Boutique Michelin-trained private chef placement · 14-day shortlist · Up to 6-month guarantee
Schedule A Confidential Consultation 300+ chef searches for UHNW households worldwide · 19 years as a private chef to high-profile families · Trusted by family offices across the US & Europe
Montclair Chef is a private chef placement agency specialising in Michelin-trained chefs for UHNW families, distinguished households, and family offices across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Monaco.
A private chef is more than an employee. They become an integral part of your household's daily rhythm. Our rigorous vetting process ensures only candidates with proven fine-dining credentials and verified references are presented to our clientele.
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We place one role only: full-time private chefs for single households.
Three placement categories that define the majority of our work. Each tailored to the rhythms of UHNW households worldwide.
Full-time private chefs for UHNW families and luxury residences. Michelin-trained professionals skilled in family dining, dietary management, and seamless household integration. Curated shortlist delivered within 14 days.
Find Your Private Chef
Dedicated private chefs for families managing multiple residences worldwide. Seamless coordination across estates, travel schedules, and seasonal relocations, with consistent quality and discretion at every property.
Discuss Travel Chefs
Private chefs specialised in longevity-focused nutrition and medical dietary requirements. From anti-inflammatory protocols to performance-focused meal planning, working alongside nutritionists, physicians, and wellness teams.
Explore Wellness Chefs1
A confidential discussion to understand your household dynamics, culinary preferences, dietary requirements, and the specific personality fit required for your estate. Conducted by our founder personally.
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Rigorous sourcing from our exclusive network, presenting a tightly curated shortlist of candidates who have passed multi-tier vetting, reference verification, and culinary evaluation.
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Interviews with your top candidates, a paid trial day in your kitchen, and contract negotiations. You see the chef work in your space before the final decision.
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Post-placement integration support and ongoing dialogue with your household. Up to six months of replacement protection on every Executive placement.
Founded by Michelin-trained Chef Chris Demaillet, our agency benefits from 19 years inside elite private households. We do not simply match resumes to job descriptions. We evaluate culinary philosophy, technical precision, and the temperament a private household actually demands.
It is the difference between an agency that has read about this world and one that has worked inside it.
Chris Demaillet
Founder, Montclair Chef
Discover Our StoryTwo searches that came to us after other agencies had tried. Both households are anonymised. The details are not.
Case Study One
A billionaire principal with multiple residences, frequent international travel, and young children. Three agencies had already run the search. Each one sent chefs with impeccable Michelin resumes and no understanding of what this household actually required.
On paper the credentials were flawless. In practice, none of the family's real requirements had been considered. The specific dietary protocols. Children's meals running alongside adult dining. A household that relocates between homes at short notice. Every one of those chefs would have needed weeks inside the residence just to learn the rhythm, and weeks is not a thing a family at this level is willing to spend on a hire.
We took a different brief. Not "find a Michelin chef" but "find a chef who can hold this household together across four kitchens, three time zones, and two generations of eaters." The placement is still in post, travelling with the family and running every residence to the same standard.
Case Study Two
A US household had been clear from the start: they wanted a chef trained in a top American Michelin restaurant. Their previous agency returned profiles that did not come close to the level requested, repeatedly.
On our first brief, we sourced former head chefs and sous chefs from three-Michelin-star restaurants in the United States. Crucially, these were chefs from our own network, not available on the open job market, with years already spent in private residences. Restaurant credentials alone were never the point. These chefs could integrate into the family's routine immediately, without using the client's kitchen to learn how to be a private chef.
The family interviewed two and ran trials with both. The decision was genuinely difficult, which is the outcome you want at that stage.
What the principal wanted was specific: elevated, healthy cooking for daily life, with the ability to turn it up for special occasions, delivered with the discipline that only comes from working in the world's most demanding kitchens.
"Good job. You found exactly what we wanted."
Principal · United States
"Great selection of candidates, thorough vetting process and ongoing support that ensured the chef was well integrated with our team on site. Excellent and professional services."
Mark S.
Director of Residences · NYC & Florida, US
"Very efficient service, we had a great match within the first two candidates. The hands-on experience of the founder was a strong advantage."
Mika H.
