One entree with three dishes around it, on platters, so the table passes them and helps itself. The menu comes out of the same conversation as everything else I cook, so it fits your group rather than a template. I plan, shop, bring what the kitchen needs, cook, serve and clean up. A recent one: cured meats and cheese; honey roasted carrots; braised short rib, mashed potatoes and a reduction; chocolate mousse. Warm bread and a printed menu at every place. About three and a half hours.

Before I cook anything, we talk: who is at the table, what they love, what they cannot eat, what you are marking. Then I build four plated courses around that, with an amuse bouche, warm bread and a printed menu at every place. I shop, bring everything down to the plates, cook, serve each course and describe it, then leave the kitchen as I found it. A recent one: beet carpaccio and dill; pumpkin agnolotti, brown butter, sage; filet au poivre, potato puree; creme brulee. About four hours.

Six plated courses, with at least two ingredients worth the occasion: foie gras, lobster, winter truffle, oysters, wagyu or caviar, depending on the season and on what you want. Built from the same conversation, cooked in your kitchen, and served course by course, each one set down and explained. Amuse bouche, warm bread, printed menus. Planning, shopping, cooking and cleanup all sit inside the price. Closer to five hours than four.

A chef for the whole stay rather than one evening. Breakfast and dinner most days, lunches and snacks left ready, all planned with you before you arrive so the kitchen is right from the first morning. The $1,000 is the daily chef fee; groceries are purchased separately according to the agreed menu. Best suited to a larger house on a longer stay. Message me with your dates and the size of your group and I will build the week around them.

You can ask this chef to create a meal around your preferences.