Dorado · San Juan · Guaynábo · Bahía Beach
Michelin and luxury-trained private chefs. Shortlist in 14 days. Up to 6-month replacement guarantee on Executive placements.
Schedule a Confidential ConsultationDiscreet process · Personal reply within 24 hours
Montclair Chef is a private chef placement agency specialising in full-time private chefs for UHNW families and private residences in Puerto Rico. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Palma de Mallorca, we place one role only: dedicated private chefs for single households. Not event chefs, not caterers, not general household staff.
The agency was founded by Chris Demaillet, a Michelin-trained chef who spent 19 years as a private chef to billionaires. He assesses every candidate personally. As of late 2026, 58% of the chefs we present to families trained in Michelin-starred kitchens. Shortlists are delivered within 14 days, and Executive placements carry up to a 6-month replacement guarantee.
Puerto Rico is a residence market, not only a resort market. Families living in Dorado or San Juan for part or all of the year need a chef who runs a household, not one who cooks a dinner.
Families moving to the island often need a chef in place within weeks of arriving. We run the search remotely, before the household is on the ground.
Most Puerto Rico households keep a mainland home. Chefs need to hold the same standard in two kitchens and travel with the family between them.
Supply is different here. A chef has to build relationships with local growers, fishermen and importers, and plan around what does not arrive every week.
Medical diets, severe allergies, longevity and performance programmes, run alongside the family's nutritionist or physician. See our health and nutrition chef placements.
Dorado and the gated communities around it are small. All candidates can sign a confidentiality agreement before any introduction, and discretion inside the home is a condition of every placement.
The island has a strong restaurant and resort scene, and very few chefs with private residence experience. Most of our candidates for Puerto Rico relocate for the role.
Relocating to the Island
Families relocating to Puerto Rico, including those moving under the island's Act 60 incentives, are usually setting up an entire household at once: the house, the staff, the schools, the schedule. The chef is rarely the first hire, and it is often the one left until the family is already living there.
We run the search remotely from the first consultation. Candidate interviews happen by video, we prioritise chefs who are genuinely prepared to relocate to the island rather than those who say they are, and the paid trial day takes place once the kitchen is operational. For families still between residences, we can also place a travelling chef who moves with the household during the transition.
The focus is the whole method. Five things define how we work, and they have not changed since 2022.
1
Founded by a Private Chef
Nineteen years inside UHNW kitchens before the agency existed. Candidates are assessed against what a private household actually demands, not against a job description. Read his story.
2
Private Chef Placement Only
We do not staff butlers, housekeepers, nannies or estate managers. One role, placed properly, rather than a catalogue of household staff.
3
Full-Time Engagements Only
No events, no short-term cover, no weekly meal prep. If you need a chef for one night in a villa, a local event chef is the right call and we will say so.
4
UHNW Households Only
Private residences, family offices and multi-property households. The brief is always a household, never a venue.
5
Our Own Vetted Pool
Most of the chefs we present are Michelin-trained, all hold strong fine-dining backgrounds, and many are not active on the open job market.
A confidential call about your household, dietary requirements, schedule, residences and the personality that fits. Conducted by our founder personally.
A personally vetted shortlist of 3 candidates within 14 days, selected specifically for your household and prepared to work in Puerto Rico.
Interviews with your preferred candidates, then a paid trial day in your own kitchen before any commitment.
Up to 6-month replacement guarantee on Executive placements, with continued support while the chef settles into the household.
Personally Vetted Chefs · Trial Days Included · Strict Discretion
Three categories cover most searches on the island. Each is a distinct brief with a different candidate pool.
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.
Explore Estate Chefs
For families splitting the year between Puerto Rico and the mainland or abroad. A narrower pool: most private chefs have never run a kitchen they did not set up themselves.
Explore Travel Chefs
Chefs who trained or worked in Michelin-starred kitchens before moving into private service. As of late 2026, 58% of the chefs we present hold that background.
