Chef Daniel is an awesome private chef/caterer. We've eaten his creations several times; and have also taken several groups cooking classes with him. He is extremely knowledgeable about all things related to fook and the finer points of cuisine. He is also very personable, and a wonderful teacher/tutor in all things gastronomic. He explains his techniques, makes useful suggestions, and the finished profivt of his labors is always satisfying. Highly recommended! read more

WLW is awesome! We had them cook for 20+ for my father's 75th birthday party. Communicative, easy to do business with and the food was out of this world. This was our first experience with a private chef in our home, we can't wait to have them back! read more

Chef Daniel is fantastic - extremely professional, very knowledgeable, and imparts great cooking tips while making delicious food! 5 out of 5! read more

Daniel John hosted a cooking class for our building and it was incredible. Food was delicious. Highly recommend!

Daniel and Jess are exceptional. If I could give them more than 5 stars I would. We have worked with them several times over the last 3 years and we could not be happier with them. We have had parties with 100+ guests and a small intimate dinner of 12. Guests always want their contact info for their own events. The menu planning is seamless, the food is delicious and the team is a joy. If you are looking for a private chef for an event, these are your people! read more

I attended a pasta making class hosted by Chef Daniel and was overall extremely impressed by his knowledge, professionalism, and of course the quality of his food creations. He is such a natural at live cooking demos, provided us with easy to follow directions, useful tips, and made the process of making fresh tagliatelle look way easier than it would be if I had attempted it on my own. After trying to make home-made pasta a few years ago, it's definitely not the easiest thing to execute properly, so it was helpful to see it done by a professional. Everyone wore masks at the event and it felt very virus-proof throughout the entire class. I would highly recommend hiring Chef Daniel for your next socially distanced event- he's sure to make a delicious menu and add in a fun, educational element for the adults. read more

Whatever Lola Wants - Caterers Near Me

I wish there was a way to give 10 stars. Both Dan and Jess are excellent with responding to emails. I found them after a lot of research and. We scheduled for my daughters party 2 months ago. Jess came on time with everything and set up nicely,. She was comfortable in my kitchen... started the 2 ovens , put stuff in the refrigerator etc. Jess was extremely patient with the tween girl's who were giggling and chatting. I am so impressed with the professionalism and quality of food. I will certainly be recommending them to my friends and family. Look forward to hosting more cooking parties!!! read more

This is a couple who work perfectly together. The food and baked goods were outstanding but the entire process was seamless. I was having a large party and all guests complimented Daniel and Jessica on the food, but also on how lovely they were. Great conversation and the kitchen was spotless when they left - plus they plated things & saved some food in the fridge. I will have them back! read more

Exceptional! We had them cater a Mother's Day Brunch for 15 people. They were super responsive and incredibly flexible. They altered the menu exactly as we wanted and were considerate of all of our requests. The food was 10/10, presented well, and clearly well sourced ingredients. The pastries were also to die for, especially the chocolate cake. Would highly recommend for any event! They cleaned up incredibly well too! Many thanks to Daniel and Jess:) read more

See all

This past Saturday, Chef Daniel and Chef Jess catered my BBQ. I've hosted many parties before, but I have never received so many compliments on the food and desserts! They are so dedicated that they even grilled in the rain for us--true professionals. My only recommendation is to order extra desserts because they go so fast! If you want to host a party that your guests will talk about for days afterward, hire Chef Daniel and Chef Jess! read more

I literally promised myself that I would never write another Yelp review again...but I would be totally remiss if I did not officially document the incredible experience that my community and it's residents just had at our first event of the summer. Chef Daniel prepared an absolutely delectable menu for our annual party. The way he elevated basic American bbq staples (sliders, dogs, and potato salad) to something refined and elegant, but still approachable, was received so well by our residents and our staff. We barely had any leftovers, and we didn't even have our full expected turnout attend the event. If you are ever needing catering for any type of event, do not think twice about reaching out to Chef Daniel for a quote. We are fervently looking forward to having him and his team return for a plethora of events in the future. read more

See all

I decided to hire Whatever Lola Wants for an in-home dinner with some close girlfriends to celebrate my birthday recently. I've never done anything like that before so Daniel and Jess helped me feel comfortable and were extremely responsive to emails. They nailed the menu when I gave them Italian/Mediterranean inspiration and were easily able to accommodate two guests who had gluten restrictions. Daniel brought everything he needed for the prep work and cooking and cleaned up after he was done. All of my friends commented on how comfortable and fun it was. It felt fancy, yet they are very reasonably priced. Since so many of my guests have young children that are still unvaccinated, I confirmed Daniel the chef was vaccinated and he wore a mask the entire time. Highly recommend this company - great service and fantastic food! read more

We got Daniel as our chef and we absolutely loved every single minute of our experience. We made sushi and he made it very simple and delicious. The background information on the food, the culture, and all the knowledge he offered were so exciting and appreciated. He cleans up after himself and has great sense of humor. Definitely a great night with family or friends. Extremely recommended. read more

