Scott WinegardPrivate Chef in New York, NY
The Chef
The Story
I’m a New York based chef with more than two decades of experience in restaurants, culinary development, education, and private dining. My career began in New York at Angelica Kitchen and later took me through kitchens including Pure Food & Wine and Noma in Copenhagen. As Executive Culinary Director for Matthew Kenney Culinary, I helped develop and open more than 25 restaurants and culinary schools, contributed to two cookbooks, and created menus and concepts for projects around the world. My work has also included leading culinary programs at CIVANA in Arizona and Farm Spirit in Portland. Through all of those experiences, my cooking has remained grounded in vegetables, seasonality, and a strong sense of place. I’m drawn to food that feels vibrant, generous, and considered without becoming overly complicated — beautiful ingredients, clear flavors, and menus that have a natural rhythm from beginning to end. For private dinners, I approach each table individually. The season, the setting, the occasion, and the people gathering around it become the starting point for the menu. My goal is to bring the thoughtfulness and craft of a serious restaurant kitchen into your home while keeping the experience warm, personal, and relaxed.
The Table
Gallery
Coverage
Where Scott Winegard Serves
The Menu
Services & Pricing
20 guests maximum · Books up to 6 months in advance
Work History
April 2024 - Present
Independent Chef / Consultant · Independent Culinary Consulting & Projects · New York, NYLeads pop-ups, guest chef dinners, private client work, and consulting engagements providing menu development and operational guidance.
2023 - April 2024
Executive Chef (Pre-Opening) · Argento · Silver Lake, Los AngelesLed the full culinary pre-opening of a new Silver Lake restaurant concept, overseeing menu development, kitchen systems planning, and operational preparation before investors cancelled the project.
March 2012 - 2023
Culinary Director / Chef · Matthew Kenney Cuisine · GlobalLed culinary development for over 25 restaurant openings worldwide, directing menus, recipe systems, training, and education programs, and relaunching Plant Food + Wine at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills.
August 2020 - December 2021
Culinary Director / Executive Chef · CIVANA Wellness Resort · Carefree, AZLed the reopening and relaunch of all culinary operations at a destination wellness resort, overseeing multiple outlets, banquets, and wellness-driven seasonal menus.
March 2019 - July 2020
Executive Chef / Managing Partner · Farm Spirit · Portland, ORLed an intimate, critically acclaimed vegetable-focused restaurant named Best Vegetable Restaurant in the U.S., evolving its culinary identity and operational systems.
2004 - 2007
Chef de Cuisine · Pure Food & Wine · New York, NYServed as Chef de Cuisine at the acclaimed plant-based restaurant, with menus praised by New York Magazine as innovative and delicious.
Skills
Accolades
- Guest Chef, James Beard House
- New York Magazine — Adam Platt praised Pure Food & Wine menu as "innovative" and "delicious"
- We're Smart® Green Guide — Best Vegetable Restaurant in the U.S. (Farm Spirit)
- Portland Monthly — Farm Spirit named among best restaurants
- Jonathan Gold praised Scott Winegard's cooking as "the real thing"
- Co-author of cookbooks Plant Food and Plant Lab
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 Scott Winegard
from $100 / guest
+ 20% platform fee and groceries
6–24 guests · Books up to 6 months ahead
No charge today. Your card is charged the 30% deposit only if Scott Winegard accepts.
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