Chef Ivory White does not run a legitimate business. I really wish I checked Yelp before booking with her since it looks like she has a track record of asking for hefty deposits and not returning them when a service isn't performed (per the other review on her page).
I booked her services for an anniversary dinner for my partner. During the booking process, she was super responsive (responses came in quickly, or she communicated and gave me a heads up if she needed a while to respond). She asked for a 50% deposit to confirm the service, which I sent in a timely manner (within 5 minutes of her sharing the deposit requirement).
The day of the event she messaged me less than an hour before she was set to arrive saying that she got into an (alleged) car accident on her way to the venue and she was no longer able to cook for us that night. I, of course, was disappointed (and found it hard to believe). But she promised a refund (screenshots shown). I reached out to her the next day (tried to be courteous in the off-chance her car accident excuse was legitimate); however, she stopped responding to my subsequent messages (although it shows she had read them).
She could have easily refunded me, as any legitimate business that didn't perform a promised service would have (I used Venmo to send the deposit, so a refund could have been instantaneous), but instead, Chef Ivory chose to not even communicate with me about the refund further.
I've also reported her on the other platforms she provides services on (Thumbtack, Take a Chef) to give them a heads up of her business practices. It's sad that a really lovely vacation in Hawaii has turned into such a disappointment because of this incredibly shady incident. read more