When we cook in a private home, I want the house to feel the same with us in it as it does without us. Nobody tiptoes around. Nobody performs. Dinner simply happens, and then the kitchen is clean.
That's the real job. Cooking well is the minimum. For some of the people we cook for, the bigger thing they're handing us is access: to their home, their children, their guests and their evening. That trust gets built in small, ordinary ways, over and over.
Some of our clients are people you would know. I won't say who, and that's not modesty. It's the agreement. What I can share is how we work, because it's the same for every private client, famous or not.
The first call is usually with someone else
When a high-profile client hires us, the first person we talk to is rarely the client. It's an assistant, a manager, a house manager or a chief of staff, and their job is to protect the person they work for.
So we start with their questions, not ours. Who will be in the home, and when. Which entrance to use and where to park. Whether the household staff knows we're coming. Whether there's an NDA. We sign them regularly, and we're happy to sign yours before you share a single detail.
The menu comes after that. It's still the part I love most, but it isn't the first thing on the list.
We keep a low profile in your home
Some private dinners call for a chef who tells the story of every course, and we do that well. Most evenings in a private home call for the opposite.
We arrive on time and set up without taking over the kitchen. We cook, serve and clear without interrupting the conversation at the table. Then we leave the kitchen cleaner than we found it. The goal is a family that feels taken care of, not entertained by strangers.
You'll see the same people every time
Clients rarely say it, but they don't want a new face at the door every week. So the team that cooks in your home stays small and consistent.
The people who come back learn your house, your schedule and your preferences. They know who won't eat anything green, who wants the sauce on the side, and which nights run late. It also means fewer people know where you live.
Nothing about you shows up in our marketing
Our rule is simple. Client names, homes and guest lists never appear on our website, on social media or anywhere else we promote Knife & Faulk.
We don't photograph your home or your event unless you ask. If you do want photos, you decide what they show and where they go. Everything you see on our website and Instagram is our food and our tables, never a private client's home.
That costs us some marketing, and we're fine with it. A famous name on our homepage would bring attention. Keeping it off brings clients back.
We plan around your schedule and your body
Private clients often live on demanding schedules. Some are in Dallas for a few days on tour or on set. Some are in training and eat to a plan. Some are hosting a dinner where who is at the table matters as much as what is on it.
We cook around all of that: menus built to a training plan, allergies or personal nutrition goals, breakfast ready before an early call time, a quiet dinner for two one night and a luxury private dining experience for twelve at a private estate the next.
Five questions to ask any private chef
If you're hiring a private chef in Dallas for someone whose privacy matters, these are the questions I'd ask every chef you're considering:
- Will you sign our NDA before we share details?
- Exactly who will be in the home, and will it be the same people each time?
- Do you ever photograph clients' homes or events, and what is your social media policy?
- What happens when the guest list or schedule changes the same day?
- Can you cook to a nutrition or training plan, and who on your team is responsible for it?
A good chef will answer all five easily. A great one will have asked you most of them already.
Why we work this way
I started Knife & Faulk because food is one of the most personal things you can give someone. When I cook in your home, I want you at your own table, with your own people, completely at ease.
Some of our clients are famous. Most simply value their privacy. They all get the same thing from us: exceptional food, and the confidence that what happens at their table stays there.
If you're planning something private, or hiring for someone who is, tell us what you need. We'll talk through the details, confidentiality included, before anything is booked. You can also read more about our discreet private chef service in Dallas and our private chef service.
Chef Marlene Faulkner is the founder of Knife & Faulk, a Black-owned, woman-owned luxury catering and private chef company in Dallas. Her food has been featured in People, Brides and Good Morning America.