What do you do when your annual optometry conference is canceled due to covid and you may not see your favorite opto friends?? Welp, we planned our own little vacation and hired Gather & Forge for a 4-course dinner for 8 people at a vacation home in the area! Gather & Forge was professional from initial communication to follow up communication. Michelle (booking coordinator) was friendly and prompt to reply. We asked for a chef inspired, sit-down meal that our guests would talk about and remember for years to come. Chef Anthony spoke with me over the phone two weeks in advance to get a feel for what we wanted and within an hour of our call he had sent over options for us to look over and choose from. Each option sounded amazing and delicious! When the day had come, Chef Anthony texted with his ETA but there was a small mix up between our personal home address and the vacation home address. He immediately called and communicated the situation and his approximate delay. While this was a mistake, it was no problem for our party as half were still lounging in the pool anyway. To be honest, I think it worked in our favor! Upon arrival, chef took care of business by putting the homemade ice cream right in the freezer and we discussed the updated timeline and plan for each course. One may have thought the mixup would have thrown off the vibe for the entire evening. But Chef Anthony was GREAT! He had the first course, a chicken shawarma pita, served in about an hour and had also modified the plan from sit down to mingling for appetizers. We continued a more casual dining style laughing and cutting up in the kitchen with him for his take on a cobb salad. We moved to the formal dining for the entree and things got fancy when Chef Anthony plated and served a chimichurri marinated grilled steak with salad greens and spiced roasted sweet potato. To complete the night, we enjoyed a browned butter grilled peach with cinnamon brioche and that homemade vanilla ice cream. Each of us had our favorites...it was as if the chef knew us personally and had been cooking for us for years to know our personal taste preferences. Gather & Forge is very professional, knowledgeable and delicious from beginning to end. Thank you for an experience we will never forget! read more

I wanted to give a shout out to Chef Anthony of Gather and Forge. My wife and I own the #1 Airbnb and VRBO site in Lakeway TX/Austin named Little La Jolla resort. 2 years ago we had 17 financial bankers from New York stay and requested a person Chef. I did not recommend them, the bankers found Gather and Forge on their own. I did meet Chef Anthony and was very impressed with him. I took a chance and referred them to my next guest requesting a person chef. My guests gave them a 5 start rating. I then put them on our VRBO and Airbnb description listing. We have 15 5-star ratings a row, last week I finally was able to have my own private dinner for 18 of our closest friends. My guest were giddy, smiling and blown away by the presentation. Another 5star review. Thanks so Much Anthony for making our dinner party such a success. This is a quote from one of the guest........ From Brenda, ... Hi Ken, Just wanted to thank you again for inviting me to that amazing dinner. All I can say is wow! You're such incredibly gracious hosts! That was truly the best lobster I've ever eaten. You've done a wonderful job making your property so warm and inviting. I so enjoyed meeting you both and your friends. Thanks again! Brenda read more

Gather & Forge did a tremendous job on the private dinner and teaching course we hired them for. A dear family friend made the recommendation after having them out twice so I knew I could count on them being good. I wasn't expecting them to be phenomenal. Wow. We were impressed. We travel extensively and have dined at several Michelin starred restaurants so we weren't expecting the expertise of Chef Clark Kennedy-Paesler. Our family had such an enjoyable evening in the kitchen learning, laughing and enjoying great conversation. It was just how food should be enjoyed. Chef was such a pleasure to be around. He made the experience so much fun for all of us. Chef utilized such nice quality selections, added wonderful flavor and showed us some great techniques. We can't wait to have Chef Clark back in our home sooner than later. Hands down to the booking coordinator, Michelle. She replied quickly, was on top of every detail and made it a smooth transaction from beginning to end. Thank you to everyone at Gather & Forge for making my husbands birthday such a treat Kelly Austin, TX read more