Executive PA · San Francisco, US
"Montclair runs a very conscientious and thorough agency. I found them to be very proactive and listened and provided excellent options for the position we were looking to fill. We will certainly use Montclair again in the future."
Patrick B.
Chief Of Staff · London, UK
"In my search for a private chef, Montclair Chef came highly recommended. Just a week after our initial meeting, I already received the first profiles of great candidates. The selection process wasn't easy. Thank you."
Nicole E.
Director of Estates · USA & Monaco
We operate globally, with specialist placement networks across the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom. Discreet international coordination for families maintaining multiple residences.
New York and the Hamptons, Manhattan, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Palm Beach, Aspen, Texas and Austin. Full-time placements with W-2 employment structures for UHNW families across all major American markets.
London (Mayfair, Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Kensington), the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire and the Home Counties. PAYE placements, with chefs experienced in distinguished British households and private residences.
Monaco and the French Riviera, Geneva and the Swiss Alps, the Mediterranean and broader European markets. Multilingual chefs experienced in serving distinguished international families across multiple residences.
Practical guidance for households and the people who manage them, written from inside private service.
Current salary benchmarks by market for the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Monaco and Switzerland, with guidance on what drives the range.
Read the GuideThe difference matters more than most households expect. A full comparison of availability, discretion, household knowledge and which model fits your situation.
Compare the RolesEvery question families, estate managers and family offices ask before hiring: vetting, guarantees, trials, privacy, travel, and the situations agencies rarely address.
Read the FAQ"Your home is not a training kitchen. Our role is to deliver the right private chef profile, with experience cooking for UHNW families, the first time."
Chris Demaillet · Founder, Montclair Chef
The questions families, estate managers, and family offices ask most often before starting a search.
Full-time private chef salaries vary by market. United States: $130,000 to $300,000+ annually (W-2 employment). United Kingdom: £100,000 to £230,000+ (PAYE). Europe and Monaco: €120,000 to €250,000+. Switzerland: CHF 140,000 to CHF 300,000+. Travel chefs and longevity specialists typically sit at the upper end of these ranges. Food budgets are managed separately by the household. We provide transparent salary guidance specific to your market during your consultation. See our full private chef salary guide.
Work with a specialist placement agency, not a general staffing firm. At Montclair Chef, we focus exclusively on private chef placement for UHNW families. We vet all candidates, deliver a curated shortlist within 14 days, and arrange paid trial days in your home before any commitment.
With a specialist agency, you can receive a curated shortlist within 14 days for major markets including New York, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Monaco. For more remote locations, sourcing typically takes 14 to 21 days. Full placement, including trials and final selection, typically takes 3 to 5 weeks depending on your location and requirements.
We verify culinary experience, confirm references directly with previous UHNW principals and ensure personality fit. Every chef is personally assessed by our founder Chris Demaillet, a private chef to billionaires for 19 years and the author of The Private Chef Guide.
Most agencies place every type of household staff. We place one role: private chefs. That focus is the difference. Our founder, Chris Demaillet, was a private chef to billionaires for 19 years and is Michelin-trained, with a culinary career spanning 25 years. Every chef on our roster has been personally vetted by someone who has done the job at the highest level. The result: shortlists in 14 days, and placements backed by up to 6 months of replacement protection on Executive engagements.
Absolutely. Our chefs understand how to work quietly and professionally within your home. Discretion and professionalism are standard. All high-profile placements through Montclair Chef include comprehensive confidentiality agreements and follow strict NDA protocols.
A private chef works full-time for one household, available daily as part of your staff. A personal chef serves multiple clients and visits on a scheduled basis to batch-cook meals. UHNW families typically require a private chef for availability, consistency, and discretion. Read our full private chef vs personal chef comparison.
Contact us for a confidential consultation. We discuss your requirements, then activate your search. We run a limited number of searches each month to maintain the standard our clients expect. We reply personally to every enquiry within 24 hours.
For more detail, read our full Private Chef FAQ covering salaries, vetting, trials, NDAs, replacement guarantees, children's meals, travel, and household staff.
Every chef personally vetted. Curated shortlist in 14 days. Up to 6-month replacement guarantee on Executive placements.
Schedule A Confidential ConsultationPersonally Vetted Chefs · Trial Days Included · Strict Discretion