Whatever Lola Wants - Rolling out sushi with Daniel! - Caterers Near Me

The ABSOLUTE BEST!!!!!!!! I cannot recommend Whatever Lola Wants more! We had such a wonderful evening for my husband and my brother's joint 40th birthday party! The food was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! They were so fun to have in the room! And hiring them was the easiest process - I wish every company on the planet was as easy and good quality as them! If you're looking for a private chef service, look NO FURTHER. I need think of another event just so I can hire them again! read more

Daniel, the chef was extremely professional. He felt like he was part of the family. We were shooting B.S. back and forth and really enjoying the night. We told him that there was 7 of us, but had a last mi item change of plans which turned us into a party of 8. He brought more than enough food and really included all of us in the learning experience. Daniel is very knowledgeable about what he is teaching and the cost was very reasonable for the service that he provides. Thank you Daniel, we will be sure to use you again for our future cooking parties!!! No mess, no clean up and all of the fun!!! My family sat around our living room drinking wine while he cleaned up. We are very happy. read more

I am only reviewing the virtual cooking class offered by the owner of whatever Lola wants. My apartment building was offering this class virtually. I can't remember his name because the whole event was rapid fire. To preface, i have taken a online cooking class, an online drink making class, and an in person class prior to this event. Additionally, i am a high school teacher so i have some experience teaching (yes, i know this is quite different but it gives me an idea of how learning should happen successfully) To begin we weren't given the amounts of ingredients we would need until one day before the class. We were given the ingredients a week prior but no additional information. I didn't want to prep the onion , broccoli, or cauliflower because i didn't know the specifics for the dish. My apartment manager reached out to them for more information about prep and tools we would need but they didn't produce that information. I thought the class might start early to prep the onion and such but it did not. It started promptly on time. We had no instructions on how things should be set up but that we would need 2 sauce pots that were oven ready. I had that out and my cutting board but the chef started by saying throw your onions, cauliflower , milk ... a bunch oh ingredients into the pot in the stove. I didn't have anything prepped so i was chopping as quickly as possible. Before i knew it he was on to the next set up. I asked if he would recap what happened as i didn't have my food chopped as he did. He said he didn't have time did a literal 20 second recap and moved on. I was frantically running around trying to catch up. He moved on to the next dish and i was still working on the first. Other people asked if he could slow down, repeat what he just said, and could show us his dish. He was always hurried with his response and continued to say he didn't have time to go slower. He never apologized and kept insisting we try to keep up and it didn't matter if we did something differently it would all be fine. I understand that idea that we are all creating our own dishes but we literally couldn't keep up because he stated using ingredients that weren't on the list. He assumed most people have these "staples " in their pantry but i did not. We continued on and a frenetic pace for the remainder of the hour. As soon as our hour was over HE has just finished plating his dish. Asked if we had questions, waited 2 seconds then ended the class. I was shocked! The class was terrible. As some point during the class my building manager asked for the recipe so we could recreate this and he said he didn't have one and we can all recreate it based on what we like. (Something to that effect) he said he would write something up but we have yet to receive it. My food tasted very very bland. My mother also did the class and she has a similar experience both with the instructor and the taste of the food. I cook all the time so i was able to season and improve the food but it was no where near what i expected time make. I would NOT recommend for a virtual class. I would recommend the chopping blocks virtual class if you are looking. read more

Absolutely amazing in every way!!! Definitely hire Chef Daniel for any occasion!! I hired Daniel for an in-home cooking demo dinner party for about 15 people and everyone is still raving about the food and his informative cooking knowledge. He has a wonderful personality and made the event so fun. He was really flexible on designing the menu and the flow of the night, he can work with suggestions and then offers his own ideas and expertise to fine-tune your menu. The food was incredible, well-presented and elevated in the perfect way. I would highly recommend Daniel for any event and will definitely use him again. Also, if you're thinking of having a server, DO IT, it's totally worth it, the server was amazing as well and took care of everything so you can actually talk to your guests and not worry about getting people drinks and food. 5 stars in every way!!! read more

Chef Daniel did a cooking demo and dinner for my company's women's group and WOW. What a delicious and healthy dinner. He's super personable and explains what he's doing. I cook a lot and I learned some tips from him tonight. I'm already thinking of other events to book him for! read more

Daniel did an amazing sushi class at our apartment. He taught us everything, showed us what to do, and helped us roll our own sushi rolls. He is friendly and answered all of our questions. And he cleaned the whole kitchen afterwards while we finished our wine. Highly recommend read more

We had a wonderful experience with Daniel in our pasta-making class. He was professional and simplified things, and sprinkled in some wit and charm for the perfect educational evening. Highly recommended read more

It was my husband's 40th birthday party and Chef Daniel made the food. He was amazing to work with. He was on time, took over the kitchen but made sure he was not in the way. The food was delicious and all the guests had nothing but good things to say about it. Most of all, I could also enjoy the party which was a big relief!! I highly recommend them and trust me you will not be disappointed! read more