We have used Gather and Forge multiple times now and it has always been a stellar experience. From small family gatherings to large-scale parties, they customize every detail and it is not only the most amazing food, but such a fun time! Last night we had a birthday party with almost 30 people at our house, and Chefs Anthony and Nick were top-notch. I feel so at ease having them in my home and in my kitchen because they are extremely professional, polite and relaxed. They made a menu complete with vegetation and meat options, dietary restrictions (nut allergies), and craft cocktail mixers that were a huge hit! Even just the charcuterie boards were out of this world, and so fun to snack on while everyone mixed and mingled. Plus, they clean up the entire kitchen, store leftovers in the fridge, and leave everything spic and span. A dream. The price for the services they provide and the food they cook is surprisingly affordable. If you are considering usIng G&F for any event, I 1000% recommend them! read more

We had the pleasure of having Chef Anthony Nicaj in our home for a celebration date night dinner. It was our first time doing something like this, and the process to schedule was simple and Michelle was very kind and accommodating to our needs! I truly believe that was one of the best meals I've ever had! We opted for a multi-course meal, each timely and somehow more delicious than the last. There wasn't one plate that went uncleaned. The flavors, colors, and textures of each dish were truly extraordinary and worth savoring. The portions were larger (in a great way) than anticipated for each course. I left, or stayed, rather, feeling VERY happy and full. The experience was one-of-a-kind and my kitchen was left in immaculate condition! Chef Anthony is extremely knowledgeable in his craft, personable yet professional, and made us feel like we were at a 5-star restaurant! I would definitely recommend this service for a date night or evening/brunch with friends and will be using them again. read more

GNF was outstanding! This is the first time that I have ever tried a chef prepared meal at home. Wow. it was an experience. Chef Tony was both businesslike in preparing the meal at the same time very accommodating in answering our curious questions. The food was very fresh. I particularly liked the butternut squash soup. of course all of us ate everything put before us. Two of our adult children are vegetarian and they loved their meals also. clean plates all around. Chef Tony cleaned up the kitchen and put the dishes away. Then we invited him out to share an aperitif with us and enjoyed listening to his story about coming to Austin . Now I just have to find an excuse to use GNF again sometime soon. And a shout out to Michelle on her help with the scheduling. read more

We had the best experience with Gather and Forge and Chef Dan. They were able to do a private dinner at a vacation rental in Wimberly for a bachelorette party. Michelle, the booking coordinator, was very responsive to emails and changes that had to be made prior to the event. Chef Dan suggested a great menu for the party, accommodated the vegetarian in our party (even using soy chorizo for a soup instead of traditional chorizo!), and made the most DELICIOUS dinner! His personality was so much fun and made the dinner relaxed and fit to our needs. This was our first experience with a private chef but would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat. Would highly recommend Chef Dan and hope to work with him again in the future! read more

We were looking for a private chef to do something a little different to celebrate my father's 70th birthday. We contact several companies but the approach from Gather and Forge was head and shoulders above the others. When we then connected with Chef Dan he was able to come up with a menu that was spot on for what we needed and right to our tastes. During the evening itself the food was everything we expected and Chef Dan was fantastic. He was very professional, was very friendly and easy to chat with and the job he did was superb. We are already planning our second night with Gather and Forge and will make a specific request for Chef Dan again. read more

Ryan has cooked for me for years and showed an immense amount of customer service and culinary refinement. Over the years, he has been able to use a broad spectrum of ingredients which has been amazing when I have wanted to do different styled meals; Mediterranean, East Asian, elegant Mexican and Americana with all different kinds of unique veggies and wild game. He even has a great understanding of vegetarian menus that is desired by the biggest meat eaters like myself. I would highly recommend hiring Ryan and Gather and Forge for any event you may have if you are looking for a customer service driven team that creates some amazing food! read more

The Gather and Forge team is amazing! I have done two private cooking classes. The instruction was very clear and the chef, Ryan, was very patient and explained things in a way we could all understand. It was timed out perfectly and the outcome was amazing! I have learned two new recipes and can't wait to learn more! I also picked up on cooking skills I have not had previously like understanding how to taste your food properly, not have to follow a recipe to the T, and timing out your preparation. Very well done Gather and Forge! I highly recommend using them for a private dinner or cooking class with family and friends! read more

