‘Skip the Dish for Private Events’: Starting a Chef-at-Home Business in Okanagan

After working with Okanagan chefs for over a decade in the restaurant industry, Jeremy Cummins knew that there is more to culinary experience than eating out.

Kelowna’s Cummins and four others decided the Okanagan was a destination that could host a kind of turnkey chef-at-home concept.

For those looking for an intimate dining experience, simply visit Chezyou.net to book a chef or event for your special occasion.

“We have a database of Okanagan-based chefs and use local ingredients wherever possible,” Cummins explains. “This business serves all of Okanagan from Kelowna to Vernon to Revelstoke to Big He White.”

The business only started in November of this year, but the company has already booked events. Chef profiles will be available soon, so clients can seek out the different culinary experiences they crave.

“We will also be partnering with local wineries. For example, if you like the food at Crown and Thieves, you can book a chef to enjoy Crown and Thieves wines and a wine pairing dinner with the chef.” said Cummins.

Availability depends on the chef and their schedule.

Cummins believes the Chef-at-Home concept is truly in-demand in the Okanagan, but he knows hiring a chef for a birthday or Christmas party isn’t easy. I was. this service.

“We want to be a one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to hire for an event. We consider ourselves skip-the-dish for private events.”

Chez You also offers servers, hosts, cleaning staff and sommeliers if customers are interested in hosting larger events, Cummins said.

Local chefs were also enthusiastic about the idea, so the concept didn’t just catch the eye of customers—Chez You offered contract-style opportunities for chefs to create their own schedules and work as long as they wanted. Offers.

“Chefs were also interested in the ability to create their own menus and work face-to-face with guests, which they might not be able to do when working in a restaurant kitchen,” Cummins says. say.

Okanagan and Shee Yu currently employ about 25 chefs and are looking to add more.

Beyond bringing chefs into your home, other possibilities businesses are considering are having them travel to destinations like Mexico on family vacations or go on a retreat. is.

Prices for private dining experiences range from $40 per person for an intimate tapas meal to an extravagant $250 per person for a four-course dining event.

Born and raised in the Okanagan, Chez You hopes to expand nationwide by next spring, then the United States.

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@Jenji
jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
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