How to get a chef or a cook to make a party at home in Bengaluru

The cheapest way is often a cook you already know. Your own cook or house help may do the party for an extra fee, or know someone who cooks for functions. Nobody publishes a day rate for this, so the figure above is our estimate. Agree the fee, the helper, the hours and who washes up before the day.

A cook for the day and a caterer come out close. A cook for 20 works out to about ₹315 to ₹510 a head with the groceries, by our estimate, against ₹300 to ₹550 a plate at a caterer. The caterer's price includes the serving and the washing up, and with a cook, both are yours.

Chefs cost less a head for a bigger party. In December 2025, the Deccan Herald reported chefs doing house parties charging, in some cases, ₹4,000 to ₹5,500 a plate for about 10 guests, and ₹1,500 to ₹2,500 a plate for larger groups.

The shopping list comes the day before. For a veg lunch for 20, it comes to about ₹3,100 to ₹4,500, by our estimate. Someone has to buy it, and the fridge has to hold it, so plan the evening before.

Check the gas. Cooking for 20 uses about 2 kg of gas, by our estimate. That's about ₹130 of a ₹944.50 home cylinder (Bengaluru, October 2026), so the cost is small, but don't start the day with a nearly empty one.

Ask a caterer for one written total. One caterer adds transport, another the staff, a third the crockery, so two plate prices that look alike can end up thousands apart.

A small party pays more a head. The van and the servers cost a caterer much the same for 20 guests as for 50, which is why most start at 30 to 50.

A counter needs room and a plug. Bhandary's Kitchen asks for about 10 by 10 ft of floor space, and both it and Smart Chef need a 15 amp plug point. A gas oven on a balcony needs open air around it.

With your own oven, plan the baking. A home oven bakes two or three small pizzas at a time, so ask the cook to bake a first round before the kids sit down and keep the rest coming. Ask him to bring the dough and the toppings, or send you the list.

At a counter, ask how many pizzas it makes at a time. Kids all want theirs at once, and a counter bakes a few at a time, so expect a queue and ask the cook how long one round takes.

The adults need food too. A pizza counter feeds the kids, but most parents expect a proper meal. Bhandary's Kitchen's kids' birthday buffet is ₹350 a plate from 50 guests, with a mini plate for the kids beside the adults' food, plus 5% GST and transport.

Ask both for the same dinner. Neither publishes a full menu with a price, so ask each for the same thing: four guests, five courses, veg or non-veg, and the total with travel. If the menus match and one still costs much more, ask each what the difference pays for.

The meat moves it most. Chef Clive told our team he doesn't believe in set costs: the quote follows the menu and the ingredients you choose. Five courses with wagyu cost far more than five vegetarian ones, for the same work in your kitchen.

For a party of 20, a chef's starting price adds up fast. At ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 a head, 20 guests come to ₹60,000 to ₹1,20,000, by our sum. A cook for the day or a caterer for 20 is about ₹6,300 to ₹16,000.

Before you book, settle these at home:

• Gate passes for the cook, every helper and their vehicle, and the service lift if you're up high.
• Plates, glasses and serving spoons for everyone. Most homes don't have 20 of each, so hire them or buy disposable.
• One person to show the cook the kitchen: where the salt, the vessels and the gas are. If that's you, you'll spend the party in the kitchen.
• Tables and chairs. Smart Chef Catering brings the food and the servers, but you give the tables, the chairs and a plug point.
• For a barbecue on the terrace, your association's OK on charcoal. We found no city rule on it, so it's their call, and the smoke reaches your neighbours.

Nazia, who runs Smart Chef Catering, on what her team takes on:

The big greasy vessels are the job people dread. A cook hired for the day often leaves them. Ask him to wash them before he goes, or plan for someone who will.

If an elder won't eat from vessels that touched meat, say so in your first message. It's an ordinary thing to ask, and it decides who you book. With a cook in your own kitchen, set the veg vessels aside before he starts.

For Jain food or no onion and garlic, ask whether the whole menu can be made that way, or only a few dishes kept apart, and who cooks them.

Fix your guest count before the shopping. The groceries are bought for a number, so five extra guests the day before may not be possible, and five fewer still cost you. Ask the date your count is fixed.

December fills up. One caterer's page says weekends from November to February need booking four to six weeks ahead.