Chef Mala NYC
Chef Mala NYC

Chef Mala NYC

Discounts available
Discounts available
$24/person
starting cost


Scheduling
Budget per person

Responds within a day

Introduction: Hi, I'm Mala! About me: Food and hospitality have been my world for as long as I can remember, from growing up in Jamaica and Florida to my 14 year career as a professional chef. I began in Miami Beach as a line cook after graduating culinary school, successively working for Four Seasons Hotel & Resorts in Miami as well as St. Louis, MO as a Chef de Partie. Further roles include Restaurant Chef of The Ritz-Carlton Clayton, MO and most recently, serving as Executive Sous Chef for The Breslin Bar and Dining Room and for Quality Italian in New York under the helm of 3 Michelin starred chefs. My Business: “Chef Mala Celebrations” was created in March 2022 when I was ready to trade the constraints of restaurant kitchens for the freedom and joy of working with people like you. I also wanted more meaning in my work, which I've found through making and sourcing food and ingredients I believe in for occasions that matter. More than anything, I want to make you happy with my food and I want your event to be a success. This means I can adapt to your needs and roll with any preference or dietary restriction to create something beautiful. And delicious. Contact me today for Event Catering, Group Cooking Lessons, and/or Dietary Accommodations, and let's plan the menu of your dreams. Visit my listed website for a comprehensive overview of my services, sample menus, past events, and more photos!
Overview

Hired 3 times

Serves Long Island City, NY

Background checked

2 employees

1 year in business

Payment methods

This pro accepts payments via Cash, Check, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle.

Social media

Instagram

Featured Projects

78 photos

  • Thai Feast Bachelorette Party for 14

    Wedding and Event Catering

Specialties
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Cuisine(s)

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Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, value, and professionalism.

5.0

4 reviews

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pro avatar
Shraddha J.
4 weeks ago
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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

Chef Mala saved the day! We had our wedding ceremony in our New York City apartment, and worked with Chef Mala for a very special and beautifully curated dinner. She was very creative in designing the menu and worked very patiently with us to accommodate our needs for decor, rentals and space. How she managed to make a 5 course dinner a success for 20 people in a small NYC apartment was an amazing surprise to us!

Details: Special occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc.) • 11 - 20 guests • Dinner • Premium (high end ingredients) • Cold beverages (non-alcoholic) • Indian • Mediterranean / Middle Eastern • Mexican / Latin American • Vegetarian or vegan • Meal prepared onsite • Only once • My home, venue, etc.

Personal Chef
pro avatar
Pooja B.
Oct 9, 2022
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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

I can’t say enough good things about Mala! She made a last minute request for a special dinner for my mom not only work, but also went above and beyond to make it incredibly special. She patiently worked with me on menus and dietary restrictions, included some fun surprises, and made my mom feel so loved. I highly recommend Mala, and can’t wait to work with her again!

Details: Special occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc.) • 3 - 5 guests • Dinner • Standard (basic ingredients) • American - casual • American - formal • Italian • Mexican / Latin American • Mediterranean / Middle Eastern • Asian • Vegetarian or vegan • Nut allergies • Dairy intolerant • Meal prepared onsite • Only once • At the pro’s location • My home, venue, etc.

Personal Chef
pro avatar
Gabriela H.
Sep 30, 2022
It was a pleasure working with Mala! She really went above and beyond! Everyone raved about the beautiful, delicious and unique spread she prepared for our outdoor party. The communication leading up to the event was great and her ideas were so helpful given our event, budget and dietary needs (a few of our guests are vegetarian). I would highly recommend working with her!
pro avatar
Kavya R.
Apr 24, 2022
My experience with Chef Mala was one of a kind. I reached out to Mala for a private dinner for my best friend. It was during the pandemic and I wanted a Michelin experience at home. From start to finish the entire experience was incredible. I told Mala about my best friend's favorite foods and some meals I had previously had that were amazing and she created a menu that was just PERFECT. She was extremely professional and responsive, and had quotes for different options to me within a few days. Mala was incredibly flexible with our dietary restrictions. We have severe allergies in our group and, not only did we need a menu planned around those allergies, we also requested that Mala use our kitchen utensils, pans, knives, etc. (Of course, we purchased the utensils needed that we did not already have.) Mala was incredibly easy to work with and prepared a fabulous meal in our kitchen using only our kitchen tools, giving us a peace of mind we typically don't get at restaurants. On the day of the dinner, Mala was on-time and it was a joy talking to her as she prepared our meal. She is so knowledgeable and we learned so much about the ingredients and her techniques. She sat down with us for part of the meal and we just loved talking with her and getting to know her. The food itself was just fantastic. It was one of the best meals I have had in my entire life, certainly better than the meals I have had at 3-star Michelin restaurants. I was also shocked at what an incredible value the whole experience was. We spent less than half of what we would have at a 3-star Michelin. And it was really nice to be able to purchase our own wine for pairings. On top of the financial value, there was also an intrinsic value that I wasn't really expecting. It was SO nice to be able to enjoy this meal at home - wearing cozy clothes, drinking cocktails on the patio beforehand, getting up and dancing between courses, settling in for a movie afterwards. The experience had the things we love about fine dining (impeccable food and service) without the stuffiness of fine dining, which really allowed us to loosen up and just spend quality time with one another. TLDR: 10/10, highly recommend, can't wait to do it again.
Credentials
Background Check