A group of 12 of us came to Austin for a reunion and we had chef Jack come to the Airbnb one evening. I requested a creative 3 course dinner and it was amazing. Started with a delicious salad, followed by an excellent beef entree and dessert that was wonderful. Each course was truly creative and looked so appealing that my photos could've been in a magazine! Chef Jack has a great personality and didn't even mind some of us watching him prepare dinner and ask him questions. He made it a truly memorable dinner. I would highly recommend Gather & Forge and would definitely plan another dinner when next in Austin. read more

Chef Arturo treated us with an incredible gourmet 3-course meal during my brother's bachelor party weekend. Since some of us are vegetarian, Chef Arturo took all our dietary preferences into account and created a vegetarian meal (with vegan friendly versions) that absolutely delighted everyone, non-vegetarians included!! Just about everyone in the party had asked me afterward "How did you find this Chef?!", and wanted to hire Chef Arturo for their future events! I am so happy that I chose Gather & Forge for our private chef dinner experience, and I would HIGHLY recommend their services to anyone and everyone! :) read more

We used GNF for a special dinner to celebrate my brother's 40th birthday! The experience was top notch from beginning to end. Communication beforehand was smooth and effortless to create the perfect menu for our event and Chef Justin was great to work with. From presentation to taste, everything was perfect and made for an unforgettable evening. The dinner was a surprise for my brother, and afterwards he said it was the BEST way to spend his birthday. We still talk about it months later!! Some of the best memories are centered around the dinner table, and we look forward to future celebrations with Gather & Forge! read more

Such an amazing experience. We booked Chef Luke for an at-home, 5 course dinner for my husband and my first wedding anniversary. Luke emailed us a gorgeous menu and adapted to give us some different options when we requested. He even recreated and elevated our favorite dessert from a vacation to Mexico from years ago! The meal was absolutely incredible - I'd easily compare it to a Michelin starred restaurant - plus we got the experience of watching our chef create the meal (all while peppering him with questions and forcing him to share his pistachio salsa recipe). I will absolutely book Chef Luke again! read more

I have to say hands down this is the best private chef & catering service in all of central Texas. I've had the pleasure of eating many meals prepared by Chef Ryan Francis in many different settings including business occasions, holiday meals, and bachelor parties on Lake Travis. Ryan puts a special touch on every incredible dish he puts out as well as takes away the headache and mess of putting together a gathering. His food is locally sourced and he is insanely knowledgable about food. 5 stars aren't enough to rate Chef Ryan. read more

Gather and Forge did a private event for my stepdaughters wedding and Jack and Justin were amazing. I'm not one to try new foods but this was a five course meal and thought I should at least taste a little bit from each course. To my surprise I loved everything! From spicy jalapeño biscuits to sweet tomatillo slaw. Yum! They were great with explaining the courses as well. We are not from this area but highly recommend them if you are in search of someone for a private event! Thanks Justin and Jack! read more

We had Gather and Forge come prepare the dinner for my sons 26th birthday. We had multiple families from Indiana and everyone was blown away by the experience. Not only was the food exquisite, but the chef was personable and willing to talk through the dishes and how they were prepared. We would recommend Gather and Forge to anyone. Whether you are having a close family event or a business dinner, they will take very good care of you. read more

I wanted to have a nice bday dinner with a bunch of friends - but typical restaurant dining with a large group means you never get much time in to visit. So...we worked with Chef Niko to come up with an awesome menu for 22 of us and it was amazing! We had two gluten free guests, so they modified the menus for them. Our kitchen was spotless when they left and multiple guests commented that we should do something like this more often! read more

This was quite possibly the best at home meal experience I've ever had! The coordinator was super easy to work with and chef Aya took into consideration all of my requests. She was even able to make adjustments for a last minute addition who had special dietary needs. The entire experience was fluid and easy and the food was amazing! Everyone at my dinner party couldn't stop talking about it. I would definitely hire them again. read more