Private Chef Experiences in Nashville & Western North Carolina
Elevated Dining at Home
There is something wonderful about inviting people over and actually having time to enjoy them. Sitting down for the first course. Listening to a story without watching the kitchen. Staying at the table for another glass of wine.
That is what Thomas and I want to make possible through French Magnolia Cooks.
I create the menu around your guests, the season, and the occasion. Thomas brings the wine and hospitality together, and we take care of the details that allow the evening to unfold comfortably.
We welcome gatherings throughout Nashville and Western North Carolina. Our work now includes Nashville and its surrounding communities, alongside the mountain homes, returning clients, and new friendships that continue to be an important part of our lives.
You provide the gathering place. We take care of the experience around it.
Private Dining Designed Around You
Every table begins with a conversation.
Perhaps you are celebrating an anniversary, bringing family together for a mountain weekend, or finally hosting the dinner you have been talking about for months. Tell me who is coming, what they enjoy, and how you would like the evening to feel.
From there, I begin shaping the menu. Thomas considers the wine, service, and pace of the evening alongside it, so everything feels connected.
The linens, flowers, glassware, and small finishing touches help make the table inviting. What matters most is that you and your guests feel comfortable enough to settle in and enjoy it.
Two Regions, the Same Personal Hospitality
Some of our favorite evenings have unfolded around tables in Western North Carolina. Returning to a familiar home, cooking for another family celebration, and meeting the friends our clients introduce to us are pleasures we value deeply.
We are bringing that same approach to Nashville as our work grows. Thomas and I welcome private dining inquiries in both regions, with the same care for the people, the setting, and the occasion.
Nashville & Surrounding Communities
We serve Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and Williamson County, including Green Hills, Belle Meade, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Cool Springs, College Grove, The Grove, and Troubadour.
From a dinner in your own home to a celebration at a private property, we help you gather with ease and enjoy the company you have invited.
Western North Carolina & Mountain Communities
We serve Highlands, Cashiers, Banner Elk, Boone, and Blowing Rock, including homes and gatherings at Eagles Nest and Elk River.
Whether the mountains are home, a seasonal retreat, or the setting for a weekend together, we would love to help you make the most of your time around the table.
Private Wine Dinners & Chef’s Tables
A thoughtfully chosen wine can open up a conversation as beautifully as it complements a dish.
Thomas and I plan the menu and pairings together. I think about the ingredients, the season, and the progression of the meal. He looks for wines that bring something interesting to each course and reflect what you enjoy drinking.
That might mean Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, or a discovery from another region. Throughout the evening, Thomas shares the places, producers, and stories behind the bottles, with plenty of room for questions and conversation.
These dinners are a lovely way to celebrate an anniversary or birthday, bring fellow wine lovers together, entertain colleagues, or simply spend an evening discovering something new.
We offer private wine dinners and chef’s tables in homes and private settings across both service areas.
plate-ups
chef’s tables
wine dinners
What the Evening Looks Like
Before we arrive, we will have talked through your menu, guest count, kitchen, table, and the details that matter to you.
Our signature plated dinners can include multiple chef-prepared courses, cotton table linens, chargers, china, stemware, Champagne coupes, flatware, full table service, setup, and breakdown. We will establish what your particular evening includes during planning.
For an occasion that calls for something especially celebratory, we can discuss additions such as caviar, foie gras, Premier Cru wines, Champagne, and seasonal specialties.
Once your guests arrive, we want you to feel free to be with them. Thomas and I look after the cooking, service, pacing, and cleanup.
Pull up your chair. Enjoy the people you have gathered.
boutique
luxury
weddings
Intimate Weddings &
Wedding Weekends
I have always loved weddings where you can feel the couple’s personality around the table. A favorite dish. A meaningful toast. Family and friends close enough to share the conversation.
Thomas and I create dining experiences for intimate weddings and wedding weekends in Nashville and Western North Carolina, including rehearsal dinners, welcome dinners, and seated receptions.
Our wedding experiences are designed primarily for 10 to 48 guests. Depending on the celebration, we can bring together the menu, wine pairings, florals, linens, china, glassware, full table service, setup, and breakdown.
Whether you are gathering at a Nashville-area home or a mountain property, we begin with the setting and the people who will share it with you. Then we work through the details that will make the meal feel like a meaningful part of your celebration.
bachelorette
luncheons & dinners
Celebrate Bachelorettes at Home
There is so much pleasure in getting everyone together, pouring a glass of wine, and knowing you can settle in for the evening.
A private bachelorette luncheon or dinner gives your group time to enjoy one another in the comfort of your home or rental. It can be a beautiful part of a Nashville weekend or a gathering with friends in the North Carolina mountains.
I shape the menu around your group, while Thomas brings the wine and service together. Depending on the occasion, your experience can include a beautifully prepared table, florals, three curated courses, wine pairings, conversation about the wines, service, setup, and breakdown.
You bring the people.
We’ll take care of the table.
family style
gatherings
Gather Around the Table
Some of my favorite meals are served on platters, with everyone passing something, helping themselves, and staying a little longer.
For rehearsal dinners, family reunions, birthdays, and gatherings of friends, I create family-style menus around the season and the way your group likes to eat.
