Private Chef Experiences in Nashville, Franklin & Brentwood
Elevated Dining at Home
I believe the best private dining experiences should allow you to enjoy your own table rather than spend the evening managing it.
Through French Magnolia Cooks, Thomas and I bring together chef-led menus, thoughtful wine, polished service, and genuine hospitality to create gatherings that feel considered without feeling formal.
I design each experience around the people you are bringing together, the place you have chosen, and the reason you are gathering — whether that is an intimate dinner at home, a chef’s table, a wine evening, a celebration, or a wedding weekend.
We serve clients throughout Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and surrounding Williamson County communities, including Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Cool Springs, College Grove, The Grove, and Troubadour.
You provide the gathering place. We take care of the experience around it.
Private Dining Designed Around You
I do not think of private dining as traditional catering, and I do not build these experiences for volume.
Each French Magnolia experience is thoughtfully composed around the occasion — whether you are planning an intimate dinner at home, a chef’s table, a wine dinner, a milestone celebration, or a wedding weekend.
I build the menu around the season, the setting, and the people you are bringing together. Thomas brings the wine and hospitality side of the evening into that same conversation, so the food, wine, service, and pace of the gathering feel connected rather than added on separately.
Refinement never needs to feel formal. The linens, tableware, flowers, wine, food, pacing, and service all have a purpose, but the experience itself should simply feel warm, generous, and natural.
Private Chef Experiences in Nashville, Franklin & Williamson County
Nashville and Williamson County feel especially suited to the way we like people to gather: good food, thoughtful wine, beautiful surroundings, and enough time around the table to actually enjoy one another.
Thomas and I bring French Magnolia Cooks into homes and private settings throughout Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Cool Springs, College Grove, The Grove, and Troubadour.
Whether you are planning an intimate dinner, anniversary, family gathering, bachelorette evening, wedding weekend, or another reason to bring people together, I shape the experience around your setting, your guests, and the kind of evening you want to have.
If Nashville is home, or simply where you are gathering, our goal is the same: to make the experience feel personal, polished, and easy to enjoy from your side of the table.
Private Chef & Wine Dining Experiences in Nashville
For us, wine is not an addition to dinner. It is part of the experience.
Thomas and I think about the food, wine, service, and conversation together from the beginning so the evening feels connected from the first pour to the final course.
I create the menu around the season, the occasion, and the people at the table. Thomas brings his wine and hospitality experience to the pairing, choosing bottles that complement the food and make the evening more interesting without making it feel overly formal.
That might mean Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, or another region that suits the menu and the way you like to drink. Thomas guides the wine conversation throughout the evening, sharing the places, producers, traditions, and stories behind what is being poured.
We want the experience to feel engaging rather than instructional, thoughtful without becoming a class, and relaxed enough that everyone can simply enjoy discovering great food and wine together.
These evenings are especially well suited for anniversaries, birthdays, collectors, couples, groups of friends, corporate entertaining, or simply a reason to gather around the table.
plate-ups
chef’s tables
wine dinners
What the Evening Looks Like
When you invite people into your home, I want you to be able to enjoy the evening with them.
Thomas and I take care of the details that can otherwise pull a host away from the table — from the setting and service to the pacing of the meal and the final cleanup.
Our signature plate-up experiences can include multiple chef-prepared courses, cotton table linens, chargers, china, stemware, champagne coupes, flatware, complete table service, setup, and breakdown.
If the occasion calls for something more special, we can also incorporate additions such as caviar, foie gras, Premier Cru wines, Champagne, and other seasonal luxuries.
Whether we are gathering in Green Hills, Belle Meade, Brentwood, Franklin, College Grove, or another Nashville-area home, the idea is simple:
You provide the gathering place. We create the experience around it.
boutique
luxury
weddings
Intimate Weddings &
Wedding Weekends
I have always loved weddings that feel personal — celebrations where the focus stays on the people, the table, and the experience of being together.
A French Magnolia wedding is designed for couples who would rather share an extraordinary meal with the people they love than produce an event built around volume.
Thomas and I can help shape the entire dining experience, from the menu and wine to the table, service, and pacing of the evening. Depending on the celebration, that may include multiple chef-prepared courses, curated wine pairings, florals, linens, china, stemware, champagne coupes, flatware, full table service, setup, and breakdown.
Our wedding experiences are designed primarily for intimate seated celebrations of 10 to 48 guests.
We welcome select wedding weekends throughout Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and Williamson County, including celebrations in Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, College Grove, The Grove, and Troubadour.
bachelorette
luncheons & dinners
Celebrate Bachelorettes at Home
I think some of the best celebrations happen when everyone can settle in, pour a glass of wine, and enjoy the evening without worrying about reservations, crowded dining rooms, or who is keeping track of the details.
