The Cost of Hiring a Personal Chef in Chicago: What You Need to Know
Updated June 2026
Quick answer: A personal chef in Chicago runs about $258 to $282 in chef fees for a week of meal prep (four dinners, sixteen servings), plus groceries billed separately. Most Chicago chefs on Sous charge around $45 an hour. A one-time special occasion dinner for eight guests with three courses averages $625 to $680 in chef fees, with groceries separate. A 3% processing fee applies to chef fees and groceries.
Most people assume a personal chef is a luxury. Then they do the math against what they already spend on delivery.
Chicago has one of the best food cities in the country, and a growing number of its chefs are leaving restaurant kitchens to cook for families directly. That shift made hiring a personal chef more accessible than it used to be. If you are a busy parent, a professional who is tired of takeout, or someone managing specific dietary goals, a chef in your kitchen can change your week. Here is what it actually costs.
What a personal chef in Chicago costs
On Sous, weekly meal prep in Chicago averages $258 to $282 in chef fees. That covers a chef who plans a menu with you, shops at your store, cooks in your kitchen, and cleans up before they leave. The estimate is built on four dinners for a family of four, which works out to sixteen servings, with roughly an hour of menu planning, an hour of shopping, and four hours of cooking and cleanup.
Groceries are billed separately as a reimbursement. Your chef shops at the store you choose and submits the receipts, so you pay for food at cost. Most families find their grocery spend lands close to what they were already spending.
For a special occasion, a private dinner for eight guests across three courses averages $625 to $680 in chef fees, again with groceries billed separately. Think birthdays, anniversaries, and dinner parties where you want the night to be perfect without lifting a finger.
A 3% processing fee applies to chef fees and groceries. It shows up as its own line, so there are no surprises at checkout.
What affects your price
Your final number depends on a few things:
How often your chef comes. Weekly recurring service is priced differently than a one-time booking.
How many meals you want. Four dinners looks different than a full week of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Your menu. A simple, healthy rotation costs less than an elaborate multi-course spread.
Dietary needs. Gluten-free, keto, halal, kosher, allergy-safe, picky toddlers. Your chef builds around all of it. More specific menus can take more time.
Your chef. Rates reflect experience. Most Chicago chefs on Sous sit around $45 an hour, and many come from Michelin-starred kitchens.
Is it worth it?
The honest answer is that it depends on your life and your budget. Here is how most of our Chicago customers think about it.
The biggest return is time. No planning, no shopping, no cooking, no cleanup. For a lot of families, that is the part of the day that was quietly draining them. The second is health. Whole foods, ingredients you can name, and menus that get more dialed in every week as your chef learns your tastes. The third is the comparison to what you already do. A weekly chef often costs about what a steady delivery habit already costs, except you are eating real food made the way you like it.
We broke that comparison down in detail here: the real cost of a personal chef versus delivery.
Finding the right chef in Chicago
When you are comparing chefs, look past the hourly rate. On Sous you can see each chef's background, sample menus, intro video, specialties, and reviews from real clients, so you are choosing on fit, not just price.
Chicago has talent worth meeting. Chef Keenan Brackett, an Alinea and Smyth alum, cooks soulful, seasonal menus for families across the city. Every chef on the platform is interviewed, background-checked, and ServSafe-certified, so you can feel good about having them in your home.
Sous makes the rest simple:
One-time meal prep trial. Test a chef before you commit to a routine.
Weekly recurring meal prep. Set your preferences once and come home to a stocked fridge.
Special occasions. Bring the restaurant to your kitchen for the night that has to be perfect.
See chefs, real pricing, and reviews in your area on the Chicago page below.
