Christmas Buffet Catering by a Private Chef
$195.00 inc. GST
Christmas buffet catering, cooked fresh on-site by a private chef and served family-style: two canapés to start, then seven share plates set down the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. Book it for the office Christmas lunch, an extended-family get-together, or any holiday gathering too big for a sit-down holiday dinner. Your chef arrives with the ingredients and cooks the whole spread in your kitchen or your venue’s. Less formal than a plated meal, more generous than finger food, and nobody has to wait for the next course.
What’s Included?
- 2 canapés and 7 share plates per person: 2 mains, 2 sides, 2 salads and 1 dessert, built around a seasonal holiday menu
- 1 private chef, travelling to your home, office or venue and cooking everything fresh on-site
- Premium, seasonal ingredients, sourced for your event
- Shopping, preparation, cooking, plating, service and full clean-up
Dietary requirements: every menu includes options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and other dietary restrictions at no extra charge. Tell us about allergies and any special requests when you book.
Book in 3 easy steps:
- Add to cart
- Enter your event details
- Secure payment online
Price is per person (inclusive of taxes). For smaller groups, contact our concierge team for a custom quote. If you’d like to add service staff or additional items, simply add this package to your cart, then select any add-ons before checkout. To explore other options, return to the main shop page to view our full range of packages.
Prefer an even more generous shareable dishes? Check out our Christmas Catering package.
Sample menus are just below.
What might the Christmas menu look like?
Traditional Christmas Menu by Chef Paolo Bravi
Canapés
Rosemary crisp, beet relish, Persian feta, aged balsamic (V)
Freshly shucked oysters, lime-ginger granita, salmon roe, Chardonnay vinaigrette (GF, DF)
Mains
Free-range turkey roulade with sage, cranberry and herb stuffing, rich turkey jus, cranberry-orange sauce
Oven-roasted salmon, fennel and herb salad, grilled lemon, classic lemon butter sauce (GF)
Sides
Duck fat roasted potatoes, rosemary, confit garlic, sea salt (GF, DF)
·Honey-roasted carrots and parsnips, thyme, brown butter, maple-mustard dressing (V, GF)
Salads
Baby spinach, pear and Parmesan salad, candied walnuts, white balsamic vinaigrette (GF)
Roasted butternut squash salad, feta, pomegranate, baby herbs, honey-lemon dressing (V, GF)
Dessert
Warm traditional Christmas pudding (a spiced fruit pudding), vanilla bean crème anglaise, fresh whipped cream
Christmas with an Asian Twist by Chef Nick Guan
Canapés
Classic shrimp cocktail, cocktail sauce (GF, DF)
Oysters on the half shell, leche de tigre, togarashi (GF, DF)
Mains
Turkey roulade, apple, fig and cognac, cranberry sauce (GF)
Slow-roasted ham, soy, honey and star anise glaze
Sides
Charred cauliflower and cheese bake (V)
Duck fat potatoes, truffle, Parmesan (GF)
Salads
Arugula, pear, macadamia, Comté (GF)
Beet and apple salad, raspberry dressing (VG, GF, DF)
Dessert
Sticky toffee date pudding, vanilla Chantilly cream, salted caramel sauce (V)
Modern Christmas Table by Chef Jeff Campbell
Canapés
Whipped goat cheese, roasted beet, toasted hazelnut, crostini (V)
Smoked salmon, crème fraîche, dill, blini
Mains
Tomahawk steak, selection of mustards, trio of sauces: mushroom, jus, béarnaise (GF)
Crispy-skin white fish, salt and vinegar crushed potatoes, sauce VĂ©ronique, fresh herbs
Sides
Creamy pommes purée (V, GF)
Roasted cauliflower, broccolini and seasonal greens (V, GF)
Salads
Roasted beet and burrata salad, olive soil, white balsamic (V, GF)
Shaved winter slaw, fresh herbs, lemon vinaigrette (VG, GF, DF)
Dessert
Chocolate sponge, coconut ice cream, spiced cherry compote, chocolate sesame wafer (V)
CHEFIN Booking Process
What Happens After You Book
- Complete payment in full to confirm your booking. If paying by bank transfer, use your order number as the payment reference. If paying by Interac e-Transfer, include your order number in the message field.
- CHEFIN will email your booking confirmation and calendar invitation. You will also receive a short form where you can share your event details, menu preferences, dietary requirements, and special requests.
- Once we receive your completed form, we will match you with a vetted private chef based on your location, preferred cuisine, event style, and dietary needs.
- Your chef will then create a personalized menu tailored to your occasion and preferences. You will have the opportunity to review the menu, provide feedback, and request reasonable changes before it is finalized.
Frequently asked questions
What is family-style Christmas catering?
A private chef cooks a full Christmas meal on-site and sets it on the table as shared dishes, so guests pass them around and serve themselves. With CHEFIN, that means 2 canapés and 7 share plates per person (2 mains, 2 sides, 2 salads and something sweet), plus ingredients, service and clean-up.
How much does a private chef cost for Christmas, per person?
This package is $165 per person, inclusive of all taxes. Nothing is added at checkout. The price covers the chef, the groceries, the cooking, the service and a kitchen left the way it was found. Service staff, drinks, tableware and cutlery are optional add-ons. For an exact quote on a smaller group, ask our concierge team.
