We hired Mike for my daughter's birthday dinner for ten guests this past weekend in Paso Robles. It was somewhat of a last minute request. From the start, he was so easy to communicate with. He created a gorgeous and creative charcuterie board, which included everything she asked for and more. Dinner to dessert was exactly what my daughter wanted...beautifully prepared, delicious and served by the nicest team ever! Look no further, he is so talented, kind and a dream to work with. read more

I wish I was writing a different review commenting on how amazing the food was, but unfortunately we are not going to get to that point. I reached out to Mike & he was great communicating via email put together an amazing menu, and was super helpful in recommending ideas. I started to get concerned when I continued to reach out to finalize & put a deposit down 2 weeks prior to my event and received no answer. I reached out again & was told sorry we can no longer do your event because of chef's leaving. I understand there are things out of our control, but I am disappointed that this was discovered so late in the game & after many details had been planned. Luckily Mike recommended another chef that is available & I will review her work once we have our event! read more

Mike was quick and attentive from booking all the way through dessert. My girls and I were in Palm Springs for a Bachelorette and the Bride had expressed she was interested in having a nice dinner in at our Airbnb. I found Knife + Fork on yelp and sent a couple messages to different search results to see how things worked. Mike responded quickly and was more than happy to answer any questions I had. Without any hesitation, we booked a dinner for our party of 8. We started with a Watermelon Poke which was perfectly refreshing for the warm palm springs weather. Then we had Seared Ribeye and Potato Gratin. And we ended the night with a Raspberry Champagne Panna Cotta. Everything was great from beginning to end. If you're looking for a dinner in, I would definitely reccomend Knife + Fork. read more

Knife+Fork - Refreshing Watermelon Poke. - Personal Chefs Near Me

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This is not a commentary on their food but instead on responsiveness in 2021. I was really hoping to work with this company for a dinner party and emailed with date and request for that to be a possibility. I received a quick response saying yes that would be possible for drop off on me which is all that I want it and to submit what I was looking for in a menu and they would send pricing. Took some time to review their menus online which looked great and sent two options to the price. Sent a follow up knowing that my request to come in on the weekend and undoubtedly they were busy but with only a few days remaining until the dinner party was hoping to know in case I had to do something differently. Unfortunately I never heard back and I'm using catering from another place now. I know how busy people are during Covid I want to give the the benefit of the doubt but found it strange that they initially said they could do it. read more

Working in hospitality and concierge services, I recently had the pleasure of partnering with Michael Zimmerle. We worked together to organize several meals over the duration of two days for a client's private event at a locally rented estate. Michael was professional and well organized. His rates were also very reasonable. The feedback from my clients on the quality of food and service provided by Michael and his team, was excellent. I would highly recommend Knife+Fork! read more

I had the pleasure of working with Mike and his team from Knife and Fork. Let me start by saying i work with a lot of caterers and Knife and Fork is by far superior than other light local companies. From hospitality to cleanliness and of course food FLAVORS will blow your mind. From interactive sushi classes sake tasting. To one of the best taco bars i have ever tried. I highly recommend Knife And Fork mike will not let you down. Plus his vegan and veggie options are just as desirable as omnivore dishes. Don't keep looking for others your Private Cheng is right here. read more

So happy with the service of mike/ knife and fork. It was my boyfriends birthday so I wanted an intimate dinner for 2. I rented a house and hired mike to come cook. We did a 4 course menu Seared scallops with spicy kimchi and a raspberry champagne sauce SO GOOD For the second course I wanted to do something fun and my boyfriends favorite food is chicken and waffles so mike made us chicken and waffle sandwiches with coleslaw on them which we loved and saved some for breakfast Then we did surf and turf for our main course which was so much food. There happened to be a grill at the house so he cooked the steaks perfectly on the grill. Great sized lobster tail, wasabi mashed potatoes, brocolinni a soy garlic sauce (I believe) and a lemon reduction Lastly since we were full out desert was chocolate covered strawberries and an amazing mouse that we both loved, mike put it on a platter in the refrigerator so we could have it later. Everything tasted great, he timed out the courses perfectly, set up and cleaned up quick and professionally and made our night special. I would definitely recommend anyone to use knife and for for any event read more

Mike and his wife were the chefs at our destination wedding/elopement in Joshua Tree. I plan a lot of events for my work, and I can say they are by far the easiest and most reliable to work with. Their presentation is beautiful, and their professionalism is unmatched. The best part - the food. Our guests are STILL talking about how amazing the meal was. They made our day so incredibly special and went the extra mile. I could not recommend them enough. read more

The food was amazing! Everything was fresh, there was an ample amount of everything, and they left the kitchen sparkling clean. The care and generosity of this crew was heart warming. We had a family tragedy occur while this crew was in our home, and they were very considerate and also gave us a huge discount on the food. Thank you both for your kindness! read more

