A stranger in your home.
Considered.
Hiring a private chef means handing someone the keys to your kitchen. Here's how we make that decision easy — how we review chefs, how responsibility works, and who answers the phone if something goes sideways.
Six things, every chef.
Application review.
We review every chef application before approval.
Five years of professional kitchen work.
We look for real professional kitchen experience.
Food safety & allergens.
Food safety and allergen handling are covered in the LK course. Chefs are responsible for their own food-safety certifications.
Two-week in-house course.
Eight modules on private cooking — scoping, costing, in-home service flow, food safety, allergens, the relational frame.
A live dinner with our team.
The chef cooks for six of us in a borrowed home. We sit at the table. We're looking at the food, the service, and the room.
Ongoing review.
Every host fills a confidential post-dinner form. Two negative reviews and we sit down with the chef. Three and they leave the network.
Independent providers.
Chefs are independent providers, solely responsible for their own insurance, licenses, permits, food-safety practices, certifications, taxes, staff, alcohol compliance, and compliance with local law. Lighthearted Kitchen does not provide insurance and does not guarantee coverage, claim payment, permits, compliance, safety, quality, or suitability.
Lighthearted Kitchen may request proof of insurance, permits, certifications, licenses, tax registrations, or other documentation at any time, on a case-by-case basis, and may suspend, restrict, cancel, or remove access if documentation is not provided or if Lighthearted Kitchen has safety, compliance, or platform-integrity concerns.
A real person picks up.
Call our line.
The day-of contact number is on every booking confirmation. Average pickup, 90 seconds. We stay on with you until it's resolved.
Honest terms.
Full refund up to 7 days before. 50% within 7 days. After 24 hours, the chef has shopped — that fee is theirs.
Tell us, candidly.
Every dinner gets a confidential post-night form. We read every one. If the night didn't land, we want to know — and we make it right.
Questions before you book?
We'd rather you ask. Trust & Safety questions reach Daniel directly.
Get in touch