Frequently Asked Questions

ChefMatch is a two-sided marketplace that connects customers with professional private chefs in the greater Seattle area. Whether you need weekly meal prep, a dinner party chef, a cooking class, or a tasting event, ChefMatch makes it easy to find, vet, and book the right chef for you.

It's simple: browse verified chef profiles, schedule a free intro meeting, and book your first session. Your chef handles everything — menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking in your kitchen, and cleanup. You just enjoy the food.

ChefMatch currently serves the greater Seattle area, including Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Tacoma, and surrounding cities. We're actively expanding — if you're a chef outside our current service area, join the waitlist and we'll let you know when we launch near you.

No! You can browse chef profiles, see their cuisines, reviews, and pricing without creating an account. You'll need to sign up when you're ready to book an intro meeting or a session.

Each booking includes menu consultation, grocery shopping, meal preparation, cooking, and kitchen cleanup. Your chef arrives with all the ingredients, prepares everything in your kitchen, stores or serves the food, and leaves your kitchen spotless.

ChefMatch chefs offer a variety of services: weekly meal prep (batch cooking for the week), dinner parties (multi-course meals for your guests), cooking classes (learn from a professional), and tastings (curated multi-course experiences). Each chef lists which services they offer on their profile.

We recommend booking at least 3-5 days in advance to give your chef time to plan menus and shop for ingredients. For dinner parties or special events, 1-2 weeks is ideal. Some chefs may have availability for last-minute bookings — check their calendar.

You can cancel a booking up to 48 hours in advance for a full refund. Cancellations within 24-48 hours receive a 50% refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable, as the chef has already purchased groceries and prepared for the session.

No minimum commitment required. You can book a single session to try it out, or set up a recurring weekly schedule. Many customers start with a one-time booking before committing to regular meal prep.

Yes! Many customers set up weekly or bi-weekly meal prep schedules with their favorite chef. After your first booking, you can discuss a recurring arrangement directly with your chef through our messaging system.

Each booking has three components: the chef's service fee (typically $400-$500 per session, set by the chef), a flat $10 platform fee, and grocery costs at cost (no markup). WA sales tax is added as required by law. You'll see the full breakdown before confirming any booking.

No hidden fees, ever. The complete cost breakdown — chef's service fee, $10 platform fee, estimated grocery cost, and applicable tax — is shown before you confirm your booking. What you see is what you pay.

Your chef shops for fresh ingredients and you reimburse them at cost with no markup. Chefs provide receipts through the app for full transparency. Typical grocery costs range from $50-$150 depending on the number of meals, ingredients, and dietary requirements.

Tipping is not required but is always appreciated. You can add a tip through the app after your session is complete. Tips go directly to your chef.

All payments are processed securely through our platform. You'll be charged for the service fee and platform fee when you confirm your booking. Grocery costs are invoiced separately after the chef provides receipts.

Joining is free! Sign up, create your profile with your cuisine specialties and services, set your rates and availability, and complete our verification process (background check and food safety certification). Once approved, your profile goes live and you can start accepting bookings.

Every chef on ChefMatch undergoes a thorough vetting process including a background check, food safety certification verification (such as ServSafe), and a profile review. Verified chefs receive a trust badge that's displayed on their profile, which helps build trust with customers.

You set your own rates based on your experience, cuisine, and the type of service. Most chefs charge between $400-$500 for meal prep sessions. You keep 100% of your service fee — the $10 platform fee is charged to the customer, not you. Grocery costs are reimbursed separately at cost.

All chefs on ChefMatch are expected to handle dietary restrictions and allergies professionally. Customer dietary requirements are clearly communicated during the booking process and intro meeting. You can also list your dietary specialties on your profile (vegan, keto, gluten-free, halal, etc.).

While not strictly required, we strongly recommend liability insurance. ChefMatch offers access to affordable liability insurance through our partner program to help protect you and your business.