Welcome
Chef Paolo Champion of Italian Mediterranean Food - Italian Food Tour Guide Availability ( In italy) Let's travel together.- Mentor and Culinary Teacher- Inspirational Speaker on Food and Faith.

Chef Paolo's Specialties

Reviews

Chef Paolo Lafata was wonderful!

He cooked the most delicious and special meal for my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. Everyone said the food was spectacular. His attention to detail and thoughtfulness shined throughout the meal. Everything was just perfect. Thank you, Chef Paolo!

- Jennifer Trenkamp
Exceptional

Chef Paolo spent six months with us for the summer, and was exceptional. Every detail of the meal for planning, shopping, and executing was well thought out and prepared to perfection. He adapted our dietary preferences daily as well as the family vacationing at our home and the occasional lunch/dinner guests. He was open to hearing our personal taste critiques and modified accordingly. We will undoubtedly hire him again.

- Christina Johnson
Five Star + Chef!

If I could give Chef Paolo 100 stars, I would! He was very responsive and thorough in the menu planning. We hired him for a dinner party and he completely blew us away. In addition to his food being absolutely outstanding, Chef Paolo is professional, kind, and passionate about cooking which was evident in the dishes he prepared. He is a value added to any event! Thank you Chef Paolo for making our evening so special, we will never forget our experience!

- Alyssa Perez
Chef Paolo
About

Chef Paolo

Being born at the foot of a volcano, Mount Etna in Sicily, my passion for the culinary world began at a very young age. As I used to watch my father with just a few ingredients, fresh rosemary and tomatoes from the garden, capers that climbed the walls of our home and wild asparagus that grew in the countryside. I would tag along to the butcher’s for a specific cut of meat “and don’t forget the bones for stock”, my mom would call us out to us as we stepped out the door. My favorite shop was the pasticceria/cafe’ for baba’ rhum,Saint Honore’ cake and last but the best GELATO. Later on my family opened a cafe of our own, where I worked along with my brothers and sisters and I began to learn pastries. I worked in the family business until the Italian army called me. When they become aware of my background, I soon found myself cooking in the kitchen for some of the generals. I don’t recall ever shooting a gun. After the military service I returned to work at the cafe and continued learning the Italian cuisine. In 1980, I had the blessing to selected to come to America to open a new restaurant in Omaha Ne, together with my mentor, my oldest brother. I returned to Sicily in 1986 as a married man, to attend the Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Catania Sicily, Diploma in Haute’ Italian Cuisine and so was the decision to come back to USA , to restart my my career. We started in Chicago Il. with the opening of “The Fairmont Hotel” then in Florida to Walt Disney World “The Grand Floridian Hotel”opening team and the “Flagler’s”Italian restaurant, as I worked at the Grand, I was chosen to be one of the chefs to participate on the opening of the Disney park in Paris France”EuroDisney” at the “California Grill”Restaurant. After I returned to Florida a new job came to me with Darden Restaurants. I worked for Darden for 25 years, 20 of them spent in Italy 3 months per year teaching Italian Cuisine. HUMBLY Chef Paolo
PS. Our daughter was born in Sicily.

Cuisines & Events: American, Bachelorette Party, Italian, Mediterranean, Seafood

How to Hire a Private Chef for Your Event

  • Pick a place, date, and time.
  • Select your chef and menu. (Each chef offers different menus which are fully a la carte. Simply choose the dishes you want for your occasion.)
  • Add details like the number of guests and any special instructions.
  • Pay for your reservation. Make any changes or even cancel up to a week before your event for a refund.
  • After you’ve made a reservation, the private chef you’ve hired will reach out within 48 hours to confirm the details and coordinate their arrival.
  • If you’ve added any special dietary restrictions or event instructions, they’ll work with you to implement those.
  • Your chef will arrive with everything they need, including ingredients, cooking equipment, and cleaning supplies. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the day with your guests.
  • The cleanup is included too! Hire a private chef with us and know that we’ll likely leave your kitchen cleaner than when you gave it to us.

Our Top FAQs

1. Can I customize the menu?

Absolutely! All our menus are fully a la carte. Once you’ve decided on a chef, you’ll see a list of all the dishes they offer and you can choose the ones you’d like for your event.

2. How is your service priced?

You pay a fixed price per guest based on your menu, plus a small, all-inclusive booking fee to our platform. You’ll be able to see exactly what you’re paying when you make a booking. No hidden costs, ever.

3. How many guests can I invite?

As many as you like! Although for events with over 30 people, we ask that you reach out to us to make an event inquiry.

4. My group has multiple dietary restrictions

That’s absolutely fine! When finalizing your menu, please mention these under ‘Special Instructions.’ For instance, you can specify that you’d like to accommodate one vegan guest and one gluten-free guest for your at-home catering and your private chef will prepare suitable dish variants for those guests.

5. Can I make changes to the menu or guest list?

Yes! You can make any changes to your booking. You can even cancel it up to a week before your event, and you’ll receive a refund.

6. Is my event insured?

Yes, it is. Our service includes full insurance for your private chef in case of any mishaps.

7. How are the Chefs chosen?

Each chef is fully vetted. We require at minimum one year of sous chef experience. Your chef has gone through an FCRA compliant background check and multiple interviews before joining our platform.

8. What is FFKs cancellation and refund policy?

We take pre-payment to secure your chef and simplify our service. No fumbling with payments after your event or dealing with multiple payments in different stages of the process. Much like our service, our return policy is simple and meant to protect you, our hosts and our amazing Chefs.
  • One week or more before your event we guarantee your refund.
  • During the week of your event we offer a 50% refund.
  • We will not be able to refund within 48 hours of your event. At this point your chef has not been available for other parties and has already planned for your event. *Please note all refunds are less processing and booking fees