Karmala Chutkan

FAQs

  • What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?

    Your specified per-person cost will cover the menu, food, and consultation but a service fee will apply to your contract which your party size and travel expenses (if applicable) will determine. Service Fee Example: A party size of 5 with a totaled per-person cost of $350 ($70/pp) will be charged a 20% service fee, approximately $70. A party size of 15 with a totaled per-person cost of $1,050 (70/pp) will be charged a 22% service fee, approximately $231. The following will be for an additional fee if elected: Serving Ware Rentals (excludes Cooking Lessons) Table and Flatware Rental On-site Chef Services (excludes Cooking Lessons) On-site Food Stations (excludes Cooking Lessons) On-site Food Prep (excludes Cooking Lessons) Rush Fees* *Rush Fees only occur in the instance of last-minute service or menu requests that must be accommodated the day before or day of your event Deposits: To reserve your date and time for services after your consultation, a non-refundable $100 fee will be applied to your overall balance. You must submit a 50% deposit on your finalized quote for services 10 days before your event. The remainder of your invoice will be due on the day of service. The NYC mandated Service Tax of 4.5% will be applied to the subtotal of your invoice.

  • What is your typical process for working with a new customer?

    After reviewing my Thumbtack profile and browsing my website, you'll be able to determine your interest in a consultation. If you like what you saw, the following info will be helpful to know: Event Date – Let me know if you have a specific date in mind or have some flexibility so I can check our event schedule. Event Size – In your consultation, all I'll need is your event's maximum headcount. This will expedite the process of estimating the price of your event as this detail is required for a binding quote. Event Location – If you already know where your event is going to be held, great. If you’re still shopping around for venues, be sure to look for ones that allow off-site catering. Now: Get In Touch You’ve got your basic info, so now it’s time to get in touch. Please message me with any inquiries to be answered before we begin the event planning process together. Menu Planning Now for the fun part – menu planning! We’ll discuss what kind of menu you’re looking for and what services are needed for your event. This is where my expertise really comes in handy – I'll help you determine what quantities you'll need to satisfy your guests and how to maximize your menu's diversity within your budget. If you want to keep things simple, that's cool too. Putting It Down On Paper Once your menu is finalized and we’ve figured out which services you’ll need, I’ll put together a final write-up/quote that outlines everything we agreed to. You’ll confirm we’re in agreement and put down a deposit. What Happens Next? What comes next depends on how far out your event is. We always make sure to check in to confirm last-minute details, such as where to park, what time we’ll arrive for setup or dropoff, dietary accommodations, and other details. A detailed run-of-show will be provided for our agreed-upon services to ensure everyone is on the same page. If you have any questions during this period, you can message, email, text, or call me--I'll do my best to answer in a timely fashion. Event Day On your event day, we’ll be ready to go as planned. You can count on my team to show up at the agreed-upon time with everything needed to make your meal a resounding success. Depending on the service you selected, we’ll either drop off your food or provide additional services for the duration of the meal, including cleanup.

  • What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?

    Associate of Science in Culinary Arts | Johnson and Wales University, FL 2008–2010 Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Minor in Nutrition | Florida International University, FL 2011–2015 Executive Sous Chef for Michelin-starred Chefs in New York, NY from 2016 to 2020. Food Handler License from NYC Department of Health Servsafe Certified

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