Private chef in the Alpilles

In the Alpilles, private chef rates reflect the area's high-end positioning. Expect to pay between €90 and €200 per person (ingredients included). Refined Provençal menus for 4-6 guests start around €90-120 per person. Gourmet menus featuring noble products (Provence lamb, black Alpilles truffles in winter, spiny lobster, wild garrigue asparagus, AOP olive oil for the chef's seasoning) go up to €150-200 with wine pairings. For 4-6 guests, the total budget is between €700 and €1300 all-inclusive. For an authentic Alpilles Provençal menu (tapenade, truffle scrambled eggs, daube or lamb, local cheese platter), budget €110-130 per person. For wedding weekends in privatized farmhouses, custom packages are established. Travel within the Alpilles is included, with a slight supplement for Salon, Tarascon, Arles, Cavaillon, or Avignon.

Yes, our chefs cover the entire Alpilles region: Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Maussane-les-Alpilles, Les Baux-de-Provence, Eygalières, Mouriès, Fontvieille, Paradou, Aureille, Saint-Étienne-du-Grès, Mausanne, Saint-Martin-de-Crau, Tarascon, Boulbon, Châteaurenard, Eyragues. The chefs are happy to organize services at isolated farmhouses along the garrigue paths—please provide your exact GPS coordinates when making your request, as some locations can be difficult to find. For services beyond the massif (Salon-de-Provence, Cavaillon, Avignon, Arles, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence), it is possible with a mileage surcharge. The chefs particularly appreciate services at restored dry-stone farmhouses and family bastides with their Mediterranean gardens.

Absolutely, and that's one of the most prized signatures of a private chef from the Alpilles. For olive oil, chefs work directly with the iconic mills of the Vallée des Baux-de-Provence (AOP since 1997, one of the first in France): Moulin Castelas, Moulin Jean-Marie Cornille in Maussane, Moulin de Bédarrides. They know how to create menus where olive oil becomes the central element – complex vinaigrettes, olive oil ice cream for dessert, finishing touches on dishes. For black truffle (Tuber melanosporum), the Alpilles are one of the hearts of French production. From December to March, chefs work directly with the truffle growers of the massif: scrambled eggs with truffles as a starter, truffled lamb, cheeses ripened with truffles, paired with a great Provençal wine. Please specify your interest in these signature products when you make your request.

Yes, this is a very common request in the Alpilles, which has become a major destination for exceptional Provençal weddings. Several of our chefs manage entire wedding weekends: welcome dinner on Friday evening (often for a small group, 15-25 guests), Saturday lunch brunch, cocktail hour, gala dinner (40 to 80 guests depending on the estate), and a farewell Sunday brunch. Each service is designed to offer a coherent experience with an escalation up to the gala dinner. The chef coordinates with a full brigade (line cook, commis, sommelier, maître d'hôtel, dining room service team). Tailor-made packages are established with advance logistical coordination (scheduling, sourcing, sommellerie, quality tableware). Lead times for these formats are a minimum of 4 to 6 months, sometimes 8 to 12 months for peak season.

Of course, it's even a prerequisite for serving the clientele of the Alpilles. Several of our chefs are fluent in English, some also speak Italian, German, or Dutch. The Alpilles have long attracted an international clientele who invest in second homes: British, Belgians, Dutch, Swiss, Americans, and Australians. Our chefs know how to present Provençal cuisine and the heritage of the Alpilles to international palates, tell the story of the Vallée des Baux PDO olive oil, and explain the specialty of the black truffle from the Alpilles. They also adapt to dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies, religious constraints) and know how to work with the housekeepers or domestic staff already in place in large properties.

The Alpilles have a distinct seasonal calendar. For the peak summer season (July-August), anticipate 6 to 8 weeks—this is the busiest period, especially weekends and mid-August. For the May bank holidays and Easter weekend (highly sought after by Parisian second-home owners), allow 4 to 6 weeks. For the grape harvest and Provençal autumn (September-October), 3 to 4 weeks. For the truffle season (December to February), 2 to 3 weeks, and more for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. For local festivals (Saint-Rémy Photo Festival in July, summer music festivals), 4 to 5 weeks. For weddings and full weekends in privatized country houses, anticipate a minimum of 4 to 6 months (sometimes 8 to 12 months for peak season). During the off-season, 1 to 2 weeks may suffice depending on availability.

Yes, that's the absolute signature of a private chef from the Alpilles. Depending on the menu, chefs frequent the market in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Wednesday morning, one of the most beautiful markets in Provence), the market in Maussane-les-Alpilles (Thursday morning), the market in Saint-Étienne-du-Grès (Monday morning), and the market in Eygalières (Friday morning). There, they select vegetables from market gardeners in the Crau plain, fruits from orchards, wild aromatic herbs, and farmstead cheeses. For meats, they have their suppliers among the breeders of Provence lamb and Camargue bull. For AOP Vallée des Baux olive oil, they have direct access to the major mills (Castelas, Cornille in Maussane, Bédarrides). For wines, they have access to the estates of the AOP Les Baux-de-Provence: Domaine de Trévallon (legendary), Mas de la Dame, Mas Sainte Berthe, and Domaine Hauvette. In winter, they have access to truffle growers in the massif for black truffles from the Alpilles.