Hiring a chef in Indonesia can mean one unforgettable dinner — or a permanent member of your household. Those are completely different arrangements, and choosing the right one is the only decision you need to make first. myCHEF provides vetted, professional chefs across all four formats, with our strongest active coverage in Bali.
What Kind of Chef Do You Need?
| You need | The format | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| One meal | Private dinner chef | A birthday, anniversary, tasting menu, BBQ or special evening |
| Several days | Villa or holiday chef | Breakfast, lunch and dinner across a family holiday or group stay |
| Recurring | Personal or family chef | Weekly dinners, meal prep, dietary plans, regular entertaining |
| Long term | Full-time or live-in placement | Households and estates needing a permanent, carefully matched chef |
Booking a Chef Is Not the Same as Hiring an Employee
This distinction matters, and almost nobody in the market explains it. For a dinner or a short stay, you are booking a service — myCHEF remains responsible for the chef, the standard and the outcome. For a permanent chef, you are filling a role — and we run a structured placement service with a household brief, matched profiles, interviews, trial cooking, contract support and follow-up. Tell us the intended length of the arrangement first, and we will direct you to the correct process from the start.
The Four Ways to Hire
One-off private chef experience
The meal itself is the occasion. You choose the date, location, guest count, cuisine and service style — from a relaxed family-style dinner to plated fine dining, an Indonesian feast or a villa BBQ. The booking covers menu planning, shopping, cooking, service and a clean kitchen; waiters, bartenders and full table settings can be added.
Daily chef for a villa stay
Fresh meals every day without restaurant logistics. The chef covers the meal periods you choose, shops that morning, cooks in your kitchen and cleans down after every service. Ideal for families, groups sharing a villa, wellness stays and guests with strict dietary needs. See our daily villa chef service.
Recurring personal or family chef
A chef on selected days each week for fresh meals, batch cooking and family routines — consistency first: predictable nutrition, menu variety, and a clear feedback rhythm. For stays of a month or more, see monthly arrangements.
Full-time and live-in placement
A permanent household chef must fit the food and the family. Our placement service is built around matching — vetted profiles, background verification, trial cooking and performance follow-up — and our live-in chef service covers roles where accommodation is part of the position, with a tailored quote from our staffing team.
What a Booking Includes
Menu planning around your tastes and dietary needs; ingredient shopping (fine-dining and event menus include ingredients; time-based services bill groceries at cost with receipts and no markup); on-site preparation, cooking and plating; and a full kitchen cleanup and reset. Alcohol, rental tableware, decoration and service staff are not automatic — they are itemised in your written quote, so the scope is clear before payment. Browse sample menus for a starting point.
How Vetting and Matching Works
A strong restaurant CV is not enough for private service. A household chef works close to guests, children and other staff — so we select for reliability, hygiene, discretion, calm communication and adaptability alongside technique. Matching considers cuisine specialisation, references, language, dietary experience and household fit; for permanent roles, trial cooking shows you how the chef plans, communicates and responds to feedback before anyone signs. Read our guide on how to judge quality before booking.
What It Costs
There is no single national price because the formats differ — so here are the real anchors per format:
- Private dinners: from IDR 700K per person; tasting menus from IDR 950–980K per person
- Chef days (Bali): from IDR 1,000,000++ per day for one meal, with one professional chef and one dedicated assistant included; groceries at cost with receipts
- Weekly chef service: from IDR 900,000++ per day at the weekly rate (10% off standard); monthly rate from IDR 800,000++ per day (20% off)
- Live-in placement: tailored quote from our staffing team, based on the household brief
- Service staff: waiters and sommeliers from IDR 250K per hour; bartenders from IDR 500,000++ per guest
Prices are quoted ++ (11% government tax + 10% service charge) as one fixed figure before you commit — a deposit confirms your date. Full detail lives on the current pricing.
Where We Serve
Bali-wide coverage — Seminyak, Canggu, Pererenan, Ubud, Sanur, Uluwatu, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua, Denpasar and surrounding villa areas. Beyond Bali — Lombok, yachts and other Indonesian destinations are confirmed individually once travel, accommodation and sourcing are planned. Quality of the evening matters more to us than claiming a map.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hire a chef for just one dinner?
Yes — one-off dinners, BBQs, birthdays and tasting menus are our most common booking. Send the date, location, guest count and style you have in mind.
Can you travel between islands or to remote villas?
Within Bali, travel is routine. Remote and inter-island assignments (Lombok, yachts, estates) are confirmed individually with transport, accommodation and ingredient planning built into the quote.
Are groceries included in the price?
Fine-dining and event menus include ingredients. Time-based services bill groceries at cost with receipts and no markup. Your written quote states which model applies.
How far in advance should I book?
Earlier is always better — especially for holidays, large groups and multi-day service — but same-week and sometimes same-day bookings are often possible. WhatsApp replies arrive within 2 hours.
Can the chef handle halal, vegan, allergies and kids' meals?
Yes — share requirements before menu approval, including allergy severity and cross-contact concerns, and the menu is built around them at no extra charge.
What if the chef can't make it on the day?
A verified replacement of equivalent calibre is dispatched within 2 hours, or you receive a 100% refund. Your event does not get cancelled.
Your next step
Tell Us Which Format You Need
Tell us which of the four formats you need, plus your dates, location, guest count and dietary notes. We will confirm the right arrangement and send a fixed, itemised quote — usually within 2 hours.
