meal. Tina was so accommodating! She gave a great…read morerecommendation for our group size. We had the Kalua pork, garlic butter shrimp (which were HUGE), rice and a salad with a creamy Asian dressing. We also had spicy ahi poke and sweet ahi poke for an appetizer. Mmmmmm. I was feeding my adult kids and they had nothing but praises for the meal. Highly recommend when you are here renting a vacation home and want to bring in a great meal for your group. She was VERY reasonably priced for the amount of food.

From the initial contact, all the way to the days leading up to the wedding, the catering team at…read moreUmeke's was extremely responsive and accommodating. We had struggled to get responses from other catering options that we had been contemplating for our wedding. The team at Umeke's was not only incredibly responsive, they also made sure to check in with me through the entire process. Unfortunately I can't speak for how the food tasted, as our guest managed to eat everything before me and my husband had a chance to, which can only mean that the food was incredibly good and well received. We did have some Poke Bombs left over which my husband enjoyed the night after the wedding as well as the next day. We have discussed going to the restaurant and ordering the items we ordered for the wedding just so we could try them! So expect to see us there soon ordering possibly too much food, so we can finally enjoy what our guests were raving about. The team on-site was was super polite, accommodating, and left the area cleaner than how we got it! I will most certainly be recommending the catering services from Umeke's to anyone who asks.

I wholeheartedly recommend Chef Rachel Erkan for any culinary needs! If you value high-quality,…read morefarm-to-table food, she's your chef. Her expertise shines through, especially knowing many ingredients came straight from her homestead--an impressive touch. With less than a month's notice, she crafted an unforgettable dinner for my intimate wedding, blending local and Mediterranean flavors seamlessly. Communication was prompt, and she handled dietary accommodations for my group with ease. Chef Rachel was professional, leaving the kitchen spotless, and the food? Some of the best we've ever tasted. Standouts included the tender, flavorful lamb--hands down the finest my group had ever had--the unique honey-cured egg yolk, and the pickled quail egg. The lilikoi curd was a revelation, and her macadamia nut baklava outshone any I've tried. Even the kulolo, a dish I grew up with, was exceptional. Every dish and sauce left us in awe. My family still raves about the meal, and Chef Rachel's work turned my wedding into a dream, ending with us blissfully full. Next time my husband and I are on island, we will be sure to check out what cooking classes Chef Rachel has going on at her homestead. Book her--you won't regret it!

We ordered our Thanksgiving meal from Chef Rachel. Pickup went smoothly, everything packaged…read morewonderfully. Easy directions and prep. Dinner was delicious, creative (loved the purple sweet potatoes and mushroom gravy) and my wife raved about the stuffing. It was so good and yummy, I commend Chef Rachel for knocking this meal out of the park.