Living a healthy lifestyle is important to me. I try to use my knowledge in my craft to educate my clients and provide them with healthy options that they can incorporate into their everyday lives, in their everyday meals. These days, it is so uncertain where our food is coming from and what is in it. Providing people with organic, non-GMO foods is my mission. One person at a time.
Whether you are in need of a private chef for a dinner party, wedding, or if you want me to come to your home weekly, I am here to help you! I also serve folks on longer vacations in Seattle & San Juan Islands. Please refer to the Contact page if you would like to get in touch with me.
“To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.”
William Londen
Private Chef
“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him…the people who give you their food give you their heart.” – Cesar Chavez
If you are looking to change your diet, want to get healthy or want a lifestyle change, I would love to hear from you. My rates vary for each client, depending on the level of service wanted. My typical client wants 3 or 4 dinners, but I do all meals and can do multiple days of service. See below for current availability.
I am a seasoned chef and have been doing this work for a long time, my rates fail in line with similar chefs with the same experience in the Seattle area.
I do a 2 week trial to make sure it’s a good fit for both of us, then I present a simple, straight forward 1 year contract. We arrange the same day and time every week. I send out menus the week before, you approve or make changes by Saturday. By Sunday, I send you the shopping list where you can mark off what you already have at home (so we don’t over shop or let things go to waste). The day of service, I will shop for ingredients, spend a few hours in your kitchen and leave you with delicious, prepared meals. I print out the menu and leave notes and instructions for you.
The first trial day, I’ll take a look around your kitchen and recommend any tools/equipment that may be necessary once you sign up for service.
Steps:
Current Weekly Service Openings:
If you want several meals per week, booking a Monday and Wednesday is necessary. The times listed include shopping time, prep and clean up time.
Monday 1:30-5:30pm
Wednesday 1:30-5:30pm
Thursday 10-4
Friday 10-4
Custom flat rate $90/hr.
“Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”
Harriet Van Horn
Weddings
Congratulations!
Finding the right caterer can be difficult . There is a huge demand for more caterers during wedding season and I am now happy to announce that I will be accepting inquiries on weddings at this time. Weddings are what I love to do the most. I have a knack for design, detail and professionalism when it comes to these events. I also am a wealth of information since I have grown up here and know the in’s and out’s.
Details:
All of my catering uses local, organic ingredients. This is because I am not a full time caterer; this is something I do part time in the summers only. Access to a permitted (commercial) kitchen will be necessary at any venue. If you need help with locating one, I can be of assistance. Think of me as your personal wedding assistant. Please contact me if you are interested in an affordable, knowledgeable caterer. I look forward to hearing from you. Good luck with your planning!
Head count maximum: About 60 people. I prefer the smaller, more intimate weddings.
Price: $125+/head
Price does not include taxes, gratuity or travel
Requirements: A functioning full kitchen on site is required for MOST events. A deposit and signed contract are also required to reserve your date.
Please fill out the inquiry form and I will be in touch as soon as possible.
“As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.”
Suzanne Collins
Testimonials
Just a quick thank you for your flawless catering services at our wedding on August 17th on Orcas Island.
Catering was one of our most important priorities, and we found you to be highly professional and helpful throughout the planning stages.
Everything was fantastic and there were so many compliments about the quality of food, service and your staff’s appearance from our guests. We will highly recommend you to other couples considering who to choose for their wedding catering and hopefully we will have the pleasure of enjoying your services again. Thanks again for everything!!
– Teresa & Max Aigner
I have a weekly barter trade with Nichole who comes over and cooks meals for the week. If you are on Orcas and are busy or do not like/know how to cook, she is amazing!!! She also caters and is so creative!!! Dooooo iiiiitt!!!
– Jessica Haug
Nichole is amazing – She’s catered both my birthday and a larger party celebrating my father, and we consistently receive such great feedback that the food is delicious. She’s wonderful to work with and a highly talented chef. We will definitely be working with her again!
