How to hire a private chef for a villa in Santa Teresa or Mal Pais in 2026: Aroma, ByLombardi, Jona Vecino, Mario Espinoza and the platforms, with per-person and per-day pricing, minimums, dietary handling and how far ahead to book for December to March.
A private chef in Santa Teresa costs about $35 to $60 per person for a casual villa dinner, $125 to $185 per person for a multi-course tasting menu, and $150 to $300 per day plus groceries for a chef cooking two or three meals a day, based on 2026 listings and quotes. ByLombardi Chef is the best all-round pick for a villa week; Aroma runs the most established restaurant-backed service.
The short version
There are two kinds of private chef here. The first is a working restaurant that also sends a cook to your house, and Aroma Santa Teresa is the clearest example, with the kitchen, suppliers and staff to feed a group of twelve. The second is an independent chef who works out of your villa kitchen, and the names people pass around on WhatsApp are ByLombardi Chef (Luis "Lucho" Lombardi, based in Mal Pais), Chef Privado Jona Vecino in Playa Carmen, and Chef Mario Espinoza, who runs fine-dining dinners and brunches at home. Booking platforms like Localbird and Take a Chef list a rotating cast of others at fixed per-person prices, which is the easiest way to compare menus if you have never done this before.
Pick the restaurant route if you want a big group fed without fuss. Pick an independent chef if you want a menu built around your group, a cook for the whole week, or specific dietary handling.
ByLombardi Chef
ByLombardi Chef is Luis Lombardi, an Argentine chef with more than 20 years in kitchens and more than ten on this peninsula, working across Mal Pais, Santa Teresa, Manzanillo and Montezuma, per his Take a Chef profile. The business is based 60 metres south of Hotel Havana Lodge on the Mal Pais side and takes bookings for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, events, catering and retreats, per his Facebook page. Google has him at 4.8 from 26 reviews; the review theme is a chef who shows up on time, shops well and cleans up.
Pricing is quoted per booking, so message on WhatsApp with dates, headcount and dietary notes. Expect the standard local range, roughly $40 to $60 a head for a three-course dinner with groceries billed separately, and a day rate for a full week. He suits villa groups of six to twelve who want asado one night and fish the next. The caveat is availability in high season: he takes retreats and multi-day bookings, so a single dinner request in January may not get a slot.
Aroma Santa Teresa
Aroma Santa Teresa is a restaurant opposite the Megasuper on the Playa Carmen side, attached to the Ventura Santa Teresa Hotel, and it runs a private chef service under the same name. Head chef Maikol cooks Costa Rican dishes alongside international plates, and the restaurant carries a 4.9 rating from nearly 500 Google reviews. Its site lists WhatsApp +506 6064 5785 for bookings.
The advantage of booking through a restaurant is scale: a kitchen that serves breakfast through dinner seven days a week can feed fifteen at a villa or cook three nights in a row when the independents are full. Pricing is per event and depends on the menu; ask for a written quote with the 13% tax and service line shown. The caveat is that this is restaurant food served at home rather than a chef designing around your table, which is fine for most groups and not what a foodie couple wants.
Chef Privado Jona Vecino
Chef Privado Jona Vecino works out of Playa Carmen on Calle Buenos Aires, the road that runs behind the beach south of the cruce, and takes bookings by WhatsApp at any hour. Six Google reviews, all five stars, is a small sample, but the pattern is a chef who handles small villa dinners and multi-day stays personally. Pricing is per booking; ask about a weekly rate if you want breakfast and dinner covered. He suits couples and small families staying on the Carmen side who want someone flexible. The caveat is the same small sample: ask for a sample menu and a recent reference before you commit to a week.
Chef Mario Espinoza
Chef Mario Espinoza runs an in-home fine dining service in Santa Teresa, with tasting dinners and brunches that blend Costa Rican ingredients with international technique, per chefmarioespinozacr.com. This is the option for an anniversary or a birthday where the meal is the event: plated courses and a menu written for your group. Pricing is quoted on request. It suits couples and groups of four to eight who would otherwise book a long dinner out. The caveat is that a tasting menu at home costs what it costs in a good restaurant, so budget at the top of the band.
Private chef Javier Vega
Private chef Javier Vega is listed in Playa Carmen with WhatsApp contact and a single five-star review, so treat this as a name to message rather than a proven pick. Ask for a menu, a price per person and whether groceries are included.
