Key takeaway: A private chef at home for a group of 12 guests or more brings the food, the equipment and the plates, but the house provides the table, chairs, glassware and cutlery. On the 5-course menu listed at $110, count on about $130 per guest once the 3% fee and taxes are added.
When a private chef cooks for a group of sixteen, the menu is rarely the problem. What runs short on the night is glasses, chairs and a counter long enough to plate sixteen dishes side by side. If your table seats ten, the extension leaf and extra chairs need to be sorted out the week before.
The guidelines below are based on the published terms of a private chef based in Cowansville, in the Eastern Townships, who also cooks in Montreal, Laval and on the North Shore. They were checked in October 2026.
Beyond 12 guests, the house becomes the constraint
In brief: the chef brings the kitchen, but everything in the dining room is the host’s responsibility, and that’s where large groups get stuck.
The division of tasks is spelled out in the chef’s terms of service: the chef brings the food, equipment and plates, then leaves the kitchen clean. The host takes care of cutlery, glassware and setting the table.
With eight guests, this split goes unnoticed. With sixteen, it becomes an inventory. With a water glass, a white wine glass and a red wine glass per person, you need 48 clean glasses. If each course of a five-course menu gets its own cutlery, the count climbs to 80 pieces.
What the host prepares:
- Seating. One chair per guest, around one table or two tables pushed together.
- Glassware and cutlery. Counted by course, washed and grouped on a sideboard or a clear counter in the dining room.
- The fridge and freezer. Whole shelves cleared for the chef’s preparations.
- The counters. Completely cleared, since sixteen plates are plated side by side.
- Parking. At least one unloading spot near the door for the chef’s equipment.
The day before, set out all the chairs and seat two people side by side in the middle of the table. If their elbows touch when they cut, the table is too tight for a multi-course meal.
Seated or standing, the number of guests decides the format
In brief: up to about twenty people, a plated meal remains realistic at home; beyond that, a cocktail dinner is often the simplest option.
These thresholds are guidelines: a country house doesn’t have the limits of a condo on the Plateau.
| Number of guests | Format that works | What gets tight | Question to ask the chef |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 11 | Plated menu, 3 to 7 courses | Rarely space | Which menu for the season? |
| 12 to 20 | Plated menu, 3 or 5 courses | Table, glassware, counter space for plating | Can a server be added, and at what price? |
| 20 and more | Cocktail dinner, 8 to 12 bites per person | Circulation and places to set down glasses | How many hot and cold bites? |
| Mixed group with children | Plated adult menu and a simplified plate for the kids | Course pacing too slow for little ones | Can the children be served first? |
In the 12 to 20 guest row, the number of courses makes the difference. For eighteen people, a 7-course menu means 126 plates to plate and clear in a home kitchen; the 5-course menu means 90. Beyond 20, a standing reception frees up the dining room, and bites sold by the unit come to 8 to 12 per person when they replace the meal.
Hosting more than twelve people this winter? Describe the date, the number of guests and the size of the dining room in a quote request: the format is confirmed before the menu.
The listed price per guest isn’t the final price
In brief: for sixteen guests on the 5-course menu, the 3% fee and taxes bring the starting price from $110 to about $130 per person, before wine, tip and travel.
The private chef packages list, as of October 2026, 3-, 5- and 7-course menus starting at $85, $110 and $130 per person, from six guests, with prices that decrease as the group grows. That “starting at” is a floor, and it leaves out two lines of the bill.
For sixteen guests on the 5-course menu, at the starting price, the menu costs 16 x $110, or $1,760. The 3% service and management fee adds $52.80. Revenu Québec applies 5% GST and 9.975% QST on the price, here on $1,812.80: $90.64 and $180.83. The bill comes to $2,084.27, or $130.27 per guest. The tip is at your discretion.
That total is a ceiling: with decreasing prices, the quote for a group of sixteen can come in under $110 per guest.
The 30% deposit that books the date comes to about $528 on the menu. It’s kept if you cancel less than 72 hours before, a detail that matters while the guest list is still changing.
That leaves travel, which isn’t in this total. The chef travels free of charge within 35 km of Cowansville, then charges $0.60 per additional kilometre. By road, downtown Montreal is about 90 km away: count roughly 55 billable km, around thirty dollars per trip. Laval is about 115 km away, or 80 billable km and nearly $50, and the North Shore further still. The Laval service page states that these fees are calculated in the quote: ask whether the round trip is counted.
Sixteen plates at once, the pacing is set before the evening
With six people, one plate is dressed while the previous one goes out to the table. With sixteen, the chef lines up every plate on the counter, builds them in series, then serves them almost all at once so no one eats cold food while their neighbour waits.
Three decisions are therefore made in advance. First, the time of the first course, set according to the real latecomers and not the time printed on the invitation. Next, speeches and toasts: a ten-minute tribute between the starter and the main course should be flagged to the chef, who will hold back the cooking. Finally, a single person acts as the point of contact with the kitchen during the evening.
Table service is part of the service: each dish is presented and explained to the guests. The site mentions neither an extra server nor a rate for adding one, even for twenty guests: if you want one, ask for it in the quote and have the price confirmed in writing. Since the wine comes from the host, designate someone to refill glasses between courses in any case.
Dietary restrictions are also collected earlier: the list of names, with the exact nature of each allergy or intolerance, goes out with the confirmation of the guest count.
Wine for a large table is calculated in standard drinks
The chef can’t sell wine or alcohol, but suggests pairings based on the menu. Ask for them as soon as the menu is confirmed, so you can buy the bottles a week ahead rather than the day before.
For quantity, Éduc’alcool provides the basis for the calculation: according to its standard drink pourer (in French), a standard glass of 13% wine holds 129 ml. A 750 ml bottle therefore holds just under six.
At three glasses per guest over the evening, sixteen guests come to 48 glasses, or just over eight bottles. Nine bottles cover the meal, split between white and red according to the menu. This calculation is for planning the purchase, not for setting consumption.
Éduc’alcool’s Savoir recevoir hosting guide (in French) adds three useful habits for a large group: provide non-alcoholic drinks, identify designated drivers and stop serving alcohol an hour before the end of the event.
The timeline for hosting a group with a private chef
Two weeks before, count the glassware, cutlery and chairs, then book rentals for whatever is missing. One week before, confirm the number of guests and the allergy list, buy the wine and get the travel costed. The day before, set the table and clear the counters and fridge. During the evening, the chef cooks, serves and leaves the kitchen clean; all that’s left for you is to fill the glasses.
To confirm the format, send the date, address, number of guests, the length of your table and any known allergies through the request form.
FAQ
How much does a private chef cost for a group of 15 people?
About $1,950 including taxes for the 5-course menu, at October 2026 prices: 15 times $110, or $1,650, plus the 3% service and management fee, then GST and QST. Wine, tip and travel beyond 35 km are extra. Since the private chef’s rates decrease with group size, the quote may be lower.
Do you need to rent dishes to host 20 people?
Often, yes, for glassware and cutlery. The chef brings the plates, but the host provides the glasses, cutlery and table setting. For 20 guests, a water glass and two wine glasses per person already add up to 60 glasses, and a 5-course menu can require up to 100 pieces of cutlery. Take inventory two weeks ahead and book rentals for whatever is missing.
Is a home kitchen enough for a dinner for 16 people?
Yes, in most cases. The chef brings their own equipment and works with the home’s oven, stove, fridge and sink. The real constraint is space: counters completely cleared to plate sixteen dishes side by side, and free shelves in the fridge and freezer. A photo of the kitchen attached to the quote request helps the chef plan the setup.
