Art Basel Miami: Private Chef & VIP Villa Dining
During Art Basel Miami Beach, the best tables in the city are not in restaurants. Collectors, galleries and brands host in villas, residences and on yachts — with a private chef cooking on site. Chef Jérôme Abraham of Lavish Gastronomy Privé designs, cooks and serves those dinners and receptions from Miami Beach to Palm Beach.
Why Art Week hosts dine privately
Art Week fills every restaurant in Miami Beach, and a crowded dining room is the wrong place to talk with a collector or close a sale. Hosting at a villa, residence or on a yacht gives you a quiet table, your own schedule and a menu written for your guests — the conversation stays private and the evening runs on your timing, between fair hours and late parties.
Three formats for Art Basel week
- Collector dinner — a seated multi-course tasting menu for an intimate guest list, from $150 per person
- Gallery or brand reception — passed canapés for a standing crowd after the fair, from $70 per person
- Yacht reception — canapés or a plated dinner prepared on board, served on the water
Menus draw on French, Mediterranean and Asian fusion cooking. Brunch from $115 per person suits a recovery morning or a collectors' breakfast before the VIP preview.
What it costs
Pricing is per person. An additional course is $20 per person, and caviar, truffles and foie gras are priced at market value. A 12-guest collector dinner at the signature menu is about $1,800 for the menu; a 40-guest canapé reception starts around $2,800. The written proposal shows the exact total for your date, address and selections before anything is committed.
Discreet, end-to-end service
The chef arrives with the ingredients, cooks in your kitchen or galley, serves each course and leaves the kitchen clean. Allergies and dietary preferences — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free — are built into the menu from the start, and service staff and rentals can be arranged.
Where we cook during Art Week
Miami Beach, Star Island, the Venetian Islands, Bal Harbour, Surfside, the Design District, Brickell, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne and up to Palm Beach, plus yachts at Miami Beach marinas.
Book early
Art Basel week, in early December, is one of the busiest weeks of the year for private chefs in South Florida. Send your date, guest count and address as soon as your plans are set — the menu is designed, the proposal comes back in writing, and the date is locked in the calendar once accepted.
Frequently asked
- How much does a private chef cost during Art Basel Miami?
- Canapé receptions start from $70 per person, brunch from $115 and signature multi-course dinners from $150 per person. Premium ingredients are priced at market value.
- Can you cater an Art Basel event on a yacht?
- Yes. Yacht and boat catering is a dedicated service, with canapés or plated dinners prepared on board.
- Do you cater gallery and brand receptions?
- Yes. Passed-canapé receptions are designed for standing crowds at villas, residences, galleries and private venues.
- How far ahead should I book for Art Basel?
- As early as possible — Art Week dates in early December are among the first to be booked each year.