A Private Chef for New York & the Jersey Shore
Cooking with Crenshaw brings the restaurant to you. Led by chef and founder Vaughn Crenshaw, with 20 years of proven experience, we travel from our South Jersey base to cook, serve, and clean up at your home, rental, or venue — from Hamptons estates to Jersey Shore beach houses in Margate, Ocean City, Longport, and Long Beach Island — up to 200 miles.
We don't just serve meals — we craft unforgettable culinary experiences. Every menu is custom-designed around your tastes, your guests, and your occasion. No two menus are ever the same.
Call or text +1 646-450-2612 to start planning your date.
As Seen On: Chopped · Beat Bobby Flay · 201 Magazine · Seattle Magazine · BC Mag
What We Do
Intimate Dinner Parties
Date nights, birthdays, anniversaries, proposals — a multi-course dinner cooked and served in your home, so you never leave the table.
Jersey Shore Getaways
Margate, Ventnor, Longport, Brigantine, Ocean City, Stone Harbor, Long Beach Island — vacation homes, summer rentals, and weekend escapes with a private chef for the whole stay, from arrival dinner to Sunday brunch.
Hamptons Weekends & Getaways
Summer houses, holiday weekends, family getaways — full private chef service for the whole stay.
Corporate Events
Client dinners, team celebrations, holiday parties. Professional service, polished presentation, dietary needs handled without drama.
Luxury Celebrations & Milestones
Weddings, graduations, milestone birthdays — full-event private chef service with menus built around your story.
Weekly Meal Prep
Ongoing clients can book weekly in-home meal prep: a fridge full of chef-made meals, tailored to your diet and schedule.
Why Cooking with Crenshaw
• 20 years of experience — from fine-dining kitchens to private homes.
• Events from $600 — premium experience, honest pricing, no surprises.
• Every menu is custom — built around your tastes and dietary needs (keto, gluten-free, vegan — handled).
• Full service — we bring the ingredients, cook, serve, and clean. Your kitchen is left spotless.
• Two home markets — New York (the Hamptons & NYC) and the Jersey Shore (Rumson to Cape May) — up to 200 miles from our South Jersey base.
• Destination-ready — our clients have flown us as far as St. Martin. If the occasion calls for it, we travel.
Book a discovery call or text +1 646-450-2612.
How It Works
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Pick your date & secure it — a 50% deposit on the service reserves your date (full payment if your event is inside 2 weeks). No deposit, no booking.
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We design your menu & source everything — a custom proposal built around your tastes, refined together until it's perfect. Then we shop: the grocery bill is added to your remaining balance, due 2 weeks before your event. (One-off experiences under 20 guests.)
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We cook, serve & clean — you enjoy your guests. We handle everything else. (Guest dishwashing not included.)
FRIENDSGIVING — ALL SEASON LONG
Host the people. Skip the kitchen.
Friendsgiving Saturday is November 21 — but the celebration runs all season. Whenever your people gather, from now through the week before Christmas, Chef Vaughn brings the full spread to your home or rental — cooking, serving, and cleanup handled. You just pour the wine.
• Friendsgiving Brunch — family style, custom menu quoted per event · 6-person minimum
• Canapé Cocktail Hour — from $80 per person, five tailored canapés · 10-person minimum
• Hamptons & the Jersey Shore — we travel to you
November dates close November 10 — December dates book fast, so lock yours early.
Host the people. Skip the kitchen.
ROASTED EGGPLANTS
SUMMER SALAD
Trusted by the Biggest Names
From hip-hop royalty to the White House: Chef Vaughn has cooked for Fat Joe, Joe Budden, Jadakiss, Styles P, Sheek Louch, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Lil' Kim, D'Angelo, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Tahiry Jose, Lisa Nichols, Draya Michele, Scott Conant, Marcus Samuelsson, Sting, Diane Sawyer, and Don Lemon — as well as President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, President Bill Clinton, and Secretary Hillary Clinton.
Straightforward Pricing
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Every experience begins at $600 — a plated dinner for two.
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Canapé & cocktail receptions — from $80 per person; 10-person minimum (about $800), featuring five tailored canapés.
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Brunch — $120 per person, family style: two entrées, three sides, and one amuse-bouche.
