Frequently Asked Questions by Our Clients

how does this work?

When you decide to inquire with Gather & Forge for a quote for your special event or services, you will be prompted by our “Get Started” form to fill out important information that our booking team will need in order to calculate pricing taking into consideration all factors. You will then receive an online Estimate for your desired services and the opportunity to either make adjustments or to approve that Estimate (which is typically a per guest amount alongside a sliding scale of luxuriousness, i.e. $84-$250+/guest.) When you’re ready to book, you pay a 50% deposit to secure your desired date on the calendar. This price includes our back-end costs, menu development, groceries, preparation, execution of menu, and cleaning up after the event. The cost you decide upon with our booking agent will not be set in stone, and can be adjusted based on wants and needs. Once your deposit is paid, our customer relations management system books your special date on our calendar. Then, 10 days before your event, we will connect you with your chef by a group text message to discuss further details and expectations and then chef will send you a first draft menu proposal. The day of your event, your chef will arrive 60-90 minutes before your first course is to be served, and prepare and serve your meal. Chefs typically use your cookware to cook and serve you on your dishes, flatware, and glassware. But chef can always bring any specific piece of cookware that may be needed. We also offer cutlery, linen napkins and glass tumblers for rent, as well as compostable disposable bamboo plates, if you prefer not to use your own dishes. The chef will present you with your final invoice which you pay while chef cleans the kitchen before chef departs, just like you would in a restaurant setting.

How much do your services cost?

Gather & Forge offers a variety of services at different pricing tiers depending on a client’s needs and specifications. Private dinners begin at $84 per guest for a main course with 2 sides, chicken/fish which includes a uniquely personalized menu, the shopping, preparation, and transferring of ingredients to the event, execution of said menu, and a kitchen cleanup following the service. Our minimum per event is subjective. For a group of 2 or “date night” the minimum is $500. For all other services, the minimum for weekdays is $800 and $1000 for weekends. Holiday or special event dates may have a higher minimum and will be detailed in your Estimate. We do this to ensure the highest degree of attention to our clients as well ensure that we are utilizing our time wisely. Signing up and cementing the date on our calendar requires a deposit of half the total cost. The menu, number of courses, cost of ingredients, and distance to location will all play a factor into the final cost per person.

For personal chef weekly meal prep service, our prices begin at $400 service fee per date for up to 12 portions (servings), plus the cost of groceries. For more than 12 portions, the service fee increases by $25 per portion (serving) plus the additional groceries. So the ultimate cost will depend on dietary needs/preferences, number of portions, as well as the average cost of higher-end ingredients if requested. This cost covers menu development based off a thorough assessment, the shopping, transporting, and cooking of said meals and relaying of appropriate reheating instructions for each individual meal as needed. Our private chef services vary depending on number of services and meals required per day. Gather & Forge is proud to be able to serve Austin’s elite and is open to negotiating over the phone or in person.

How long do your events/services usually last?

Gather & Forge will often arrive at an event site an hour or more prior to the starting time of your event. We will have most of our courses prepped out and ready to fire. Depending on the number of courses and guests attending, we like to have dinner service run approximately 1:30 to 2:00 hours, from first course served, to last course. So with setting-up and clean-up accounted for, we are usually at the event site for a total of a maximum of 4 hours. Additional time is available at $60 per hour per chef.

Can you provide menu samples?

Gather & Forge is continually modifying menus to capture the essence of the season as well as play off of our most recent culinary exploits. We are a diverse team of chefs with many different experiences and perspectives regarding what we believe to be representative of elevated cuisine. We do thousands of private chef events in Austin per year and each of them are custom. With the custom nature of our services we offer a “previous menu” discovery page where you are able to see our range as we move throughout the year. We try to update them as often as we can. You can see that page HERE.

We encourage potential clients to view our Instagram page to get an idea of the type of food we create. We do everything from crawfish boils to seven course tasting menus and want nothing more than to make your event as memorable as possible.

Do you cater to allergies and/or dietary preferences?

This is our foremost concern as personal and private chefs under Gather & Forge. Not only do we want to make incredible food but we want to make sure everyone’s needs are catered to and payed close attention to. We don’t believe in compromising one person’s experience for an ailment that they have to experience everyday. We proudly recognize that they are dining with us and want them to remember that we took care of them.

For our personalized weekly meal prep services, we have our clients fill out a thorough questionnaire that covers all the bases concerning dietary needs and preferences. It is our priority to nourish and provide truly satisfying and convenient meals to our clients.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept credit/debit cards. This is the most effective for both parties so we can keep track of all events in a safe place. This also allows us to account for any thing that might happen during the time of your booking. You will receive an online invoice that same day after your services are rendered which will provide different options for you to submit payment.

Do you cater to large events?

Gather & Forge is composed of many passionate chefs. Depending on the occasion, we will often hire out other talented acquaintances within the service industry that we have personally vetted. That being said, we are capable of cooking for up to 200 if the space is appropriate and if we have a large enough window of time to formulate a game plan for the event and menu.

As for private dinner parties, we are often executing boutique style chef’s tasting menus for intimate gatherings or bachelor and bachelorette parties. We are also a fan of crawfish boils, taco parties, and cheese board/passed app. affairs. We are flexible in the services that we offer and are willing to make your event a special one.

What’s your minimum guest count?

Gather & Forge is happy to cook for an intimate couple’s dinner and date night if requested in a timely manner, and meets our total event minimums. That being said, we will usually charge a higher cost to offset a higher-paying event but will stay true to our margins and provide a dinner experience with the best ingredients we can. We find that for a coursed-out service, 30 guests and below is usually our sweet spot. Beyond this, we usually have to hire-on additional help which requires us to charge accordingly.

What is the difference between a personal and private chef?

A personal chef has the flexibility to work both private dinner parties as well as cooking for various families in their homes to help them meet their meal-prep. needs.

A private chef is a high-end asset as well as someone who most likely started out as a personal chef and eventually came across a client who required exclusive servicing. It is common for a private chef to live on their client’s property and accompany them on excursions to ensure that their dietary requirements are met.

Is Gather and Forge a local business?

Gather and Forge is a small and locally owned business. Ryan Francis started this business in 2015.

What does Gather & Forge mean?

When we created this company, we wanted to bring conscientious dining and creative collaboration into the homes of our clients. We wanted Austinites and visitors to this great city to experience a truly unique dining experience that we would create based on their individual needs and preferences. The idea is that through our craft, we can bring families, friends, and co-workers together to forge or “create” memorable dining experiences.