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# Your practical guide to hosting a private chef at home

Hosting a private chef for the first time? Here's everything you need to know, from planning to the day itself — including a few important safety tips.
## Before your event
**Make sure your booking is actually confirmed.** A booking is only confirmed once you've paid through the ChefMaison platform and received confirmation — in the app, by chat, and by email. If you haven't received that confirmation, don't assume the date is locked in.
**Finalize the details with your chef.** Use the chat to agree on:
* The final menu
* Number of guests, including any children
* Dietary needs or allergies
* Timing — when the chef will arrive and when you'd like to eat
* Any specific requests for the evening
**Let your chef know what equipment you have.** Send your chef a list of the kitchen equipment and appliances you already have at home. This helps them know exactly what to bring — and just as importantly, what *not* to bring, so nothing gets left behind that you actually needed.

**Confirm the exact address in advance.** Double-check the address with your chef before the day — sending a map link or dropping a pin is the safest way to do this. It's more common than you'd think for similar or identical addresses to exist in different locations, so a quick confirmation avoids your chef ending up at the wrong place.

**Save your chef's contact number.** Make sure you have a direct way to reach your chef on the day, in case anything comes up.

**Keep communication going.** If anything changes before your event — adding more guests, shifting the start time, a new dietary need — let your chef know as soon as possible. Good communication is key to a smooth event, and most changes are easy to accommodate the earlier your chef knows about them.

**Prepare your space.** Most chefs work fine with a standard home kitchen and bring their own tools — you don't need anything special. It helps to have your kitchen reasonably clear and accessible before the chef arrives.
## Payment & safety — please read this carefully
This is the single most important thing to know: **all payment must go through ChefMaison — never pay a chef directly, in cash or by any other method, off the platform.**
If payment stays on the platform, your money is held securely and only released to the chef after your event takes place — this is what protects you throughout the entire process.
**A few clear rules to protect yourself:**
* Never pay a chef in cash or via bank transfer, PayPal, or any method outside ChefMaison's checkout.
* If a chef ever asks you to pay them directly, or to move your booking off the platform, **decline and report it to us immediately** at [operations@chefmaison.com](mailto:operations@chefmaison.com).
* Keep all communication inside the ChefMaison chat — this is also what allows us to help you if anything ever goes wrong.
See [Why book through ChefMaison instead of arranging things directly with a chef? ](https://help.chefmaison.com/en/article/why-book-through-chefmaison-instead-of-arranging-things-directly-with-a-chef-1o5sxky/)for more on why this matters.
## What to expect on the day
1. **Arrival.** Your chef typically arrives ahead of time with the shopping already done, ready to start cooking.
2. **Cooking.** They'll prepare the meal in your kitchen, following the menu you agreed on together.
3. **Service.** Each course is served and explained at the table — you simply host and enjoy the evening with your guests.
4. **Cleanup.** Your chef cleans the kitchen and any areas used before leaving — many guests say it's left cleaner than they found it.
## If something feels off
Trust your instincts. A few signs worth watching for:
* A chef asking for payment outside the platform, before or during the event.
* A chef trying to move communication to WhatsApp, email, or phone before your booking is confirmed.
* Anything that doesn't match what was agreed in your proposal once the event is underway.
If any of this happens, contact us right away at [**operations@chefmaison.com**](mailto:operations@chefmaison.com) — the sooner we know, the more we can do to help.
## After your event
* **Report any issues within 24 hours.** If anything didn't match what was agreed, see **What happens if the chef doesn't deliver what was agreed?** — there's a real time window for this, so don't wait.
* **Leave a review.** It only takes a minute and genuinely helps both future guests and your chef

> 💡 The golden rule: if it's not happening inside the ChefMaison app — payment, communication, agreements — it's not protected. Keep everything on the platform, and we've got you covered.