Mike and his team are a pleasure to work with and the food was delicious. This past weekend a group of 6 friends and myself rented a home in Palm Springs and wanted to have a special dinner together. Mike's sous chef Carla prepared the most delicious meal and accommodated our special food preferences (gluten free & vegan menu) with ease. Carla is super sweet, personable and an amazing chef. We definitely plan to use their services again the next time we're in PS. If you're ever in need of in home meal services, I highly recommend giving Knife+Fork a try. You won't be disappointed. read more

We hired Mike for our girls weekend getaway in Indio. He was great at communicating up to the date. Mike came up with some amazing and creative menus that catered to everyone from vegetarian and gluten free. The food was excellent and we loved the creative and interactive ideas he had, like sushi rolling and sake tasting! It was so fun to have him and relaxing to not have to worry about cooking and cleaning. We really felt we got to utilize our time there, and Mike made it very memorable. read more

Chef Mike and his wife were absolutely amazing! We rented a beautiful villa in Palm Springs and we called Knife and Fork to make a welcome gourmet fiesta for us to arrive to! I am so glad we did that! It really kicked off our long weekend! We wished we could have booked him EVERY DAY!! Knife and Fork surpassed our expectations. We were welcomed with MIke's own recipe of delicious watermelon-jalapeno​ margarita​s and tasty (perfectly balanced) fresh pomegranite margaritas​ as well! Then, we feasted on a charcuterie of European cheeses (Spanish, Basque, Italian, etc) Jamon​ Serrano​, olives and more! We also enjoyed watermelon ceviche with the most delicious crackers I've ever had!! Our dinner was so amazing: Carne asada, shrimp and jackfruit tacos with cilantro-lime rice, home-made black beans and all of the specialized sides and over the top fantastic dessert,​ you'd dream about! I'm still reliving the meal and hungry as I write this! Thanks,​ Chef Mike!! We'll be calling you again when we are back in PS or up in Paso!! read more

Where to begin! Mike and his team prepared one of the most incredible in-home meals our large group has ever experienced (we were a group of 13 for a bachelorette dinner)! Leading up to the evening, Mike was so helpful and responsive, working with us to choose the perfect menu for the evening, and when him and his team arrived we were beyond impressed with how helpful they all were in setting up the evening! And it only got better - the food was INCREDIBLE! We went with a mexican-themed dinner and each of us was blown away by how incredible the food was! So much attention to detail as well, from the custom menus printed out for us, to the team serving us the food and drinks with such charm :) The highlight of our weekend, absolutely! HIGHLY recommend this team! Mike - we hope to see you again soon! read more

Thank you for catering our event in Paso Robles, Ca. We loved your menu, and more importantly, our gusts loved your food! The sliders were casual but fancy, the Mexican street corn was delicious,and the chimichurri watermelon skewers were unbelievable. I think people were most surprised by the house made short cake bar. We loved having you and will highly recommend you to our friends. read more

Mike made a completely vegetarian meal for our group of 3 during a weekend visit to Palm Springs. Everything was delicious and presented beautifully. If you are looking for a way to pamper yourself, look no further! read more

I had high hopes for my special private chef dinner at our vacation rental in Paso Robles (Mike caters in both the Paso and Palm Springs areas). Well, Mike blew us all away. Fabulous food and presentation, including lessons on prep and recipes and fun sharing of stories. Mike and his sous chef Alex were top notch professionals, while at the same time being kind, helpful and fun. When the beautiful, delicious and unique appetizer platter was ready, we all chose to leave it on the kitchen island so that we could stay and watch Mike and Alex work. I can't recommend the appetizer platter enough - well, everything actually. The filet mignon was butter tender and the reduction sauce wonderful. Cauliflower au gratin - yum. Some of us even heated the small amount left over for breakfast the next day. Unique and refreshing almond cherry panna cotta for dessert. You will not be disappointed booking PS Knife & Fork! read more

Mike replied very promptly to my inquiry a few weeks ago about an impromptu dinner party for 8 in our home last night. He was so easy to communicate with on menu planning and all the details. We had several food allergies to deal with and he adapted his recipes to make it all work, even preparing a special dessert we requested which was not on his published selections. He made great wine pairing recommendations, enjoyed by all our guests. Every item of every course (appetizer platters, salad, dinner and dessert) was fresh and delicious, beautifully presented and served with friendliness and ease. He and his able assistant left our kitchen spotless and leftovers were wrapped up neatly in the fridge--looking forward to seconds! read more

LOOK NO FURTHER - We visited Palm Desert recently for my father's 75th birthday celebration and hired Knife & Fork to cook an extra special meal for him and our close family members at our Air B & B. Mike and Alex made the most amazing meal for our group of six adults and three young children! I talked to Mike in advance to personalize the menu and everything turned out perfect. He even brought wine parings for the meal. My family is still talking about how special it was. Knife & Fork is professional, attentive, skilled, trustworthy and they are awesome chefs! read more