Explore Michelin-Trained ChefsPuerto Rico is a United States jurisdiction, so full-time private chefs are employed on a W-2 basis. Gross annual salary, before food budgets, accommodation and employer taxes.
Island packages sit at the upper half of the United States range for one reason: relocation is usually part of the hire. Very few chefs with private residence experience already live in Puerto Rico, so a household is competing for a candidate who has to move their life, and the package has to reflect that. Michelin-trained chefs and roles covering several residences go above this range, as they do in every market. Across our completed United States placements the full range runs $130,000 to $340,000, with a typical figure of $175,000. See our full private chef salary guide, or ask for guidance specific to your household during the consultation.
"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
Work with a specialist placement agency rather than a general staffing firm or an event-chef platform. The local pool of chefs with private residence experience is small, so most Puerto Rico searches involve sourcing candidates who will relocate to the island. We run the full search remotely, deliver a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 14 days, and arrange a paid trial day in your kitchen before any commitment.
Puerto Rico is a United States jurisdiction, so chefs are employed on a W-2 basis. A full-time private chef on the island typically runs $150,000 to $200,000 per year, with Michelin-trained chefs and multi-residence roles above that. Island packages sit at the upper half of the United States range because relocation is usually part of the hire. Across our completed United States placements the full range is $130,000 to $340,000, typically $175,000. Figures exclude food budgets, accommodation and employer taxes. See our private chef salary guide.
Yes. Dorado and Dorado Beach are the focus of most enquiries we receive from the island, along with San Juan, Condado and Guaynabo. We place for primary residences, seasonal homes and families relocating from the mainland.
Yes, and it usually should. Most of our Puerto Rico searches begin while the family is still on the mainland, including households moving under Act 60. Consultations and candidate interviews happen remotely, and the paid trial day takes place once the kitchen is operational. Starting early also widens the pool, because chefs who are relocating need notice.
Yes. Many Puerto Rico households keep a residence on the mainland or abroad. We place chefs experienced in running several kitchens and travelling with the family, holding the same standard in each one. See our travelling private chef placements.
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. Every candidate is assessed personally by our founder, a private chef to billionaires for 19 years. For island roles we also confirm that a candidate is genuinely prepared to relocate and understands what living and sourcing in Puerto Rico involves.
Most are. As of late 2026, 58% of the chefs we present to families trained in Michelin-starred kitchens, and the rest hold strong fine-dining backgrounds. For a household that wants daily family food rather than tasting menus, a Michelin background is useful for technique and organisation but it is never the whole brief. See our Michelin-trained private chef placements.
No. We place full-time, long-term private chefs for single households. No events, no catering, no short-term or general staffing placements. For a one-night villa dinner, a local event chef is the right choice. If you are weighing full-time cover against a lighter arrangement, read our private chef vs personal chef comparison.
You receive a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 14 days of your consultation. The full process, including interviews and a paid trial day, usually runs 3 to 6 weeks. Island placements can run slightly longer where a candidate needs to arrange relocation.
Executive placements carry up to a 6-month replacement guarantee. If the placement does not work out within that window, we conduct a replacement search at no additional agency fee. Our fee is success-based: you are invoiced only once you appoint a chef through us.
For every question families and estate managers ask before hiring, read our full Private Chef FAQ.
Full-time chefs for primary and seasonal residences in Dorado Beach, Dorado Country Estates and the surrounding gated communities.
Private chefs for city residences and oceanfront apartments across Condado, Ocean Park and greater San Juan.
Family chefs for established homes in Guaynábo, cooking daily for children, parents and guests.
Residence chefs for Bahía Beach and the resort residences of Río Grande, year-round or seasonal.
Many island households keep a mainland residence. See all the markets we serve, including Miami and New York.
Every chef personally vetted · Up to 6-month replacement guarantee · Complete discretion
Schedule a Confidential ConsultationHeadquartered in Palma de Mallorca. Placing Michelin-trained private chefs in UHNW homes across the United States, United Kingdom and Europe.
US: +1 917 924 4599
© 2026 Montclair Chef