Private Chef 30A
Everything you need to know about booking a private chef on 30A and the Emerald Coast — what's included, what it costs, and what to expect.
What is a private chef experience?
A private chef experience brings restaurant-quality dining to your vacation rental, beach house, or private venue. Instead of making reservations, finding parking, and dining in a crowded room, a chef comes to you — preparing a multi-course meal in your kitchen, serving your guests, and handling every dish before they leave.
You don't shop, cook, or clean. You're a guest at your own table.
What's included?
A full private chef experience typically includes:
- Menu planning and customization
- Grocery shopping and ingredient sourcing
- Professional chef and support staff
- All cooking equipment and serving ware
- Multi-course meal preparation and plating
- Table setup and service
- Complete kitchen cleanup
What you provide:
- A working kitchen (stove, oven, sink with running water)
- Table and seating for your guests
- Dining ware and glassware (we generally use what's in the home, but can provide our own if needed)
What's not included:
- Beverages (wine, beer, cocktails) — though we can source and serve these for an additional fee
- Gratuity — always optional, never expected
A 12% Coordination & Admin fee applies to private chef and catering bookings (not delivery). It covers planning and overhead, and it is labeled clearly so you know it is not a substitute for gratuity.
Why choose a private chef on 30A?
The Emerald Coast is known for its stunning beaches, luxury vacation rentals, and coastal dining. But during peak season, restaurant reservations are hard to come by, wait times are long, and coordinating large groups is a project of its own.
A private chef experience solves all of it:
- Convenience — No reservations, no driving, no waiting. The chef comes to you.
- Privacy — Gather in the comfort of your own space with just your group.
- Customization — Every detail tailored to your preferences, dietary needs, and occasion.
- Quality — Refined technique with locally-sourced Gulf seafood and Emerald Coast ingredients.
- Presence — Watching a chef work, asking questions, savoring the aromas and the anticipation. It's the meal and the memory both.
- No cleanup — The kitchen is left spotless. You get to be a guest at your own gathering.
Explore the full range on our menus page, or tell us about your group on the reserve page.
How much does a private chef cost on 30A?
Private chef pricing on the Emerald Coast generally ranges from $100 to $1,000+ per person, depending on the menu, guest count, customization, and service format.
Marrow Private Chefs pricing structure
Culinary Concierge: $1,000 per guest ($10,000 minimum)
- Full-stay, multi-meal service — breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks across your entire stay
- A chef embedded with your family for the length of the trip
- Built for multi-generational groups who want zero food logistics for the week
- Explore Culinary Concierge →
Michelin-Style Tasting Menu: $750 per guest ($3,000 minimum)
- Nine personalized courses with beverage pairings
- Served by an executive chef, with sommelier-selected pairings
- Limited to 12 guests — the most elevated table on 30A
- Explore the Tasting Menu →
Private Chef Experiences: $200 per guest ($1,000 minimum)
- Signature, Classic, Hook & Cook, and Brunch
- Plated or family-style, prepared and served in your kitchen
- Ideal for celebrations, milestone occasions, and vacation dinners
- Browse private chef menus →
Ready-to-Eat Delivery Meals: $100 per guest ($800 minimum)
- Bayou Shrimp Boil, Southern BBQ, Tex Mex Tacos
- Prepared fully in our catering kitchen and delivered ready to eat
- Family-style, no chef on-site
Catering & Weddings: custom ($5,000 minimum)
- Full-service catering to 250 guests — plated, buffet, stations, or passed
- Rehearsal dinners, receptions, corporate events, and reunions
- See wedding catering →
Minimums: We don't have minimum guest counts — only minimum spend. As long as the minimum is met, we can build the right team for any group size (with the exception of the Tasting Menu, capped at 12 guests).
What affects the price
- Guest count (larger groups lower the per-person cost)
- Menu complexity (number of courses, ingredient costs)
- Dietary restrictions (extensive modifications may increase cost)
- Service format (plated vs. family-style, additional staff)
- Add-ons (wine service, specialty cocktails, passed appetizers)
How we compare
Marrow is more expensive than many private chefs on 30A — intentionally. We compete on quality, not price:
- 3,000+ events served since 2018
- 700+ five-star Google reviews — more than any other 30A private chef service
- 65,000+ guests served
- Best Chef & Best On-Site Catering, Emerald Coast Magazine — 2023 and 2024
- Transparent pricing, published upfront on every menu page
Our menus
We offer a focused collection of chef-designed experiences, each built to showcase Gulf seafood, seasonal ingredients, and Emerald Coast flavor. Browse them all on the menus page.
