Job Description

Private Chef – San Francisco & Sonoma

Local candidates only, please!

A busy, professional family based in San Francisco and Sonoma is seeking an exceptional full-time Private Chef to lead their household's culinary program, daily meals, children's meals, events, and guest support. This is a family of six with a genuine love of food, including young children who eat a simplified version of the family's meals. The household entertains often, hosting dinner parties and small events, and this role will work alongside a dedicated household team, so a natural, collaborative approach is essential.

The family leans heavily Mediterranean in their everyday eating, favoring fresh fish, lean proteins, and vegetable-forward dishes that are both healthy and deeply flavorful. Some of their favorite restaurants, Dalida, Cotogna, Sushi Ran, and Flour + Water, offer a good sense of the style and quality they gravitate toward.

This role calls for a Private Chef of real caliber, someone with high-level private service experience, who can bring sophistication, organization, and genuine culinary creativity to daily family meals as well as elevated entertaining. The ideal candidate sources organic ingredients, cooks without seed oils, and has a deep, intuitive understanding of healthy cooking, think exceptional salads, soups, and sandwiches for lighter meals, and thoughtfully composed Mediterranean-inspired dinners built around fish, chicken, and light red meat. Menus are planned in advance, and the ability to prepare craft cocktails and create meaningful culinary experiences for guests is a meaningful plus.

Just as important as the cooking itself, and honestly some days even more so, is the energy this person brings into the home. This kitchen sits at the true center of a house that's buzzing with good, fun, vibrant energy, and the right Chef needs to genuinely thrive in that environment, not just tolerate it. Someone who feeds off the liveliness of the household and brings their own warmth and enthusiasm to match is exactly who we're looking for.

Tuesday-Saturday, lunch and dinner service, roughly 11am-8pm

45-55 hours average weekly schedule

Infrequent travel with the family may be requested with advance notice

Plan and prepare daily lunch and dinner service, Tuesday through Saturday

Develop weekly menus in advance in coordination with the team and family

Prepare a simplified, age-appropriate version of family meals for young children

Source organic, high-quality ingredients; maintain relationships with premium purveyors and markets

Cook without seed oils, prioritizing clean, health-conscious preparation throughout

Plan and execute dinner parties and events in coordination with the family's event planner

Prepare craft cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for guests while entertaining

Maintain kitchen organization, cleanliness, and inventory across both residences

Travel with the family to Sonoma as needed

Work collaboratively and communicatively with the broader household team

7+ years of professional culinary experience at a high level; private service background strongly preferred

Deep knowledge of organic, health-forward, Mediterranean-driven cooking

Strong menu development and advance planning skills

Experience cooking for both adults and children, including simplified meals for young kids

Comfortable and skilled with entertaining and dinner party execution

Cocktail preparation experience a plus

Clean background check, valid driver's license, and willingness to travel between residences

Must have exceptional employment references

Discretion, maturity, and a genuinely collaborative, team-oriented approach

Comfortable working within a busy, high-touch household environment

Legally authorized to work in the US

Ideally local to the Bay Area; local candidates will be given first preference

$185,000 - $200,000 per year | DOE

This role is paid hourly with overtime, in accordance with California law. The figure above reflects the annualized equivalent based on a typical workweek, inclusive of statutory overtime. Pay includes daily overtime for hours worked beyond 8 in a day, double time for hours beyond 12 in a day, applicable seventh-consecutive-day premiums, and compliant meal and rest periods.

Sonoma - all travel and lodging covered; travel time compensable

Group health coverage which includes dependents, 120 hours accrued vacation (majority to be taken during family travel), 50 hours sick leave, standard holidays, access to a retirement plan, mileage reimbursement, household credit card for work expenses.

DM Estate Staffing is a domestic staffing firm headquartered in Silicon Valley, dedicated to connecting exceptional Private Service Professionals with private clients and family offices across the United States. Built over more than a decade on referrals and repeat clients, we have grown thoughtfully by doing one thing well: finding the right person for the right home.

Every member of our recruiting team has worked personally in the homes of prominent private clients, as estate managers, private chefs, household leaders, and more. That lived experience is what sets us apart. We don't just understand private service in theory; we've navigated its nuances, its demands, and its deeply personal nature from the inside. That perspective shapes every search we conduct and every candidate we represent.

We encourage you to regularly explore our job board and apply for any roles that align with your experience and aspirations. When your background aligns with what our clients are looking for, we will be in touch. We hope to have the opportunity to work with you soon.

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