A French Magnolia bachelorette luncheon or dinner is designed to feel joyful, polished, and personal from the moment everyone gathers around the table.
I create the menu and dining experience around your group, while Thomas brings the wine and hospitality side together so the evening feels complete rather than pieced together. Depending on the occasion, that can include a beautifully prepared table, florals, three curated courses, wine pairings, interactive wine conversation, service, setup, and breakdown.
These experiences are especially well suited for intimate groups gathering in Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Green Hills, Belle Meade, College Grove, and surrounding Williamson County communities.
You bring the people.
We’ll take care of the table.
family style
gatherings
Gather Around the Table
Not every memorable gathering needs to be formal.
Some of my favorite tables are the ones that feel generous, relaxed, and full of people who are comfortable enough to stay a little longer.
For rehearsal dinners, family reunions, birthdays, or a table full of friends, I create family-style menus around the season, the occasion, and the way your group likes to gather.
These experiences are a little more flexible than our fully inclusive plate-up dinners, while still carrying the same care, hospitality, and attention to detail that define French Magnolia.
The purpose is simple: everyone — including the host — should have the chance to actually enjoy being together.
Private Experiences & counting
Bringing Your Vision to the Table
Every French Magnolia experience begins with listening.
I want to understand who you are gathering, what the occasion means to you, and how you want the evening to feel. More than twenty-five years across the culinary, hospitality, and design worlds shape the way I approach each table, along with the experience of creating more than 1,250 private dining experiences and hosting the Emmy Award-winning PBS series French Magnolia Cooks.
Thomas brings decades of restaurant, wine, and hospitality experience to the evening, creating pairings and conversations that make wine feel approachable, interesting, and naturally part of the experience.
Together, we believe private dining is a form of live hospitality.
It requires preparation, judgment, adaptability, and knowing when to step forward — and when to quietly let the evening belong to you and your guests.
When it is done well, the host gets to become a guest at their own table.
What’s Included in a Private Chef Experience
Every experience is built around the gathering, but our signature private dining is intentionally comprehensive.
Depending on the evening, Thomas and I can provide the menu, ingredients, preparation, linens, china, flatware, stemware, florals, candles, table setting, service, cleanup, and curated wine pairings.
Chef’s tables and wine-forward dinners are particular favorites of ours. These evenings can include conversation about ingredients, techniques, wines, regions, and traditions without turning dinner into a lecture or performance.
The goal is not simply to serve an excellent meal.
It is to create an evening worth remembering.
Not Catering — By Design
I do not think of French Magnolia as a traditional catering company.
We are not built around drop-off food, assembly-line service, or high-volume events. I would rather create something thoughtful for a particular group of people, in a particular place, for a particular reason.
The menu is considered. The wine is considered. The table is considered. The pacing of the evening is considered.
Thomas and I hold those pieces together so you do not have to.
When the evening is over, the kitchen is clean, the table has been cared for, and hopefully you are still sitting with the people you wanted to spend the evening with.
A Few Things People Ask Us
People often reach out with similar questions when they’re considering a private chef experience.
Here are a few of the ones we hear most.
Where do you offer private chef services?
Thomas and I serve clients throughout Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and surrounding Williamson County communities, including Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Cool Springs, College Grove, The Grove, and Troubadour.
Most of our work is centered around private homes and intimate settings where the dining experience can feel personal and complete.
Travel beyond these areas may be considered for select private dining experiences, weddings, and special occasions.
Can you cook in our Nashville-area home or private residence?
Yes. Private dining in your home is at the heart of what we do.
I create private dinners, chef’s tables, wine dinners, bachelorette dinners, family gatherings, and special-occasion meals in suitable homes and private properties throughout Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and Williamson County.
Before the event, we’ll talk through the kitchen, available equipment, access, and any details we need so our team can arrive prepared and make the evening feel seamless.
What does a private chef do?
A private chef creates a personalized dining experience in your home or another private setting. With French Magnolia, that can include menu planning, ingredient sourcing, on-site preparation, multiple courses, wine pairings, table elements, service, and cleanup.
The difference is that the evening is designed around your guests, your setting, and the experience you want to create, rather than asking your gathering to fit a predetermined restaurant or catering format.
How is a private chef different from catering?
Traditional catering is generally designed to prepare and serve food efficiently for groups of varying sizes. A private chef experience is built around a specific gathering and the people at the table.
With French Magnolia, I create the menu for the occasion, the food is prepared on-site, and Thomas and I think about the cuisine, wine, table, service, and pacing as one connected experience.
If you begin your search looking for catering but want something more personal, a private chef experience may be a better fit.
Do you cook in our home?
Yes. Most French Magnolia private chef experiences take place in the host’s home or another appropriate private setting.
