Chefstro

I’ve never written a review like this. Chefstro, while wildly recommended by former clients, completely dropped the ball with me. I had wanted to arrange a dinner party for my daughter’s birthday and, encouraged by these reviews, I went ahead and booked the company about 2 ½ weeks ahead. My status online was «waiting for a chef.» OK. I waited. The week of the dinner I tried to contact them on their site, no response. Tried to email. No response. Looked for a phone number… nothing. Then 2 days before the dinner I get an email from the owner saying she’s sorry – she was in India and was not tracking reservations and it ain’t gonna happen. She offered me a $ 100 coupon as apology, but since I live in Toronto, I doubt I’ll be able to use it. I wrote back once more, practically begging to see if she could find a chef (they use many, it says on their site), but that email went unanswered. In the end, I booked a reservation at a restaurant which (1)was not the preferred time, but I was told I should have called earlier in the week, (2)too late to bring the smaller kids, and (3)probably going to be more expensive and a whole lot less fun than watching a chef prepare food at home.
They have a Facebook page but there was one very negative comment on it, also suggesting that they didn’t show up. I added my own disgruntled comment, but both have subsequently been removed.
So my advice to anyone using this service is to double check FAR ahead of time that this is going to happen. To me it’s unconscionable to disappear from one’s business like that, no matter how great you are when you actually follow through. Caveat emptor.

Bottom line:
I love Chefstro. Really easy to book, really great chefs, perfect level of personalization
Pros:
–Easy to schedule
–Super easy to pick a menu, but also easy to personalize
–Really top level chefs. One of the chefs I had used to be the exec chef at Upstairs on the Square in Harvard Square
–Perfect level of service– attentive but not overbearing
–Well worth the price; I don’t save all that much by doing it from scratch myself and I get to save myself the time and energy
Cons:
–I may have overeaten and put on a few lbs :)
Definitely use Chefstro! I believe they are quickly expanding to new geographies so folks outside of Boston should also check them out!

Great experience! So delicious and convenient. Will have Chefstro cater dinner parties every weekend. You won’t regret it!

I have used Chefstro two times so far in the last couple of months and I love them!
My first occasion was during a small dinner with friends, we wanted something nice for dinner, but we all wanted to stay in at home… the Chef was not only great in peoples skills… he entertained us with a great conversation about the food, but also wow! the four courses he prepared were amazing! and the best of all… we had not to worry about ingredients, cooking or cleaning… everything was perfect!
My second time was on a larger meeting (about 20 people)… the chef prepared for us a big assortment of appetizers for all to eat while we were enjoying our party. He cooked all from salty and sweet appetizers, to delicious desserts… really really good… people came to the kitchen and asked him questions about them and he was amazingly friendly with all of them… they kept making comments to me on how cool was to have a chef for our own event.
Overall I highly recommend Chefstro… the experience is just great, no effort on your side, and it is totally worth your money… I have already 2 other events coming and really looking to meet the Chef!

Amazing overall — used Chefstro for a small meal with friends and for a larger family gathering. I was incredibly impressed with the chef and the food on both occasions. The booking process was super easy and we got a top notch chef who can not only cook up a storm but is also very friendly (we liked him so much we booked him again for the family gathering)! He arrived on time, cooked seamlessly in my small kitchen, interacted with the guests and ensured we were having a great time. During the family gathering, we had crammed ~40 people in my small living room and he worked around us, making sure people had enough stuff to eat and enjoyed the meal at all times. The chef then cleaned up really quickly, and left my kitchen in a better condition than he found it.
Overall, I’d say Chefstro has made me re-​think eating out with friends. My partner and I just moved to an apartment we both like and we’re thinking of doing Chefstro more often in lieu of going out. You can have better conversations with your friends than you would in a loud, crowded restaurant, the prices are comparable, and the food might even be better :)

These guys were great! We used them for a bachelorette party last year and I unfortunately forgot to review them then so I no longer remember our chefs name. However, the chef was phenomenal. They came on time, cooked in my tiny kitchen for 6, interacted with us, dealt with a gluten allergy and cleaned up better than I would! I am using them again shortly and I’m very excited!

These guys are amazing! After sending many fruitless emails trying to find a personal chef to do an at-​home dinner for my mother’s 70^th birthday, and being quoted some ridiculous prices given we were a party of 5, I reached out to Chefstro. The booking process was seamless, they got back to me within 24 hours with a top-​notch chef with great credentials.
Brad was a joy to work with throughout the process. He adeptly navigated our multitude of dietary restrictions and preferences, came up with a delicious menu, and put his heart and soul into executing a delicious and memorable meal for our special day. I couldn’t have been more thrilled with how it all went! And it was comparable or cheaper to what I would have paid in a nice restaurant, especially when you factor in that you’re not paying a markup on alcohol. We will definitely use this service again, and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking to create a fabulous, memorable experience at home for a special occasion!