Frequently Asked Questions

Nourish Culinary is a woman-owned personal chef and catering company. We match personal chefs with clients for meal prep services, events, and cooking classes. Our chefs create menus that are customized to your needs.

We nourish the greater Washington D.C. area: DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

Nourish Culinary offers custom personal chef and meal prep services, catering services, cooking classes and lessons, specialty services, and freezer stockings.

You should hire a Nourish Culinary personal chef if you…

Value a home-made meal made with the highest quality ingredients but don’t want to be responsible for preparing it yourself.

Want your event to stand out, creating unforgettable memories that you can be a part of.

Find yourself spending too much money on subpar takeout.

Have complicated dietary restrictions, or need to alter your diet.

Want customized service tailored to your needs.

Our chefs are skilled and trained in a variety of international cuisines including Mediterranean, Italian, French, American, Indian, Pan-Asian, Mexican, Southern, and more!

Whether you’re looking to try new flavors and international dishes or want your grandma’s famous recipes, our chefs will prepare the meals you want to eat.

Whether you follow a vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, Kosher, or ketogenic diet, or you’re managing a health concern that requires special dietary accommodations, we’ll adhere to all your requests and requirements.  We’re also happy to consult with your nutritionist or physician.

Fill out this form and we’ll schedule a call to discuss our services and answer any and all of your questions.

Your Nourish Culinary chef will create a new custom menu tailored to your dietary needs and preferences. Once the menu is approved, your chef will grocery shop, prepare your meals in your kitchen on your cook date, package the meals with reheating instructions, and clean up!

Yes, our chefs are mindful that kids may not have the same palates as their parents.

We recommend scheduling 1-2 cook dates per week, depending on the number of meals you request and the days of the week you plan to enjoy them. We also offer bi-weekly and monthly meal prep services.

Pricing is determined by the number of meals and variety of dishes that your chef prepares.

Your Nourish Culinary chef will handle all grocery shopping. Groceries range from $100-$350 each cook date depending on your menu.

Your chef will be in your home for about 3-5 hours.

As long as your Nourish Culinary chef has access to your kitchen, you don’t need to be home while they cook.

Your chef will bring their knives and smallwares, but will need some other basic tools. We will provide a full list of our “kitchen essentials” before starting service.

Nourish Culinary supplies containers at an additional fee, but your chef can also use your containers if preferred.

Your chef will provide simple yet detailed reheating instructions specific to each dish.

We cater all types of events from kids’ parties and intimate brunches to corporate cocktail parties and political fundraisers.  Having an out-of-the-box event?  Let’s discuss!

Our gatherings start at 6 people for a dinner party and go up to 100 for cocktails and bites.

We’ll work with you to create a custom menu for your event or you can select from our menu of seasonal favorites.

We consider the following when pricing out your event: headcount, type of service (plated/family style/buffet/passed hors d’ouevres), menu complexity, whether rentals or other vendors are required, and quantity of staff.

Yes, we offer catering services for most holidays. These dates fill up fast so contact us in advance.  Higher rates may apply.

Depending on the scope of your event, either your chef or other staff will serve your food.

We are happy to coordinate waitstaff and rentals and consult with event planners on decor and florals.

Yes, we can provide recommendations for our preferred vendors and event coordinators.

We can provide all non-alcoholic beverages and serve alcohol that you purchase for your event.

We include gratuity in your final invoice but our staff always appreciate an extra tip at the end of an event if you feel service was exceptional.

Nourish Culinary specialty services include meal plans for new parents, meal trains, gifts, fitness journeys, medical diets, and freezer stockings. 

Nourish Culinary will partner with your medical team to provide a meal plan that meets your health needs and dietary requirements or restrictions.  (Meal plans and menus include: Diabetes, organ transplant anti-rejection, Celiac, Cancer, Heart disease, and more.)

Nourish Culinary provides pre-natal and post-natal/postpartum meal services to support the health and well-being of new parents including meals and snacks to support lactation and nursing goals if requested.  We will also stock your refrigerator or freezer with easy to heat meals for the whole (new) family!

Nourish Culinary is happy to work with local and out-of-town clients to arrange meal services for family members or friends in the Washington D.C. area.

Group classes

Private lessons focusing on culinary techniques

Pasta, pizza, sushi, and various other cuisines

Baking and decorating

Our Cooking classes are designed to bolster your confidence in the kitchen by teaching you specific skills or focusing on techniques that you can use for many meals to come.  Cooking instruction is offered one-on-one, by hands-on involvement in small groups, or with collaborative cooking demos for larger groups of up to 15 to ensure that all participants can get their hands dirty.

Your cooking class will teach you to prepare a specific menu with techniques you can repurpose in everyday cooking like how to sear, saute, roast or grill.  We’ll also work on knife skills and best practices in the kitchen.

Your lessons will be taught in your home kitchen with your equipment.  The chef will provide the necessary ingredients and you will be charged for the groceries.  Additional equipment can be procured if necessary.

Absolutely.  Practice makes the hard things easier so recurring classes are a great way to really get comfortable in the kitchen.  Meet with the same chef instructor weekly or bi-weekly.

All cooking classes take place in your home kitchen or private space.

We accommodate groups of up to 15 people.

Individual lessons start at $350 per session. Group Cooking classes start at $500 based on guest count plus the cost of your groceries and sales tax.

Learn all about our chefs here!

Nourish Culinary chefs go through a thorough interview process.  They meet with our team, create a menu and prepare a tasting.  They are food safety certified, have provided professional and personal references and have passed extensive background checks.

Email us at personalchef@nourishculinary.com and we will use your feedback to match you with a different chef.

Please visit our careers page to learn more about the personal chef position and access the application.