Private Chef Dinners

Perfect Little Bites is my in-home private chef service based in Frederick, Maryland. I cook plated, multi-course dinners in homes and vacation rentals throughout Maryland, Washington DC, Northern Virginia, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania. Travel is also available for select events.

Most of my dinners are for groups of 4 to 20 guests, although smaller and larger events may be possible depending on the date, location, menu and service style.

How It Works

The goal is pretty simple: you get to have a great dinner with your guests without spending the night shopping, cooking, serving and cleaning up.

Once I have the details of your event, I’ll work with you on a menu based on your preferences, budget and dietary needs.

Before the dinner, I handle the menu planning and shopping. On the day of your event, I arrive before dinner with the food, cookware and equipment I need, along with plates, silverware and linen napkins.

I cook in your kitchen, plate and serve each course, clear between courses and handle the cleanup when dinner is finished. You get to spend the evening with your guests instead of working in the kitchen.

What’s Included?

My pricing is all-in. Your quote includes menu planning, groceries, travel, cooking, service, any necessary staffing, plates, silverware, linen napkins, cooking equipment and cleanup.

There are no separate travel or service fees, and gratuity is optional.

My private-chef work is centered on plated and served dinners. I don’t offer weekly meal prep, drop-off meals or buffet-style catering.

Menus and Dietary Needs

Most dinners are customized around the people I’m cooking for. When you fill out the Plan Your Dinner form, I’ll ask about the foods you enjoy, things you’d rather avoid, dietary restrictions and the kind of dinner you have in mind. I use that information to put together a menu that makes sense for your group.

I regularly work with dietary restrictions and food preferences and will let you know what I can reasonably accommodate for your particular dinner.

If you’d rather start with something that’s already been developed, you can also take a look at my theme menus. If one of them appeals to you, just mention it when you fill out the Plan Your Dinner form.

About Chef Chris Spear

I’m Chris Spear, the chef and owner of Perfect Little Bites. I graduated with high honors from Johnson & Wales University with a Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, and have worked in the foodservice industry for more than 30 years. I started Perfect Little Bites as a side business in 2010 and took it full-time in 2016.

Over the years, I’ve cooked in a lot of different homes and vacation rentals for birthdays, anniversaries, family gatherings, vacations and other celebrations. I like food that’s interesting without being overly complicated, and I enjoy being part of the evening without making myself the center of it.

Outside of Perfect Little Bites, I founded Chefs Without Restaurants, a community for independent food professionals, and host the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast. My work and recipes have also appeared in publications including StarChefs, Plate, Garden & Gun, Today and The Washington City Paper.

Ready to Plan Your Dinner?

The best place to start is the Plan Your Dinner form. Tell me about the date, location, guest count, budget, food preferences and dietary needs, and I’ll review the details and get back to you by email.