Hiring a private chef in a Miami condo or villa: what to know first

A private chef dinner in a Miami rental can be spectacular: a terrace over the water, a long table and the city lit up behind you. It can also go wrong before the chef ever reaches the elevator. Here is what to arrange before you book a chef for your Miami condo or villa.

1. Ask the building about vendors

Many condo buildings require vendors to check in at a loading dock, use a service elevator and, in some cases, provide a certificate of insurance. Ask your host or the front desk for their vendor instructions and send them to your chef in advance. It saves an hour on the day.

2. Check the kitchen size

High-rise kitchens are often beautiful and small. That works perfectly well, but it shapes the menu: fewer dishes that need the oven at the same time, and more that are finished on the stove or served chilled. Send photos of the kitchen if you can.

3. Plan the terrace dinner around the wind and sun

Terraces can be windy, and the late-afternoon sun can be fierce. A dinner timed for sunset, with chilled starters and hot mains plated inside, works best.

4. Dine early, go out late

Miami nights start late. A 7:30 dinner at the condo leaves plenty of time before the club, and it is far easier on the budget than a restaurant table for twelve on Ocean Drive.

What to put on the menu

Lean into the setting with citrus-marinated seafood, ahi tuna, grilled fish and coconut rice, then tres leches or key lime to finish. Our blackened grouper and butter-poached lobster tail are perennial favorites, and our private chef dinners page outlines each service style.

Dinners start at $57 a person plus food, with a $830 minimum. See our Miami page or tell us about your stay.