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A Gradito private chef's blue apron is much more than a uniform. It's a symbol of high caliber craft and the unparalleled excellence these chefs bring to their work, representing years of training and hard-earned experience. And these chefs are more than ready to share that knowledge and passion for cooking with you through Gradito.
Whether you're booking a luxury private chef dining experience or a full-time private chef placement, Gradito connects clients with a selection of top-ranked NYC private chefs. Here's what stands behind that blue apron.
Vetted and Insured
The blue apron fits a certain few, chefs who demonstrate real discipline, commitment, and genuine excitement about food and hospitality. Gradito is determined to find the best private chefs in NYC to bring people's culinary visions to life, and every chef goes through a thorough screening process before ever being matched with a client. That process connects Gradito clients with insured, trusted talent built to bring genuine warmth and professionalism into their homes or events.
Michelin-Trained
Hiring a private chef through Gradito means booking one of the most exclusive experiences in the city. You get a first-class dining experience in the comfort of your own home, along with a first-hand taste of what leading chefs are creating in some of the most acclaimed kitchens in the world. Gradito's chefs have trained and worked in Michelin-starred kitchens globally, alongside renowned chefs like Thomas Keller, Ignacio Mattos, and Bo Bech.
A few of the acclaimed restaurants Gradito's private chefs have worked in include Per Se and Eleven Madison Park in New York, both holding three Michelin stars, Alinea in Chicago, also a three-star restaurant, Marea in New York with two Michelin stars, and Oxalis and Günter Seeger, both one-star New York establishments.
James Beard Award Recipients
Beyond training in some of the most notable Michelin-starred kitchens in the world, many of Gradito's private chefs have also been individually recognized for their talent, with several holding James Beard Awards or experience in award-winning restaurants. Beyond technical skill, these chefs bring a genuine passion for using their craft to address real problems in their communities and beyond, with many committed to sustainability efforts and improving the broader food system.
From All Over the World
Gradito's private chef experiences are built around a genuinely global perspective on food and dining. The team is composed of talented chefs from around the world, each translating their unique background into the dishes they create. That means clients don't just discover new flavor profiles, they get to know their chef as an individual and a culinary artist, since many chefs express their own origin stories and lived experience directly through the meals they prepare. This guide to exploring global cuisines at home covers more on what that kind of experience can look like.
Experts in Every Cuisine You Can Imagine
Since Gradito's chefs come from all corners of the world, the network is a genuinely convenient destination for finding expertise in nearly any cuisine imaginable. Hiring a private chef through Gradito means booking a dinner with a genuine expert in your desired cuisine, whether that's Hokkaido-style Japanese cooking or authentic Basque fare, all without leaving your own home.
Here's a closer look at a few of the dedicated chefs who make up Gradito's talented team.
Chef Sean
A dedicated lover of both food and travel, Chef Sean brings more than 15 years of fine dining experience across Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide. He has worked alongside acclaimed chefs including Thomas Keller at the award-winning Bouchon in Las Vegas, and Tetsuya Wakuda, chef of the iconic Tetsuya's on Kent Street in Sydney, Australia. His education includes an MBA in Marketing from the University of Technology Sydney, a Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a culinary degree from The Culinary Institute of America in New York.
Chef Sean's acclaimed restaurant experience spans Quique Dacosta in Dénia, Spain, a three-Michelin-star restaurant, Disfrutar in Barcelona, which holds three Michelin stars, Shirosaka in Tokyo, recognized with one Michelin star and a spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list, and Senses in Warsaw, a one-star restaurant Chef Sean managed for 18 months. His background also includes Grup Herminda in El Port de la Selva, Spain, Bouchon by Thomas Keller in Nevada, and both Tetsuya's and Quay in Sydney, Australia.
Chef Will
Born in Colombia with both Japanese and Colombian heritage, Chef Will developed a passion for quality and traditional cuisine from a young age. He graduated from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School and went on to work with some of the most renowned chefs and restaurateurs in the world, building more than 15 years of experience across a wide range of cuisines and business categories.
His background includes Azurmendi in Bilbao, Spain, a three-Michelin-star restaurant, and time at the celebrated Copenhagen dining scene, including a respected, now-closed restaurant recognized on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. He has also worked at The Clocktower by Jason Atherton, a one-Michelin-star restaurant, The Mark Restaurant by Jean Georges in New York, and Cafe Boulud in Florida.
Chef Camila
Originally from Brazil, Chef Camila left a career in advertising to become one of NYC's top-ranked private chefs. A proud advocate of the zero-waste movement, she's committed to finding innovative ways to turn food scraps into extraordinary dishes as part of a broader effort to reduce food waste worldwide, and she actively helps others prioritize cooking at home over ordering out as part of that same sustainability effort.
Chef Camila established a seasonal restaurant in Maine focused on American cuisine with a Brazilian twist, built around local and seasonal ingredients with zero waste as a guiding principle. Her acclaimed restaurant background includes Estela in New York, a one-Michelin-star restaurant, along with Olmstead and Manhattan, both in New York City.
Chef Daniel
An Australian chef from Launceston, Tasmania, Chef Daniel is deeply committed to culinary excellence. He was the U.S. winner of the 2022/2023 San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition and currently holds the position of head chef at Evett, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. He's passionate about building unique menus around local, all-natural ingredients that highlight each ingredient's full potential.
His acclaimed restaurant background includes Kadeau in Copenhagen, a two-Michelin-star restaurant, Evett in Seoul, holding one Michelin star, along with Sixpenny, Firedoor, and Silvereye, all respected restaurants in Sydney, Australia.
Chef Tomo
With more than 15 years of professional experience, Chef Tomo specializes in authentic Japanese, French, and Italian cuisines. She studied at the Raw Food Living Light Culinary Art Institute in California, staged under Master Chef Shigeaki Nakanishi, primary chef to the Japanese Imperial Family, and graduated at the top of her class from The International Culinary Institute in New York City. She's an expert across a wide range of food preparation styles, from fine multi-course dining to vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, kosher, gluten-free, and raw food diets.
Chef Tomo's acclaimed background includes Le Bernardin in New York, a three-Michelin-star restaurant, along with Karasawa Kousen in Nagano, Japan and Sani Musume Restaurant in Osaka, Japan.
So the next time you see a Gradito blue apron, take a moment to recognize the years of training and hard-earned expertise behind it, and feel free to ask about the experiences these chefs have gained along the way. You can explore Gradito's NYC private chef network or browse Gradito's full range of private chef experiences to book a taste of that experience for yourself.