We plan around the kitchen and space available and bring the equipment and service elements needed for the experience. We handle the cooking, service, and cleanup so your home can become the setting for the evening without requiring you to become the host, server, or kitchen crew.
What kinds of events are a good fit for French Magnolia?
French Magnolia is especially suited for private dinners, chef’s table experiences, wine dinners, birthdays, anniversaries, family gatherings, bachelorette dinners, rehearsal and welcome dinners, and intimate weddings.
The common thread is an intentional gathering where the table and the people around it matter.
We are less suited to events built primarily around volume, speed, or food delivery, and especially well suited to occasions where food, wine, service, and hospitality are part of the experience itself.
Do you offer private chef services for weddings?
Yes. Thomas and I create private dining experiences for intimate weddings and wedding weekends throughout Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and Williamson County, particularly rehearsal dinners, welcome dinners, intimate receptions, and select wedding-weekend gatherings.
Our wedding work is designed for couples who want the meal and table to feel like a meaningful part of the celebration rather than simply another piece of event catering.
Planning a wedding?
Explore our Intimate Wedding Receptions & Rehearsal Dinners.
How many guests can a private chef serve?
Guest count depends on the type of experience, the menu, and the space available.
Many of our private chef dinners are designed for 10–24 guests, where thoughtful pacing, service, and conversation can remain central to the evening.
We can also accommodate larger gatherings and intimate wedding celebrations when the setting and service format are appropriate. We’ll discuss guest count early in the planning process so the experience can be designed well for the group.
Do you accommodate dietary preferences or restrictions?
Yes. I discuss dietary preferences, food allergies, and restrictions with you during the planning process and consider them as I develop the menu.
Whenever possible, I prefer to create a menu in which every guest feels included rather than making an accommodation feel like an afterthought.
Please let us know about allergies or significant dietary requirements early so we can plan appropriately.
How far in advance should we book a private chef?
Availability varies by season, date, location, and the type of gathering.
Weekends, holidays, wedding dates, and popular event periods can fill earlier, so I recommend reaching out as soon as you know your general date and location.
You do not need to have the menu or every detail figured out before contacting us. A date, approximate guest count, location, and reason for gathering are enough to begin the conversation.
What does working together usually start with?
It starts with a conversation.
Tell us your date, location, approximate guest count, and what you are gathering to celebrate. From there, we’ll learn more about what you have in mind, confirm availability, and determine whether French Magnolia is the right fit for the experience.
If we move forward, we’ll begin shaping the menu, wine, service, table, and flow of the evening around your gathering.
Is this a good fit if we’re “just looking for food”?
If you are simply looking for food delivery or drop-off catering, French Magnolia probably is not the right fit.
Our work is about the experience as a whole — the food, wine, table, service, pacing, and hospitality that allow you to be present with the people you’ve gathered.
If those things matter to you, we may be exactly what you’re looking for.
We recently had Chef Missy and her fabulous husband Thomas create a Chef's Table dinner party for my 50th birthday celebration with an intimate group of my girlfriends. What a treat to sit down to the most beautifully set table with flowers, candles and china. We loved learning about each wine from Thomas. His selections were perfectly paired to each course. Chef Missy prepared the most exquisite meal that my guests are still talking about! They were professional in their interactions before and during the evening and we all found them delightful to be with! The entire experience exceeded our expectations!
– Ruthann Ross
We did the chef's table experience at our home and Chef Missy made everything special, delicious, and best of all, I didn't have to lift a finger. Every course and wine pairing was exquisite. It was very educational and a dinner we will be talking about for years to come. Can't wait to do it again some time!
– Allie Turner
Chef Missy traveled to Blowing Rock, NC, to put on a fabulous brunch for my mother-in-law’s birthday. The food was outstanding, presentation just beautiful and learning all about champagne from her husband, Thomas Fraley, was an added bonus. My husband and I are looking forward to working with Chef Missy again in the future. She’s just the best!
– Abbey Sullivan
We had such an amazing night with Chef Missy and Thomas!! The food, the wine, the ambiance, and the laughter all made for an unforgettable experience! I can not recommend them enough!
– Christina Bare
I cant put into words how blessed our group was by Missy and Thomas. Our experience was so, so much more than food. They created an experience our group was changed by, and will never forget!
– Callie Hansen
quick glance
Step Inside French Magnolia
Join the Society.
We begin with your first party favor: Little Blue Book of Hosting—a complimentary 50-page collection of field notes, rituals, and lessons gathered across more than 1,000 chef tables.
From time to time, we’ll share what’s inspiring us—French restaurants we love across the U.S. and abroad, from cafés, bistros, and brasseries, along with places worth traveling for.
And, when it matters, notes from our work in television and beyond.
No noise. Always intentional.
Something worth opening.
Your information is kept private, and we’ll only reach out thoughtfully from time to time.