Culinary Concierge
Marrow as the household kitchen for your whole stay. A chef handles every meal — morning coffee and breakfast through late dinner — so the planner never thinks about food logistics again. Built for multi-generational groups in premium rentals who want the entire week handled. Explore Culinary Concierge →
Michelin-Style Tasting Menu
A nine-course progression with beverage pairings, served by an executive chef and capped at 12 guests. The most elevated table on 30A — built for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, and the one big night of the trip. Explore the Tasting Menu →
Signature Private Chef
Our foodie-forward flagship. Four seasonal courses featuring our current featured dishes — innovative appetizers, house specialties, premium proteins, and seasonal sides. For guests who want the chef's most creative work. Explore the Signature menu →
Classic Private Chef
Traditional fare, elevated — prime beef, Gulf seafood, and refined sides, served coursed and plated or family-style. Where Signature leans seasonal and adventurous, Classic is approachable for guests of any palate or age. Explore the Classic menu →
Hook & Cook
You catch it, we cook it. Bring back the day's haul and our chef turns it into dinner. Explore Hook & Cook →
Private Chef Brunch
The morning occasion, done properly — a multi-course brunch prepared and served in your kitchen. Explore Brunch →
Custom menus
Prefer something entirely your own? We build bespoke menus by consultation, tailored to your vision, dietary needs, and occasion. Custom menus follow the private chef minimums. Share your ideas on the reserve page and we'll design a menu specifically for you.
What to expect: the Marrow experience
Before your event
1. Initial inquiry — Browse our menus and submit a booking request with your preferred date and basic details. 2. Confirmation — We'll respond within hours to confirm availability, answer questions, and provide a detailed proposal with all costs itemized. 3. Reserve your date — Once you're ready, we'll reserve your chef with a deposit (25% of total). Your chef is locked in. 4. Finalize details — Everything else can wait until closer to your event: - Final guest count - Menu customizations - Dietary restrictions - Exact timing preferences
You have up to 10 days before your event to finalize everything. We'll send reminders as your date approaches.
Day of your event
Arrival and setup (1 hour before service)
- Chef arrives with all ingredients and equipment
- Kitchen inspection and prep area setup
- Table setting
- Mise en place and cooking begins
Service (varies by menu)
- Courses are plated and served at a comfortable pace
- Chef explains each dish and answers questions
- Wine service and beverage assistance (if requested)
- Attentive but unobtrusive hospitality
Cleanup
- Kitchen returned to spotless condition
- All cookware and equipment packed
- Trash removed and surfaces sanitized
Total time on site: 2-3 hours from arrival to departure.
Dietary accommodations
We make it our mission to serve the right plate to every guest at the table. Whether you have severe allergies, ethical dietary choices, or particular eaters, we'll build a menu everyone can share.
We regularly accommodate
- Gluten-free and celiac
- Dairy-free and lactose intolerance
- Nut allergies (all tree nuts and peanuts)
- Shellfish and fish allergies
- Vegetarian and vegan
- Paleo, keto, and low-carb
- Religious dietary requirements
- Children's preferences
Our philosophy
We want guests with dietary restrictions to have as full an experience as everyone else. If most guests are having seared scallops, a vegetarian guest might receive braised daikon radish — similar in appearance and texture, completely plant-based. A restriction should never mean a lesser meal.
How we handle it
- Separate prep areas and cookware to prevent cross-contamination
- Ingredient substitutions that hold flavor and presentation
- Clear communication with all guests about modifications
- Experience building dishes that accommodate multiple restrictions at once
Important: Please tell us all dietary restrictions when you book or finalize. Last-minute changes may be difficult to accommodate.
Preparing your vacation rental
Any fully functioning home kitchen provides what we need to execute our menus.
What we bring
- All groceries and ingredients
- All cookware and cooking utensils
- Napkins for the table
- Plates and silverware (if needed)
What we use from your rental
Plates and silverware (we generally plan to use what's in the home, but can provide our own if necessary).
What we ask from you
- Tidy kitchen with plenty of workspace
- All dishes clean and ready for use
- Empty dishwasher (so we can load as we go)
You don't need to set the table — our chefs handle that.
Dining space setup
We're flexible on dining style:
- Indoor dining room
- Outdoor patio or deck (let us know if you'll be dining on a different floor from the kitchen)
- Beachfront home
- Multiple tables for larger groups
Optional upgrades: If you'd like us to provide upscale serving ware, specialty linens, or other items, just ask.
Occasions we serve
Vacation dining
Most of our events are vacation experiences — families and friend groups visiting 30A who want a special meal without the restaurant hassle. For many returning guests, it's become a tradition.
