Private chef for in-home dinners (GTA)
Caterers, Food & Drink
Independent private-chef company cooking tasting menus, cocktail receptions and celebration dinners in your home or venue, with sourcing, service and clean-up included.
Read moreFood & Drink who work events in Toronto and the GTA. Every profile states its price range, the events it suits and what it needs from the venue: stage, ceiling height, power, rigging and set-up time. Listings owned by the founder of EventPlans.ca are marked and get no ranking preference.
Before you book
- Ask for a certificate of insurance naming the venue; most venues require $2 million liability.
- Send the performer the room, the timing and the audience, and forward their technical rider to the venue the day it arrives.
- Put a substitution clause in the contract in case of illness.
Use the entertainment finder to match an act to your event, or get quotes from several at once.
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Read moreWhat this category includes
Food and drink vendors cover everything guests eat and drink beyond what a venue supplies itself. Full-service caterers handle meals for weddings, galas and corporate events. Private chefs cook for small groups in homes and rented spaces. Bartending services supply trained staff, while mobile bars add a bar structure and equipment. Cake and dessert makers, coffee carts and food trucks fill specific moments: dessert tables, morning sessions at a conference, or a late-night snack after the dancing.
How to choose within it
Begin with the venue's rules. Hotels, banquet halls and many restaurants provide all food and drink in-house and may not allow outside vendors at all, or only for a wedding cake. Galleries, raw spaces, private homes and tented events are where outside vendors matter most. Then think about the moment each vendor serves. A food truck works well at a company picnic or late in a wedding; a coffee cart keeps a morning conference on schedule; a dessert table can replace a plated dessert and give guests a reason to move around.
Questions to ask
- What does the quote include: staff, rentals, travel, set-up and clean-up?
- Is a service charge added, and how is HST calculated on the total?
- What power, water, kitchen access or parking does the vendor need, and how long does set-up take?
- How are allergens labelled and cross-contact prevented?
- For bar services, who supplies the alcohol, whose licence or permit covers the service, and do all servers hold Smart Serve certification?
- For food trucks, what approvals are needed at your location, and who arranges them?
GTA considerations
Food trucks on public property need municipal approval, and the rules differ between cities in the GTA, so confirm them with the municipality well ahead. Outdoor summer events need a plan for keeping food cold and drinks iced. In winter, coffee carts and hot food stations are popular but need indoor space or sheltered power. Use the food and drink calculator and the bar and alcohol calculator to estimate quantities, and see caterers for full-service meal providers.