We use Dan and Jess to make meals for our family on a weekly basis. Dan contacts us with menu ideas and we put together a final menu. Using Dan and Jess has opened my family to wonderful new foods we would never have tried. They are always considerate of our needs and never disappoint. I can honestly say that every meal has been wonderfully prepared with fresh, organic ingredients like we had asked. Whatever Lola Wants really knows how to make your dining experience thoroughly enjoyable. I could not recommend enough and I hope that you use them and experience wonderful, new cuisines like we have. We are lucky to have met them and plan on using them for a long time to come. - Tim M. read more

Participated in a wonderful fall cooking class - great for smaller, medium or larger sized groups. Helpful cooking tips (and jokes!) to take home with you. read more

In February 2014 I hosted a girls cooking class for 5 girlfriends at my home. Chef Daniel and Chef Jess were our guides for a fun night at home during this miserable winter. They were so easy to work with emailing back and forth the menu and the plans. When they arrived, they quickly set up shop - bringing everything we needed to have a fun night. We enjoyed cooking a full meal with asparagus pesto bruschetta, homemade pasta, fresh salad and a homemade kit kat bar dessert. We laughed, drank wine and learned some great tricks and new recipes to use in our own cooking going forward. Great couple, very professional, smart and fun! Looking forward to using them again soon. read more

I was at a bachelorette party recently where Dan and Jess did a cooking demo for us. They were extremely easy going, friendly, willing to answer any and all questions (restaurant preferences, dumb cooking questions, etc.!). The food was excellent, and the menu was not overly complicated. Each course was really delicious. When Jess and Dan left, the kitchen was cleaner than when they arrived! I would definitely recommend them to others. read more

Dan and Jess came to cooking for us on our anniversary. They are fantastic and the food was really good. I wanted to surprise my husband. Dan asked about food he likes and came up with such a perfect menus. He enjoys every dishes. We had 5 course meal. Ravioli is a MUST!! So yummy!! read more

Whatever Lola Wants - Bershire pork belly, braised Napa cabbage, whole roasted sweet onions, and apple gastrique - Caterers Near Me

My boyfriend surprised me with a private sushi making class in my apartment- how amazing is that?! The chef was professional, kind, and let us be extremely hands on. He showed something once and then we were able to do it on our own right away! He prepared everything ahead of time, brought it all in a cooler, and anything that he used (pans, dishes, etc.) he cleaned up before leaving us to devour our delicious meal! read more

AWESOME! I hosted a birthday party for 11 for my boyfriend in August 2015. Chef Daniel was able to accommodate me even though I only gave a few weeks notice. He worked with my foodie boyfriend to create a fantastic four course menu, which included two desserts. On the evening of the party, Chef Daniel arrived alone and explained that his assistant was ill and assured us that he would be fine working alone. He was right. He seamlessly cooked and cleaned throughout. Everyone was thrilled with Chef Daniel's hard work and creations. It was a very beautiful, memorable evening. I could not have asked for more and would request Whatever Lola Wants again in a heartbeat. read more

Whatever Lola wants did a cooking class at my apartment building (Xavier Apartments) it was absolutely brilliant! I couldn't recommend them more! read more

I hired Chef's Daniel and Jessica to prepare dinner for 14 for my wife's 50th birthday. I spoke to several different chefs and decided on Daniel because he was immediately responsive to my initial inquiry, and he was thoughtful in the menu selection and various ideas about the party. On the day of the event, Daniel and Jessica arrived prepared with everything they needed. While all of the items that they prepared were excellent, the scallop appetizer stands out along with a fresh pea soup. Jessica made an awesome birthday cake. All the guests were impressed, and these were people used to eating at the finest restaurants. I was happy that everything went off perfectly. When they left, everything was cleaned up. We intend to use Daniel again. read more

We love Chef Dan and Jess! We would recommend them to anyone! Dan and Jess have become a part of our family over the time that we have been working with them. They are professional, responsible, friendly, thoughtful, committed to their craft, and amazing chefs. For our working family, they function essentially as a personal chef. They make a weeks worth of meals for a crazy busy working household that got sick of eating out every meal. They prepare healthy, organic delicious meals for us to leave in our fridge and eat all week. They are available at our schedule and we trust them completely. Midweek, they run a menu by us to see if we have any modifications, show up with groceries, make our house smell amazing, and help us live a normal life all week. They even seem glad when my 2 year old runs underfoot trying to name all the vegetables on the counter (some of which I cannot name). Also, we have worked with them for parties. They are amazingly professional and have impressed our guests with the high level of quality that they produce. **Btw, I have lost 15 pounds in 6 months eating their amazing food! read more

Daniel John and his wife, Jess, are as good as it gets for private chef events. I used them for a dinner party for 7 couples at my place in downtown Chicago. Dan and Jess provided 15 options prior to the event, which we worked with them and decided on a 6 course meal with 2 deserts and 94+ wine pairings. Two of the couples are regulars at prix-fixe menu establishments, such as Next and Alinea, and the remainder of us prefer simplier locations such as Bavette's, GT Fish/Oyster, Au Cheval, or Gibson's. Dan and Jess exceeded the expectations of all of us on both the food and the experience. I would highly recommend them and will be using them many more times in the future. read more