Celebrations
- Milestone birthdays (30th, 40th, 50th, 60th+)
- Anniversaries
- Graduation dinners
- Retirement parties
- Bachelorette and bachelor parties
- Engagement celebrations
Weddings
- Rehearsal dinners
- Wedding receptions (25-250 guests)
- Post-wedding brunches
- Elopement dinners
- Multi-day wedding celebrations
For anything wedding-related, start on our weddings page.
Corporate and business
- Executive retreats
- Team dinners and celebrations
- Client entertainment
- Board meetings and offsites
Holidays
We are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas so our chefs and staff can spend those days with their families. The kitchen is open and we're eager to serve you the other 363 days of the year.
Note: Holiday dates book months in advance. Reserve early.
Service areas
We proudly serve the entire Emerald Coast region.
Primary service area
- 30A and Scenic 98 corridor (all neighborhoods from Laguna Beach to Destin)
- Destin
- Santa Rosa Beach
- South Walton
- Miramar Beach
- Sandestin
Specific communities we serve
- Laguna Beach
- Inlet Beach
- Rosemary Beach
- Alys Beach
- Seacrest Beach
- Watersound
- Seagrove Beach
- Seaside
- WaterColor
- Grayton Beach
- Blue Mountain Beach
- Santa Rosa Beach
- Gulf Place
- Dune Allen Beach
- Topsail
- Sandestin
- Crystal Beach
- Miramar Beach
- Destin
Extended service area
For locations outside our primary area, a travel fee may apply depending on distance. This primarily applies to larger catered events.
Why choose Marrow Private Chefs?
Awards and recognition
- Best Chef & Best On-Site Catering, Emerald Coast Magazine — 2023 and 2024
- Small Business of the Year 2024 — Walton Area Chamber of Commerce
- 700+ five-star Google reviews — perfect 5.0 rating, more than any other 30A private chef service
- Since 2018 — 3,000+ events and 65,000+ guests served
Meet the people behind the food on our team page.
What our guests say
> "If I could give them 10 stars I would."
> "Literally the best meal I've ever had."
> "Made everything so easy — we didn't lift a finger."
> "The chefs were friendly, professional, and fun to have in our home."
> "We book Marrow first when planning our vacation every year."
Read more on our reviews page.
Our commitment
- Culinary skill — Technique and creativity in every dish
- Warm hospitality — Professional but approachable
- Local ingredients — Gulf seafood, Emerald Coast purveyors, seasonal produce
- Reliability — We arrive on time and execute with care
- Transparency — Clear pricing, published upfront, no surprise fees
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I book?
Peak season (March-September) and holidays: 4-6 weeks in advance. Off-season: 2-3 weeks. Last-minute bookings (within 7 days) are sometimes available — reach out and we'll do our best to accommodate you.
Can you accommodate dietary restrictions?
Absolutely. We handle gluten-free, vegan, allergies, and more. Just let us know when you book.
Do you provide the food and drinks?
We provide all food. Beverages are not included but we can source and serve for an additional fee, including full bar service.
What if my rental kitchen is small?
No problem. We bring what we need. As long as you have a stove, oven, and sink, we can make it work.
Can kids eat what the adults are eating?
We can adjust any menu for kids or create separate kid-friendly options.
What's your cancellation policy?
Cancellations are 75% refundable 30+ days from the event. Deposits are non-refundable less than 30 days prior. All reservations for major holidays and holiday weekends are also non-refundable. No cancellations can be made inside of 7 days prior to an event.
How does payment work?
We'll run your credit card on file the day following your meal. There's nothing you need to do. If you've made alternative payment arrangements, we'll have already accounted for those as well. Simply relax and savor the time with your guests.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash, credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers, and cryptocurrency.
Ready to book your experience?
Browse our menus, choose your date, and submit a booking inquiry. We'll respond within hours to confirm availability and answer any questions.
About the chefs
Marrow Private Chefs was established in 2018 by chefs Richard McCord and Ryan McNay with a simple mission: prepare and serve excellent cuisine while providing the most relaxed, carefree dining experience on the Emerald Coast.
What started as in-home private chef dinners has grown into a full-service catering operation serving 3,000+ events and 65,000+ guests — from intimate vacation dinners to elegant weddings.
Our team brings decades of combined culinary experience, a genuine love for hospitality, and an obsessive attention to detail. Every dish is made from scratch using quality ingredients.
We believe a shared meal should be a source of satisfaction, not stress — and that every meal should be a memory worth keeping.
Let’s plan
your night.
Tell us about your group and we’ll respond within hours with a custom proposal.