Private Chef · Ojai Valley
Michelin-trained cooking in your home. Seasonal menus sourced from the Ojai Valley's farms and the Santa Barbara coast. Wood-fire technique. Everything from scratch. Serving Ojai, Ventura, and surrounding areas.
Hiring a private chef in Ojai isn't about having someone stand in your kitchen performing. It's about a meal designed specifically for your table — your guests, your occasion, what's seasonal right now — cooked at a level you won't find at a local restaurant.
Chef Ryan McLaughlin trained at Cafe Juanita and Tarsan i Jane — both Michelin-recognized restaurants. He moved to the Ojai Valley specifically because of the quality of what grows here. The farms are real: Earthtrine, Olivia's Organic, small operations that don't have Instagram accounts. When produce is at its peak, you cook with it.
A private dinner in Ojai means a custom menu built around your preferences, sourced during the week of your event, cooked in your home, and cleaned up quietly when the meal is done. No reservation. No noise. Just a table worth sitting at.
Pricing includes menu consultation, ingredient sourcing, in-home cooking, full service, and cleanup. Quoted per-person rates are all-inclusive — no hidden add-ons. Final pricing confirmed at booking based on guest count, courses, and any specialty ingredients. Contact for a custom quote.
Menus change with the season and are built around your table. This is representative — not what you'd actually receive. That conversation comes first.
"Ojai grows things worth cooking. The valley's farms and the Santa Barbara coast, in your kitchen — that's the dinner."— Chef Ryan McLaughlin, Private Chef · Ojai
Share the occasion, who's coming, and any preferences. I'll respond within 24 hours with availability and initial menu ideas.