This format offers flexibility while keeping the food, service, and hospitality thoughtfully connected. We will talk through the setting, guest count, and level of support that suits your occasion.
Whether you are bringing generations together at home or sharing a few days away, the host should have time to enjoy being part of it.
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 inform the way I approach each table. Thomas and I have created more than 1,250 private dining experiences, and our work on the PBS series French Magnolia Cooks, which won four Emmy Awards, has given us another way to share our love of food and the people behind it.
Thomas brings decades of restaurant, wine, and hospitality experience to our work. He has a gift for helping guests discover something they enjoy and for noticing the small details that make an evening comfortable.
Together, we prepare carefully, adapt to the setting, and pay attention throughout the gathering. We want you to feel looked after from the first conversation to the final course.
What’s Included in a Private Chef Experience
Our signature private dining experiences bring the elements of the evening together.
Depending on the gathering, Thomas and I can provide:
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A menu developed for your occasion and guests
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Ingredients and preparation
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Linens, china, flatware, and glassware
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Florals, candles, and table setting
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Curated wine pairings
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Attentive table service
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Setup, breakdown, and kitchen cleanup
We will confirm the details of your proposal before booking so you understand what is included.
Chef’s tables and wine dinners are particular favorites of ours. If your guests are curious, there is room to talk about ingredients, cooking techniques, wines, and traditions as the evening unfolds.
We want to create an evening you will enjoy remembering.
Hospitality That Lets You Be Present
Hosting takes care and preparation. There is the menu to consider, the table to set, the timing to manage, and a kitchen waiting at the end of the evening.
Thomas and I take those responsibilities seriously because we know what they give back to you: time with your guests.
Our work is centered on complete private dining experiences, with food, wine, service, and the setting considered together.
When the evening is over, I hope you are still talking with someone you love, happy that you invited everyone over.
A Few Things People Ask Us
Planning a private dinner often begins with a few practical questions. Here are some of the ones we hear most.
Where do you offer private chef services?
We serve Nashville and Western North Carolina as two active service areas.
In Tennessee, our coverage includes Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, and surrounding Williamson County communities.
In Western North Carolina, we welcome gatherings in Highlands, Cashiers, Banner Elk, Boone, and Blowing Rock, including Eagles Nest and Elk River.
Share your property location and preferred date when you inquire so we can discuss the details of your gathering.
Can you cook in our home or vacation rental?
Yes. Private homes and suitable vacation rentals are at the heart of our work in both regions.
Before the event, we will discuss the kitchen, available equipment, dining space, access, and anything else we need to prepare. If you are renting the property, please confirm that the owner permits your planned gathering and outside chef services.
What does a private chef do?
A private chef plans and prepares a meal around your guests, preferences, and occasion.
With French Magnolia, that can also include ingredient sourcing, wine pairings, table settings, service, and cleanup. We discuss the complete scope with you so the experience suits your gathering.
How is a private chef different from catering?
Our private chef experiences are planned around a particular group of guests and their setting.
I develop the menu for the occasion, and Thomas and I consider the food, wine, table, service, and pace of the meal together. This approach works especially well when you want a personal dining experience and time to enjoy your guests.
What will you need from our kitchen and dining space?
We will talk through the cooking equipment, refrigeration, preparation space, seating, and access before the event.
Those details help us determine what the property can comfortably support and what we need to bring. You do not need a professional kitchen; we need a clear understanding of the space so we can plan appropriately.
What kinds of events are a good fit for French Magnolia?
We create private dinners, chef’s tables, wine dinners, birthdays, anniversaries, family gatherings, bachelorette luncheons and dinners, rehearsal dinners, welcome dinners, and intimate weddings.
Our work is especially suited to gatherings where the meal, the table, and time together are an important part of the occasion.
Do you offer private chef services for weddings?
Yes. We welcome intimate weddings and wedding-weekend gatherings throughout Nashville and Western North Carolina.
Our wedding experiences are designed primarily for seated celebrations of 10 to 48 guests, with the final scope shaped by your property, menu, and service needs.
Planning a wedding?
Explore our Intimate Wedding Receptions & Rehearsal Dinners.
How many guests can a private chef serve?
Many of our private dinners are designed for 10 to 24 guests. We also accommodate larger gatherings and intimate weddings when the space and service format are suitable.
Tell us your approximate guest count early in the conversation so we can recommend an approach that works comfortably for your group.
Do you accommodate dietary preferences or restrictions?
Yes. I discuss dietary preferences, allergies, and restrictions with you as we plan the menu.
Please share significant requirements early so we can discuss what is possible and plan with care. I want every guest to feel considered.
How far in advance should we book a private chef?
Reach out as soon as you know your general date and location. Availability depends on the season, our calendar, the setting, and the type of gathering.
Weekends, holidays, and wedding dates can fill earlier. You do not need a finished menu or every detail decided before contacting us.
How do we begin?
Tell us your preferred date, property location, approximate guest count, and reason for gathering.
We will discuss availability, learn more about your plans, and outline the experience we can create for you. From there, we develop the menu, wine, table, and service details together.
Do you offer food delivery or drop-off catering?
Our focus is on private dining with preparation, service, and hospitality provided as part of the gathering.
If you would like help creating and hosting the evening as a whole, we would love to hear what you have in mind.
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.