We Asked 6 Private Chefs What They Make For Their Celebrity Clients

While you'd naturally expect food-world celebs like Ina Garten and Martha Stewart to do at least some of their own cooking, sports stars, musicians, and actors sometimes find their way into the kitchen, as well. This isn't something they're just doing for the 'Gram, since way back in the pre-social media era, Frank Sinatra shared a classic spaghetti and meatballs recipe, Vincent Price made a scary-good steak Diane, and Boris Karloff's homemade guacamole was as green as the Grinch he so famously voiced. Even so, the rich and famous often turn to private chefs to do their cooking. So, what do they like to eat? Instead of scrolling through their shared photos, The Takeout went straight to the chefs who are doing the cooking.

Chef Chuck Hayworth is a 25-year cancer survivor who specializes in meals for clients with allergies, chronic conditions, and those focused on personal wellness. Francis Pascal is both a chef and an entrepreneur, as he owns a Chicago-based luxury private dining service called Vendador. Chef Pablo is a private chef in the Spanish luxury resort town of Marbella, while Chef Steve of Mile High Cooks serves clients in Colorado (he's been known to travel, as well). Jamie Crisp works as a chef for luxury vacation rental company Drip Castle Estates, while Montclair Chef CEO Chris Demaillet rounds out our list. His company caters to people so rich they have their own acronym: UHNW, which stands for ultra-high net worth. They still put their pants on one leg at a time, though; and they, too, appreciate good food as much as the rest of us.

"The majority of the movies and TV celebrities that I've cooked for were always looking for simple food that is healthy with an emphasis on organic and anti-inflammatory characteristics," Chuck Hayworth told us. As an example, he said that he used to prepare wild-caught salmon seasoned with citrus, garlic, ginger, green onions, and turmeric for one celebrity; serving the fish with a side of Swiss chard, brown rice, or quinoa along with some bone broth.

"Celebrities are more simple than people think," said Chef Pablo. The requests he's satisfied include an Argentinian footballer asking for sushi and a German showman who wanted a romantic dinner à deux. He's also served an American actor who asked for something light and simple. According to Chef Pablo, "What they all have in common is that they appreciate the experience more than the glamour. I treat them all the same, famous or not. In the end, they just want to enjoy good food and relax like anyone else ... though I can say, they do give very nice tips."

Chef Steve has a few standby dishes he prepares, depending on the scenario. For a pre-event meal he characterized as "light but satisfying," he'd suggest either poached salmon with lemon–dill yogurt, quinoa pilaf, and charred broccolini or miso-glazed black cod with steamed rice and bok choy. A post-show comfort meal might consist of a filet with herb butter, roasted fingerlings, blistered asparagus, or something less filling like cacio e pepe or burrata with slow tomatoes and basil oil. For a wellness weekend, he'd whip up egg-white frittatas, almond-flour pancakes with berry compote, green smoothies, and grain bowls. He also has several specialties that he says can travel well, including seared scallops over pea purée, blue-cheese–pear tartlets, and chile rellenos stuffed with quinoa, roasted corn, and Oaxaca cheese.

"All clients are A-List clients at Drip Castle Estates," said Jamie Crisp. "That being said, we have had some high-level clients that chose us for their dinners and events, and we've enjoyed being able to cater to them." His company offers several fine dining dinner menus for them to choose from, with entrees such as filet mignon with a rosemary-pomegranate demi-glace and potatoes au gratin; grilled prawns in smoked tomato cream with cucumber-tomato relish and roasted baby vegetables; and New York strip steak with black garlic jus, roasted asparagus, and potato croissants. The appetizers include espresso-seared pork belly and char siu braised short ribs, while desserts run to limoncello ricotta cheesecake and a Basque-style burnt caramel cheesecake served with berry compote and bourbon caramel sauce.

Chris Demaillet is full of anecdotes from his years serving UHNW clients. "I remembered cooking for a world-famous magician when I was working on a charter yacht. I had made king crab eggs Benedict for breakfast one morning. He loved it so much that he asked for it every day for a week," he told us. Another dish that went over well was an arugula salad with avocado, toasted sesame seeds, lime zest, and olive oil that he served multiple times to a tech billionaire. He even catered to his clients' pets upon occasion, telling us: "One high-profile family I was employed by loved meat ... They owned a little Chihuahua, Pepe, and were asking me to also feed wagyu to him. In fact, Pepe almost only dined on imported wagyu beef." Putting the "wag" in wagyu, how cute is that?