By Yohann Perié, private chef
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You are planning a villa holiday in Pyla, Cap Ferret or Arcachon, and the idea of having a chef on hand keeps coming back to you. Before going any further, there is a fair question to ask: what does it actually cost? Here are my rates, what they include, what comes on top, and what I have learned from my stays in Pyla.
What I learned in Pyla
In Pyla-sur-Mer, I cook for entire stays in July and August, for families from France, the United States and all over the world who come to discover the Bay: groups of four to ten people sharing a large villa for one or two weeks. Every one of them chose the full package: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.
That is no coincidence. With ten people, it is not the meals themselves that wear you out but everything around them: shopping in high season, planning menus to suit different tastes, and clearing up after every meal. In a large group, not everyone lends a hand, and it is always the same people who end up in the kitchen. That is precisely what I take off your hands.
Priced by the day, not per head
I do not come to the Bay for a single dinner: I settle in for the length of your stay. So the rate is charged by the day, and it does not depend on how many people are at the table, as long as there are between 2 and 10 of you. Whether you are a couple or three families together, the day costs the same. For more than ten guests, I draw up a bespoke quote.
What changes the budget is how many meals you leave to me each day. That is the thinking behind the three packages, set out in detail on the Arcachon Bay page:
- Confort, from €400 a day: one meal of your choice, breakfast, lunch or dinner. Usually it is dinner, the one nobody wants to cook after a day at the beach.
- Sérénité, from €500 a day: any two meals from breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.
- Prestige, from €600 a day: every meal of the day, from breakfast to dinner, afternoon tea included.
What the day includes
The rate covers my work, from morning to night. Every day I buy produce as close to the villa as I can. In Pyla, the fish comes from the Poissonnerie du Pyla on boulevard de l'Océan, and everything else from the La Teste-de-Buch market, in the covered market hall, open Tuesday to Sunday. Menus take shape as the stay goes on, depending on the catch, the season and what you fancy. In summer, the cooking naturally leans towards the Mediterranean: fresh and light.
I cook, I serve, and I put the kitchen back in order after every meal. The only part of the kitchen you see is what arrives on your plate. Children, allergies and special diets are all taken care of before you arrive.
What comes on top, item by item
Three items come on top of the package. I prefer to set them out clearly rather than have you discover them on an invoice.
- Produce. Charged at cost against the receipts, which I pass on to you every day. No flat fee, no mark-up: you pay for exactly what goes into your basket. As a guide, on my stays in Pyla, I allow €10 to €15 per person per day on the full package. The amount depends on your tastes: a platter of langoustines does not cost the same as a tomato salad.
- My travel costs. These appear on the quote, priced before you agree to anything.
- My accommodation locally. I stay on the Bay for the whole of your holiday. I find somewhere near the villa myself, nothing fancy, so that this item weighs as little as possible on your budget.
Wine and other drinks are not included. If you wish, I can help you choose: Graves, Pessac-Léognan and Entre-deux-Mers are right on the doorstep.
Three examples, based on the rates
Here is the cost of the package alone, excluding produce, travel and accommodation.
A long weekend for four, on Confort. Three days, one dinner each evening: 3 × €400, making €1,200.
A family week for eight, on Sérénité. Seven days, two meals a day: 7 × €500, making €3,500. Per person, that is €62.50 a day for two meals cooked, served and cleared away.
A week for ten, on Prestige. Seven days, every meal: 7 × €600, making €4,200. Per person, that is €60 a day for four sittings, or €15 a meal, before the cost of produce.
As for produce, based on €10 to €15 per person per day on the full package, allow around €100 to €150 a day for ten, €80 to €120 for eight, and less when you hand me only one or two meals: for dinner alone for four, a few dozen euros a day. If you have a budget in mind, we set it together and I keep to it.
These figures are no substitute for a quote, but they show one thing: the larger the group, the lower the price per person, since the day rate is the same for 2 to 10 guests.
How the quote comes together
It all starts with you telling me about the stay: the dates, the villa, the number of guests, what you would like and what you do not eat. A phone call or the form on the page is all it takes. Before the stay, I go through the kitchen equipment with you. The villas I cooked in at Pyla were all well equipped, but I would rather check than find out on the first morning. I then send you a clear quote: the package, my travel costs, the accommodation. Nothing is added afterwards.
Your questions about a private chef on Arcachon Bay
What is the average price of a private chef?
There is no real average, because chefs are not all selling the same thing. Many quote a price per guest for a single dinner. I offer something different: a resident chef for the whole stay, charged by the day, from €400, €500 or €600 depending on the number of meals, with the same rate for 2 to 10 guests.
Is the price per person?
No. The rate is per day and stays the same from 2 to 10 guests. That is what makes it worthwhile for large families and groups of friends.
Is the food shopping included?
No, and that is deliberate. It is recharged at cost, with receipts, so that you pay exactly for what you eat, with no flat fee and no mark-up.
Should I leave a tip?
Nothing is expected: the rate covers all of my work. Some clients leave one at the end of the stay when they have been happy; it is entirely up to them.
How far in advance should I book?
As early as possible. I only take one stay at a time, and dates in July and August go quickly. Out of season, in spring or autumn, there is more flexibility.
Still torn between a chef at the villa and the Bay's restaurants? Read private chef or restaurant: a comparison. And if your stay falls on a birthday, see how the evening works at the villa.
