Gathar co-founders Jodie Mlikota (left) and Curtis Stone. PHOTO COURTESY OF GATHAR
CHEF AND RESTAURATEUR CURTIS STONE BRINGS GATHAR—THE POPULAR AUSSIE PRIVATE CHEF AND CATERING PLATFORM—STATESIDE, RIGHT IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAY
A decadent grazing table PHOTO COURTESY OF GATHAR
A chef puts the finishing touches on creme brulee. PHOTO COURTESY OF GATHAR
The most wonderful time of the year is approaching, and along with gloriously cooler weather and all the cozy moments we Angelenos dream of—cashmere sweaters and pumpkin spice everything among them—are the associated stresses that come with hosting and entertaining guests. Here to help is Gathar (gathar.com), the private-chef booking platform co-founded by celebrity chef and restaurateur Curtis Stone. Known for his excellent restaurants here in L.A. (Maude, Gwen) and in Dallas (Georgie), along with television appearances, cookware and more, the talented Aussie has brought the seamless on-demand online experience from Down Under to the City of Angels not for a lack of excellent chefs here, but for the ease of finding the right chef at the right time—for the right occasion. After going online and selecting from a few options (budget, neighborhood, type of cuisine and type of party), Gathar takes the reins. “Your chef does all the menu planning and shopping for ingredients, which is one of the biggest challenges when you’re throwing a dinner party,” Stone explains. “The other challenge, of course, is being stuck in the kitchen all night while your guests are out enjoying themselves, so having a chef doing all the cooking, serving and even cleaning up afterward really guarantees you can be out there enjoying the party! All you have to do is open the wine, choose the playlist and set the table.” There are a wide range of menus, from family-friendly elevated barbecue (Stone’s personal favorite) to charcuterie grazing boards to four-course fine dining. Custom menus are also available, as are more unusual experiences—on board yachts, for example. Expansion plans include Orange County and Santa Barbara first, but the possibilities are endless. “Gathar is the biggest platform of its kind in Australia,” Stone says, “so of course we want to see that same success in the U.S.!”
Roast porchetta from the Grande Italian Festa menu PHOTO COURTESY OF GATHAR
A scene from Gathar’s L.A. launch party PHOTO COURTESY OF GATHAR
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