What’s included in the price?
Two canapés, two mains, two sides, two salads and one sweet course per person, cooked fresh on-site by one private chef, plus shopping, preparation, plating, service and full clean-up.
Can you work around allergies and diets?
Yes. Your chef plans around your guests’ preferences and dietary needs: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and more, at no extra charge. Tell us when you book so the menu is built around them from the start.
What’s the difference between Christmas buffet catering and Christmas canapés?
This package is a full share-plates meal — mains, sides, salads and dessert — served buffet-style for guests to help themselves, suited to a seated or standing Christmas lunch or dinner. If you’d rather bite-sized food for a standing party, see our Christmas party catering (canapés).
What’s the difference between this and Christmas Day catering?
This package is for the broader Christmas period — office functions, family get-togethers, end-of-year gatherings — served buffet-style so a larger group can self-serve. If you’re after a formal sit-down meal for Christmas Day itself, see our Christmas Day private chef catering.
Experience Flow
- Your chef arrives about 90 minutes before service with all the ingredients
- Canapés are prepared and passed while guests arrive and mingle
- Mains, sides and salads are cooked on-site in your kitchen or the venue’s
- Everything goes down the table as shared dishes at a set time
- Guests help themselves while your chef keeps the table topped up
- Something sweet to finish, then a full clean-up before your chef leaves
Perfect For
- Office holiday parties and a staff holiday lunch
- Festive family gatherings on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day
- Corporate Christmas events, client hosting and corporate catering for year-end meetings
- End-of-year team parties
- Neighbourhood, condo and chalet get-togethers
Where We Cater Across Canada
CHEFIN chefs cook in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Kelowna and Mississauga, and in the suburbs around each. Looking for Christmas catering in Calgary for an office on Stephen Avenue, or a family get-together out in Cochrane? Same package, same price. Homes, offices, event spaces, ski chalets and rented halls all work. Searching for Christmas catering near me? Tell our concierge your city and guest count and we’ll confirm your chef.
Why Share Plates for Christmas
Some of the best holiday meals happen at a crowded table. A plated meal needs a seating plan and timed courses. Canapés suit a standing crowd, but they don’t fill anyone up on their own. A grazing platter of cured meats, artisanal cheese and crackers looks generous and is usually gone by nine. Share plates sit in between. Everyone’s at the table, nobody waits for the next course, and people go back for seconds without asking. It is the hearty, generous version of a holiday meal, and gourmet cooking without the white tablecloth. Of all the catering options CHEFIN offers for the holidays, this is the one built for a bigger table.
Canada’s Christmas Roasts, Done Properly
Roast turkey is the Canadian default, and the one most people dread cooking: an 8 kg (18 lb) bird needs about four and a half hours in the oven, which is why so many hosts miss their own party. On a share-plates spread the chef usually cooks the breast as a roulade and makes the gravy from the pan juices, so the meat stays moist and carves cleanly. Glazed ham and roast beef are the other two classics, and both carve well for a crowd. In Québec, Christmas Eve often means tourtière, a spiced meat pie in a lard or butter pastry, and your chef can add one to the table.
What Family-Style Actually Means
Family-style means the chef plates the food onto shared dishes and sets them on the table instead of portioning individual plates. Guests pass them around, the way a home-cooked Christmas meal already works. You get a little elegance without the stiffness of a plated service. The difference is a professional doing the cooking, and nothing kept warm for three hours in disposable foil trays. For a family Christmas dinner, it means the host actually sits down.
Holiday Parties Are Moving Back to the Table
More teams are swapping big-venue Christmas parties for a long table in the office, or dinner at a colleague’s home, instead of a hotel ballroom or a gala events package. For corporate parties of 20 to 60 people, it is often the easier call. It is easier to schedule than a big venue, and people talk to each other instead of queuing. For foodies there’s the added draw of a chef cooking in the room. If you’re planning 2026 holiday catering, this format will simplify the planning process. Pick a date, give us a guest count, and we handle the rest.
Why Hire A Private Chef Through CHEFIN?
A great private chef is only the beginning.
A Dining Experience You Can Book with Confidence – We follow kitchen-ready guidelines, secure payments until after the event, provide $20M general liability coverage, and operate under Chatham House Rules for discretion. Backed by The CHEFIN Satisfaction Guarantee: a dining experience you’ll love—or your money back.
A Reliable Chef—With a Professional Team Behind Them – Every chef is assessed for culinary skill, professionalism, hygiene and service standards. If plans unexpectedly change, CHEFIN provides company accountability and replacement support rather than leaving you to solve the problem alone.
Know What You’re Paying For Before You Confirm – Our packages and proposals clearly explain what is included, what is optional and whether additional costs apply to your location or requests, so you can confirm your event without worrying about hidden surprises.
A Menu Built Around Quality Ingredients – Your chef develops the menu around your tastes, occasion and dietary requirements, while CHEFIN carefully manages ingredient budgets to ensure ONLY high-quality ingredients are used throughout your dining experience. Rather than being left in the dark about ingredient choices, you can book with confidence knowing quality, freshness and value are closely monitored.
Enjoy Your Guests Instead of Managing the Event – From chef matching and menu planning to timing, dietary needs, staffing and special requests, our 24/7 concierge team coordinates the details so you can stay at the table and enjoy the occasion.