-Caroline Blake
We have been working with Nichole for our weekly meal services. She is highly professional, punctual, and maintains a very friendly atmosphere. She’s great at accommodating our family’s dietary requirements and aligning these with toddler taste buds; creating meals that everyone in the family enjoys. She gave us our evenings back, I cannot recommend her services enough to any busy family.
– Allison Gray
Nichole catered our wedding dinner in summer of 2017. She was very communicative, flexible in terms of accommodating sudden changes and demands, and professional. Her food not only looks elegant but also tastes great! She also baked our unique wedding cake and its unusual flavors with a great sense of adventure. Since we are picky cake eaters, we appreciated the cake tasting she provided us with prior to the wedding. Thanks Nichole!
– Fatima
Nichole was absolutely amazing from start to finish.
My girlfriend booked her for a privately catered dinner at our beautiful Airbnb on Orcas Island, during a romantic getaway weekend. Little did I know that there was a planned proposal in the works, and Nichole was in on it the entire time! Our meal was beautiful prepared and served — each course was super yummy and absolutely gorgeous on the plates. She took pictures of us, maintained a super professional but warm demeanor, and cleaned the entire kitchen during her meal prep/cook. By the late-hours, she was packed up and ready to leave us to our romantic privacy, and overall left a really fabulous impression. Her palate and flavors are wonderfully refined (we had some of the best dishes of our lives!) , and her attention to detail shows her experience and expertise. I later found out that she had painstakingly planned out the menu with my fiancée(!) to accommodate our dietary restrictions and personal preferences. She was even kind enough to bring celebratory bubbles for a pre-dinner toast, and also her own decorative table settings that were super charming.
I’d recommend Nichole for any special or intimate event — not only was she very skilled and professional, she was also really kind and wonderfully human. I am so happy she was a part of my special night.
– Nova
I googled “orcas island catering chefs” and was lucky enough to find Nichole. After many messages back and forth over the menu and availability, she gracefully accommodated a tightly-packed vacation weekend & my partner’s dietary restrictions.
She brought all of her own cooking gear, knives, to-go/leftover containers, beautiful glassware, and even some flowers (knowing I was proposing to my girlfriend that evening). I have to say, she helped me feel calm & was so easy to communicate with. The night-of, she helped me chill out while I was having a mild panic attack getting dressed, setting the table, and making sure everything was perfect.
The food easily went beyond my expectations. I knew she had good reports online, but ya know, how can you really trust the internet? Each course was truly stunning and unique. I had dishes I’ve never eaten before. She even brought locally-foraged mushrooms to our main course to add in a little special/local flare.
It was a really amazing experience to have a catered, intimate dinner in our vacation home. The quality of the food was stellar and her service was gracious & super professional. I would highly recommend her.
– Rachel
“Nichole catered our wedding dinner in summer of 2017. She was very communicative, flexible in terms of accommodating sudden changes and demands, and professional. Her food not only looks elegant but also tastes great! She also baked our unique wedding cake and its unusual flavors with a great sense of adventure. Since we are picky cake eaters, we appreciated the cake tasting she provided us with prior to the wedding.”
– Jared & Fatma
About Me
I grew up on beautiful Orcas Island and contribute a lot of my passion for organic healthy cooking to being raised on local farm produce and livestock. Although I currently live in North Seattle, I continue to cater events in the San Juan Islands.
I’m a very domestic being, a Martha Stewart type if you will:) I thrive when I am doing anything creative or gardening,
My best work is in small dinner parties, working with what’s in the fridge and working with clients on creating healthy food at home on a weekly basis. I have been in business for 15 years now and continue to love what I do.
I hope to be of service to you whether it’s celebrating a special event or providing weekly meals for you and your family.
Namaste.
“Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone’s hand is the beginning of a journey. At other times, it is allowing another to take yours.”
Vera Nazarian
Contact Me
Nichole Maher
Island Chef Services
[email protected]
206.295.3850
I would love to hear from you!