Jalen WhipplePrivate Chef in Miami, FL

New to HELMEx-Alinea & Catbird Seat — Michelin technique for private dining

The Chef

The Story

I’m a Michelin-trained chef with a decade in professional kitchens — three-Michelin-star Alinea and Roister in Chicago, The Catbird Seat in Nashville, and five years as a private chef for ultra-high-net-worth families across Nashville, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles. I currently serve as Head of Culinary for a private family office in Miami, running full-scale dinners for 35–50 guests. My food carries the technique and standards of a fine-dining kitchen into a private setting: tight mise en place, precise plating, and menus built around each client’s palate and dietary needs. A dish I created at The Catbird Seat — a chess pie canelé — became a signature piece served at the restaurant’s guest-chef dinners, including one at the James Beard House. An evening with me feels like a tasting menu without the restaurant walls — restaurant-caliber food, service, and pacing, built entirely around your table.

The Table

Gallery

Coverage

Where Jalen Whipple serves

Miami, FL · 60 mi

The Menu

Services & Pricing

Lunch

$75.00 / guest

A bright, seasonal lunch cooked in your kitchen — plated or family style, paced to your afternoon.

Grocery & ingredients from $0.00 / guest · 2–16 guests

Family Style Dinner

$100.00 / guest

Generous shared platters served to the table — relaxed, abundant, and tailored to your group. A chefs favorite way to eat.

Grocery & ingredients from $0.00 / guest · 4–20 guests

Plated Dinner

$140.00 / guest

A multi-course plated dinner cooked in your home — menu, shopping, service, and a spotless kitchen all handled.

Grocery & ingredients from $0.00 / guest · 2–12 guests

Tasting Menu

$200.00 / guest

A seasonal multi-course tasting, plated and presented at your table — an intimate, restaurant-caliber progression at home.

Grocery & ingredients from $0.00 / guest · 2–10 guests

20 guests maximum · Books up to 6 months in advance

Work History

Jun 2025 - Present

Head of Culinary · Private Family Office · Miami, FL

Oversees all cooking, inventory, ordering, and staffing for a UHNW family, executing multi-course fine-dining dinners for 35-50 guests while holding food cost under 30%.

Feb 2021 - Jun 2025

Private Chef · Private Clientele · Multi-City

Delivered bespoke fine-dining and family-style service for high-profile clients across Nashville, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles while hiring and training kitchen staff.

Jun 2022 - Aug 2024

Chef de Partie · The Catbird Seat · Nashville, TN

Rotated across all stations in a tasting-menu kitchen, creating the signature chess pie canelé adopted for guest-chef dinners including one at the James Beard House.

Aug 2020 - Mar 2022

Executive Sous Chef · The Black Sheep · Whitewater, WI

Owned menu and recipe development for full, tasting, and event menus, acted as head chef in the executive chef's absence, and led ticketed pop-up dinners.

Aug 2019 - Aug 2020

Chef de Partie · Alinea & Roister · Chicago, IL

Rotated through hearth, pastry, and garde manger stations, executing three-Michelin-star mise en place and plating standards under high volume while mentoring incoming staff.

Education

May 2022Bachelor of Arts, Liberal Studies — Business Emphasis, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater

Skills

PastryMichelin-Level TechniqueTasting MenusPrivate ServiceLarge-Format EventsScratch KitchenFine diningsmall platesOpen fire cooking

Accolades

Featured in multiple Midwestern culinary and lifestyle magazines
Created chess pie canelé served at a James Beard House dinner

Every HELM Vendor Meets High Standards

We carefully evaluate chefs based on their culinary expertise, menu creativity, and proven track record for excellence.

Private dining with

Reserve Jalen Whipple

from $75.00 / guest

2–20 guests · Books up to 6 months ahead

No charge now — Jalen Whipple reviews your request first.

Report this profile