Private Chefs, Carefully Matched
A private chef agency for households in Spain and Southern California
Olinda delivers premium private chef staff for luxury homeowners in Spain and Southern California — full-time household roles, short-term engagements, and yacht seasons.
Schedule a callPlacement
Full-time
A chef in the household year-round — family meals, guests, dietary requirements, and travel with the principals when needed. We run the search from first brief to signed contract.
Short-term
Short-term engagements, event chefs, meal prep chefs.
Yacht
Chefs for a season or a single charter.
How we vet
We go beyond recruiting
We assess your needs, source thoroughly vetted chefs, and ensure a seamless integration into your home.
You receive a shortlist of candidates chosen for your household, each with a note on why they fit.
Fees & guarantee
Clear terms, satisfied clients
- Full-time placements20% of gross annual salary
- Short-term & yacht25% of total compensation
The fee falls due when your chef starts work, not before. Minimum booking of five days for short-term placements.
If a full-time placement ends within 90 days, we replace the chef once, at no further fee. For yacht placements the same applies within 30 days, and for short-term placements within the first 48 hours of the engagement.
For chefs
Our minimum: five years as a private chef, or in a high-end restaurant
Send your CV, a sample of your menus, and footage of your work, with references we can call. Yacht chefs: certificates current and in order.
Send us your workAbout
Olinda is run by Jack van der Hidde
Twenty-plus years in private kitchens, top restaurants and embassies. Trained in Copenhagen. Career residencies with ultra-high-net-worth families and celebrity households, and executive chef at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington.
Founder of Chef's Table LA and of The Line Restaurant Talent Agency.
Los Angeles, New York and Norway along the way. Valencia, Spain now.
I've done the job I'm recruiting for. I know what a service looks like when eight guests arrive unannounced, and what a household has to give a chef for the arrangement to last.
Dee [surname]
First point of contact · Los Angeles
Between Valencia and Los Angeles, Olinda keeps working hours in both markets rather than calling into one of them.
FAQ
What areas do you serve for private chef placement?
Southern California and Spain. In California, from Santa Barbara to San Diego; in Spain, Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, the Costa Brava, Marbella and the Balearic Islands.
What kinds of chefs do you place?
Full-time household chefs, short-term engagements including event and meal prep chefs, and yacht chefs.
What experience do your chefs have?
A minimum of five years as a private chef or on yachts, or in a high-end restaurant — many with Michelin backgrounds. We look for chefs who run a kitchen with real discipline: sourcing, prep, costs and timing handled without being asked, and a seriousness about the craft that shows in the food. Yacht chefs hold current certificates.
What does it cost?
20% of gross annual salary for full-time placements. 25% of total compensation for short-term and yacht, with a five-day minimum booking. Nothing is payable until your chef starts work.
What happens if the placement doesn't work out?
If a full-time placement ends within 90 days, we replace the chef once at no further fee. For short-term and yacht, the same applies within 30 days.
Will the chef travel with us?
Many do, and several of our chefs work across both regions through the year. Say so early — willingness to travel changes who we put forward.
How do we start?
Fill in a short brief — your household, where you are, the kind of cooking you want and when you need someone. We will come back with questions, then a shortlist. Start a brief →