Private Chef vs. Catering:
Which One Do You Need?

A private chef cooks live in your kitchen for a single seated group, typically 2–20 guests, with a fully custom menu built around your preferences. A caterer prepares food at scale for larger events — 20 to 150+ guests — with structured service formats (plated, family-style, buffet, stations) and a staffed team handling service and cleanup. The food quality can be equally high in both. The difference is intimacy and scale, not quality.

Private chef engagements typically run $150–$300 per guest for a multi-course experience, all-inclusive of groceries, prep, cooking, and cleanup. Catering ranges more widely — $85–$250 per guest depending on format. Plated dinners cost more than buffets; stations sit between. At MileHighCook every proposal is fully custom and all-inclusive, with no separate travel fees inside our 30+ markets. See our full cost breakdown.

Sometimes, but it's usually the wrong fit. A solo private chef working a 30-person plated dinner means service times stretch and the personal-attention quality drops. At 25+ guests we recommend our catering team — the chef leads, but with sous and front-of-house support so service stays tight. The exception is family-style for 20–25 in a rental property with a strong kitchen, where one chef can run it well.

At MileHighCook, catering is restaurant-quality food at scale. Same CIA-trained chef oversight, same locally-sourced ingredients, same custom menu development. The difference vs. a private chef engagement is the service architecture — multiple courses prepared in volume, plated or served buffet-style by a staffed team. Think of it as the same kitchen and the same chef, just feeding more people.

For private chef, yes — we need a functional kitchen with at minimum a working stove, oven, and reasonable counter space. Most homes and rental properties qualify. For catering, no — we bring our own equipment when needed, and can operate from a kitchen, a back-of-house staging area, or a tented prep zone for outdoor events.

Almost always catering. Wedding guest counts (typically 50–200), the multi-format service flow (cocktail hour, plated or family-style dinner, late-night station), and the staffing requirements all point to catering. The exception is rehearsal dinners and welcome dinners, which are often private chef engagements for the immediate family — 12–20 people, intimate, custom menu. Many of our wedding-week clients book both.

Often, yes — and it's one of our most-booked formats. A common version: charcuterie and grazing buildouts for cocktail arrival (catering), then a private chef plated dinner for the seated group. Another: catered welcome dinner Friday, private chef intimate dinner Saturday for the immediate family. We design the full weekend program when both fit.

For private chef: 2–6 weeks for most dates, 6–12 weeks for peak ski-week and holiday-week dates in Aspen, Vail, Park City, Deer Valley, Telluride, and Jackson Hole. For catering: 8–16 weeks for most events, 6–12 months for weddings and corporate retreats at popular venues. Last-minute requests get triaged on chef availability — we often can accommodate them in shoulder seasons.

Yes. MileHighCook serves 30+ markets across Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming, and both private chef and catering are available in every market. The same CIA-trained chef leadership, the same sourcing standards, the same all-inclusive proposal structure. No travel fees within our service area. See all markets.