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Family-style experiences — from $280 per person: two entrées, two sides, one plated dessert, and an amuse-bouche to open the experience.
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Three-course plated dinners — up to $310 per person, with an amuse-bouche to open the experience.
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Plated experiences: each additional course adds $100 per person
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Pricing is per person for the chef service, before food costs. Travel is assessed based on your location, beginning at $25 from our home base; all associated fees are quoted separately.
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Lodging: for events more than four hours from our home base, we kindly ask the host to provide proper lodging upon the chef's request — accommodations agreed upon together.
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How payment works: a 50% deposit on the chef service reserves your date. After your deposit, we design the menu and source every ingredient — you receive the grocery bill, added to your remaining balance, due 2 weeks before your event. (One-off experiences under 20 guests.)
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Contract scope: the rates and policies on this page apply to single-occasion events. Short-term and long-term chef placements are quoted separately, under separate contract terms.
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Parties of 12 or more — plated experiences for 12+ guests require an assistant chef and server, billed as a separate fee on top of the chef's service.
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No back-and-forth, no surprises.
Private Chef FAQs
Pots, platters, dishes, serving dishes, and silverware are supplied by you — you
How much does a private chef cost?
Our events begin at $600 — a plated dinner for two. As a private chef, pricing runs $80 to $310 per person for the service — canapé and cocktail receptions from $80, brunch at $120 per person, family-style experiences from $280, three-course plated dinners up to $310 (with an amuse-bouche to open) — all before food costs. Travel is assessed based on your location, beginning at $25 from our home base. Travel and associated fees are quoted separately. Your service price is locked at booking; after your deposit we design the menu, source every ingredient, and you receive the grocery bill with your remaining balance.
What is your deposit and cancellation policy?
Book a month or more ahead: a 50% deposit on the chef service reserves your date. After the deposit, we design your menu and source every ingredient — the grocery bill is added to your remaining balance, due two weeks before your event. (One-off experiences under 20 guests; ongoing contracted private chef services are quoted separately.) Booking within two weeks of your event: full payment upfront. A $150 late fee is assessed for each day the remaining balance goes unpaid past its due date. All payments are non-refundable. One rain check is permitted — reschedule within 14 days of your original booking date, with the new date locked in at the time you request it.
Do you offer payment plans?
For larger events, financing is available through Afterpay and Affirm — just ask and we'll walk you through it.
How many guests can you handle?
Chef Vaughn cooks solo for up to 10 guests. Plated experiences for 12 or more require an assistant chef and server — a separate fee on top of the chef's service, quoted with your proposal. Canapé and cocktail receptions can cover larger groups — ask about your headcount.
Do you serve the Jersey Shore?
Yes — it's our backyard. From Rumson and Sea Girt down through Mantoloking, Long Beach Island, Margate, Ocean City, Stone Harbor, all the way to Cape May — plus the surrounding shore towns.
Where else do you travel?
Most of our clients are in New York — the Hamptons and New York City. Our standard travel radius is up to 200 miles from our South Jersey base. Beyond that, we travel for destination events — including international.
Do you cook in vacation rentals?
Absolutely — shore houses and rentals are some of our favorite bookings. We work with whatever kitchen the house has and leave it spotless.
Do you accommodate dietary restrictions?
Yes — including kosher cooking for Jewish holidays. Keto, gluten-free, vegan, allergies — your menu is built around what you can and love to eat.
Do you bring everything?
We arrive with the groceries and handle cooking, serving, and cleanup. Pots, platters, dishes, serving dishes, and silverware are supplied by you just open the door.
Do you travel internationally?
Yes — our clients have flown us as far as St. Martin. For destination events, reach out early so we can plan the logistics together.
How do I book?
Call or text +1 646-450-2612 and tell us your date. Dates fill fast around holidays — reach out early.
RECIPE DEVELOPMENT
Commercial & Residential Kitchen Remodeling
Private Cooking Classes
PRIVATE CHEF
Ready for a night you don't have to cook, serve, or clean?
Call or text +1 646-450-2612, email us, or use the contact form below. Please fill out the form in its entirety.
CONTACT
307 W Absecon Blvd, Absecon, New Jersey, USA