Montclair Chef is a specialist private chef placement agency for UHNW families and private households.
Michelin-trained and residence-experienced private chefs. Long-term roles only.
3 vetted candidates in 14 days | Up to 6-month replacement guarantee on Executive placements.
Schedule a Confidential ConsultationDiscreet process · Personal reply within 24 hours
We place private chefs in dedicated roles within private households
Every chef we place is residence-experienced, not only restaurant-trained. They do considerably more than cook dinner, and this is the scope that makes a part-time arrangement rarely hold.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner around the household's real schedule, adjusted for children, staff meals, and guests arriving at short notice.
Medical diets, severe allergies, religious requirements, and longevity or performance programmes run alongside your nutritionist or physician.
Building relationships with butchers, fishmongers, growers and specialist suppliers, and keeping the pantry and cold storage rotated properly.
Formal dinners, business entertaining at home, and family gatherings, handled to the same standard as daily service without outside catering.
Working alongside the estate manager, house manager, nannies and security, inside the reporting lines the household already runs on.
Moving with the family between homes, adapting to unfamiliar kitchens and local sourcing while holding the same standard at each one.
Weighing full-time against a lighter arrangement? Read our private chef vs personal chef comparison.
Three categories cover most searches. Each is a distinct brief with a different candidate pool, not a variation on the same one.
Full-time, live-in or live-out, running the household's entire culinary operation for a single family. The core placement and the majority of our work.
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For families moving between residences or relocating seasonally. A narrower pool: most private chefs have never run a kitchen they did not set up themselves.
Explore Travel Chefs
Therapeutic cooking, anti-inflammatory and longevity protocols, medical diets and severe allergies, working alongside your nutritionist or physician.
Explore Wellness ChefsKosher Chefs
Strict Kosher households, kitchen separation, and observant service.
Plant-Based Chefs
Vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, raw and plant-forward households.
Performance Chefs
Athletic households on structured training and nutrition protocols.
Specialty Cuisine
Asian cuisine specialists, pastry professionals, tradition experts.
Placing across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Monaco
From the Founder
Chris Demaillet, Founder of Montclair Chef
Featured by Business Insider and Family Office Exchange's FOXCast. Read his story.
"They found us a low-ego, Michelin-trained chef with a great attitude who actually understands household pace and our family's specific needs."
Director of Residences, Manhattan
A confidential call to understand your household, dietary needs, and the personality that fits. Conducted by our founder personally.
A personally vetted shortlist within 14 days. Three candidates selected specifically for your household.
Paid trial days in your own kitchen before any commitment. See our private chef trial guide.
Up to 6-month replacement guarantee on Executive placements, with continued support after the chef joins.
Personally Vetted Chefs | Trial Days Included | Strict Discretion
Hiring on behalf of a principal? We take a detailed brief on the household and handle the search from there: salary guidance for your local market, candidate notes and a visual portfolio on every shortlisted chef, a structured paid trial day in the residence, and up to 6 months of replacement support on Executive placements. The principal need not be involved until the candidate stage.
VERIFIED GOOGLE REVIEWS · 5.0 RATING
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
Our Principal needed a private chef for their residences in Manhattan and the Hamptons. Montclair Chef was a great partner. They found us the perfect fit: a discreet, low-key professional who truly understands how to cater to our family's specific needs.
Julia K., Director of Residences, New York
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
Our family office manages a complex portfolio across the US and Europe, with frequent travel. Montclair Chef delivered a flawless solution. They provided a chef who is not only a culinary talent but also an expert in managing our family's needs wherever we travel.
Family Office, US & Europe
In my search for a private chef, Montclair came highly recommended. Just a week after our initial meeting, I already received the first profiles of great candidates. The selection process was not easy. Thank you.
Nicole E., Director of Estates, USA & Monaco
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
If your chef leaves or is not the right fit in the first 6 months, we run a new search at no additional agency fee. Combined with paid trial days in your own kitchen before any commitment, your decision is protected twice.
Our fee is success-based: you are invoiced only once you appoint a chef through us.
Schedule a Confidential ConsultationGross annual salary for a full-time, long-term private chef position. Figures exclude food budgets, accommodation, and benefits.
Michelin-trained chefs with UHNW experience and multi-residence responsibilities sit at the upper end of every range, as do live-in roles and specialist dietary programmes. See our full private chef salary guide.
What We Don't Do
No events. No catering. No short-term or general staffing placements.
We place, and are expert in, one role only: full-time, long-term private chefs for UHNW households.
Most are Michelin-trained, all are residence-experienced. Unsure whether you need full-time cover? Read our private chef vs personal chef comparison.
Confidential. Your details are never shared with chefs or third parties without your consent.
Case Study
A three-generation family with multiple residences had already been through three placement agencies. Each one sent chefs with impeccable Michelin resumes who could not hold up to what the household actually needed: simple, healthy meals three generations would eat, every day, alongside guests arriving without notice.
We placed a Michelin-trained chef with farm-to-table experience and a warm, family-oriented temperament. Technical credentials were never the difficulty. Temperament was. That chef now runs the culinary operation across all three residences.
You receive a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 14 days of your consultation. The full process, including interviews and a paid trial day in your home, usually runs 3 to 6 weeks depending on your schedule and location.
Every chef goes through full employment-history review and direct reference verification with previous UHNW households when possible. All candidates can sign an NDA before any introduction. Most are Michelin-trained, all are residence-experienced, with a proven record of discretion in private service. Every candidate is assessed personally by our founder, who spent 19 years doing this job.
Yes, both live-in and live-out. Live-in arrangements are common on larger estates with staff accommodation. The choice depends on your property, your schedule, and what works for the candidate, and we factor it into sourcing from the brief onward.
Yes. Many of our families split time between residences in different countries. We place chefs experienced in travelling with the family, adapting to unfamiliar kitchens, and keeping the same standard at every property. See our traveling private chef placements.
Yes. This is common. We run the entire search confidentially: your household is never named to candidates until it is necessary, and no part of the search becomes public. Your current chef will not know a search is underway.
Yes. We place chefs experienced with kosher, halal, plant-based, gluten-free, allergy-safe, and medically guided diets, plus health, longevity, and performance nutrition. Tell us what your household needs and we match for it from the start rather than hoping for it.
Full-time private chefs typically earn $140,000 to $300,000 or more per year in the United States, with equivalent ranges in the UK, Monaco and Switzerland, depending on experience, specialism, and whether the role covers one residence or several. We give you exact salary guidance for your household during the consultation. See our private chef salary guide.
A private chef works full-time for one household, available daily as part of your staff, and manages the entire food operation. A personal chef serves several clients and visits on a schedule to batch-cook meals. UHNW families typically require a private chef for availability, consistency, and discretion. Read the full comparison.
Across the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Monaco and worldwide, and we coordinate for families with residences in several markets. See all the markets we serve.
Schedule a confidential consultation with our founder. Tell us about your household and what you need. We run a limited number of searches each month to maintain the standard our clients expect, and you get a personal reply within 24 hours.
For every question families and estate managers ask before hiring, read our full Private Chef FAQ.
We run a limited number of searches each month to maintain the standard our clients expect. Our founder takes the first call on every search.
Schedule a Confidential ConsultationPersonally Vetted Chefs · Trial Days Included · Strict Discretion