By the week
Villa chef by the week
Seven days of meals is not seven dinners. It is an organisation, a rhythm, and a chef able to go the distance without the house noticing the effort.
What changes when the chef stays all week
A private dinner is a moment: it is announced, prepared for, and it happens. A week in a villa is something else entirely. The chef enters the daily life of the house, and success no longer rests on one excellent dish but on the consistency of the whole, including breakfasts, improvised lunches and the evening when nobody is really hungry.
That calls for different qualities. Varying without repeating, feeding adults and children at the same hours, absorbing four extra guests announced at midday, and staying discreet in a house shared for a week.
This is why the same chefs are not proposed indiscriminately for a dinner and for a stay. Chefs used to long villa assignments are a category of their own, and they are the ones we look for as soon as the duration goes beyond a few days.
To settle first
What needs deciding before arrival
Which meals are actually covered
Three a day, or only dinners and breakfasts? Many families eat out several times a week. Saying so avoids paying for a service that goes unused.
Shopping and produce budget
Who buys, to what budget and with what instructions. This is the single biggest source of misunderstanding on a stay: better settled before than after.
The kitchen available
Burners, oven, dishwasher, refrigeration, work surface, summer kitchen. These determine what it is reasonable to serve a large table.
Staff already in place
Housekeeper, butler, cleaning team: the chef slots into an existing organisation. Knowing who does what, particularly the washing-up and the service, prevents friction.
Diets and children
Allergies, intolerances, specific diets, the ages of the children and separate mealtimes. All of this shapes the choice of chef as much as the style of cooking.
Setting it up
Preparing a stay with a chef
- 01
Dates and the house
Period, address or town, how many people are staying, and how many guests are expected on top of the family.
- 02
The real rhythm
Which meals you genuinely want, at roughly what times, and what you would rather do out.
- 03
Choosing the chef
Profiles available on your dates, selected for their experience of long assignments in private houses, presented with their culinary register.
- 04
Final briefing
Opening menus, sourcing, access to the house and coordination with staff in place. The stay starts with no grey areas.
Beyond the kitchen
When a chef is no longer enough
Past a certain number of guests, or once dinners become genuine receptions, a chef alone reaches his limit. He can cook or serve, but hardly both across a whole week.
In that case we propose service staff alongside: a butler or household staff for the length of the stay. The team is then chosen to work together, which changes the comfort of the house considerably.
- Table service handled while the chef stays in the kitchen
- Guests welcomed and the house kept in order throughout the stay
- Everything cleared after meals, without the family involved
Frequently asked
The weekly chef, in practice
01What is the minimum length?
Stays generally start at a few days. Below that it becomes closer to a dinner assignment, which is organised differently. The ideal length for a chef to find his rhythm in a house is around a week.
02Does the chef cover all three meals every day?
Not necessarily, and it is yours to decide. Many families keep breakfasts and dinners and leave lunches free. The scope is set before the stay and can be adjusted along the way.
03Who pays for the shopping?
Produce is at the expense of the house. Depending on the arrangement the chef may or may not advance the purchases, and an indicative budget is set beforehand. This must be clear before arrival.
04Does the chef need to live in?
Not necessarily. For distant houses or long assignments, living in makes the organisation far easier, particularly for breakfasts. For a villa close to Cannes it is generally unnecessary.
05Can we add guests during the stay?
Yes, it is common. Telling the chef early in the day is usually enough. A major change, a table that doubles, does need more notice.
06What happens if the chef is unable to continue?
We look for a replacement among the network profiles available at that moment. Feasibility depends on the period and the notice: we prefer to say that plainly rather than present it as a guarantee.
Tell us about your plans
A few details are enough. Guillaume answers personally and comes back to you with suitable profiles.