Platform chefs: Localbird and Take a Chef
If you want fixed prices before you talk to anyone, the platforms publish them. Localbird lists a four-course farm-to-table dinner in your villa from $125 per person, cooked by Chef Devon with produce from Hacienda Ohkra and fish from the Mal Pais fishing village, with groceries, prep and clean-up included and the chef arriving 90 minutes early, per localbird.io. A "Modern Costa Rican" experience on the same platform starts at $185 per person for groups up to 30. Take a Chef lists dozens of chefs for Santa Teresa and lets you message several before paying; ignore the per-person figures on its Costa Rica page, which display in the wrong currency, and ask for a quote in dollars.
How to choose
| Option | Best for | Pricing model | Typical 2026 cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ByLombardi Chef | Villa weeks, asado, retreats | Per booking or day rate plus groceries | $40 to $60 a head dinner; $150 to $300 a day |
| Aroma | Large groups, events, several nights | Per event, restaurant menu | Quote; restaurant prices plus service |
| Jona Vecino | Couples and small families, Carmen side | Per booking | Local range, ask for weekly rate |
| Mario Espinoza | Celebration tasting dinner | Per person, plated courses | Top of band, quote |
| Localbird | Fixed price, no negotiating | Per person, all in | $125 to $185 a head |
| Take a Chef | Comparing several menus | Per person, groceries separate | Quote in dollars |
What each pricing model means
Per person is the model for a single dinner. A casual spread of ceviche, grilled fish and salads runs $35 to $40 a head from a local cook and $50 to $60 from a chef with a tasting-menu background, based on what villa renters report in Costa Rica travel groups in 2026; a plated four-course dinner is $125 and up. Ask whether the figure includes groceries, tax and clean-up.
Per day is the model for a week. Chef fees of $150 to $300 a day for two or three meals, plus groceries at $20 to $40 per adult per day, is the range villa managers quote for the Pacific coast in 2025 and 2026. The chef shops in the morning, cooks breakfast or leaves it prepped, and comes back for dinner. Some chefs will do market shopping only, charging a few hours' time to stock your fridge so you cook yourselves.
Minimums are common. Most independents want at least four guests for a dinner or three days for a day rate, and platform dinners are priced for two and up. Groups under four pay more per head, and a couple usually does better booking a table at one of the best restaurants or planning a date night.
Practical notes
Book early for December to March. Chefs take retreats, weddings and repeat villa clients first, and the good ones are gone for Christmas and New Year by October. For a February week, message in November; for a single high-season dinner, two to three weeks ahead is usually enough. In green season, right now, most chefs can do a dinner with a few days' notice.
Say what you cannot eat, in writing, at booking. Gluten free, vegan, kosher-style and nut allergies are all routine here, but the chef shops from small supers and the fish market, so substitutions need a day's notice. Kosher supervision is a separate question covered in our kosher and Israeli food guide.
Check the kitchen before you book. A chef needs a working oven, four burners, a fridge with space for a day of shopping, a blender, sharp knives, and enough plates and glasses for the headcount. Many villas have an outdoor kitchen with two burners and no oven; tell the chef what you have. Beachfront villas and the larger houses covered in the beachfront hotels guide usually have full kitchens.
Pay in cash or by transfer. Most independents take colones or dollars in cash and Costa Rican bank transfer (SINPE); the platforms take cards. Tip 10% if the chef also served and cleaned; see the tipping guide. Browse every restaurant and chef in the /directory/eat hub.
FAQ
How much does a private chef cost in Santa Teresa?
About $35 to $60 per person for a casual villa dinner, $125 to $185 per person for a plated tasting menu booked through a platform, and $150 to $300 per day plus groceries for a chef cooking two or three meals a day. Add 13% tax where a business invoices you.
Is a private chef cheaper than eating out?
For six or more people at a casual dinner, usually yes. A $40 a head dinner with groceries included is close to a restaurant main, a drink and a taxi, and nobody drives home. For a couple, a restaurant is cheaper.
How far ahead should I book for high season?
Message in October or November for Christmas, New Year and February weeks. For a single dinner between December and March, two to three weeks ahead is usually enough. In green season a few days' notice works.
Do private chefs handle vegan, gluten free or allergy diets?
Yes, and most ask at booking. Give the list in writing and mention anything severe. The chef shops at small supers and the fish market, so unusual ingredients need a day's notice. Kosher certification is a separate matter and not something a general chef can supply.
Does the chef bring the groceries?
Usually the chef shops and bills you the receipts, or quotes a per-person price with food included. Platform dinners on Localbird include groceries. Ask which model applies, and ask whether the chef needs a deposit for the shopping.
What does my villa kitchen need?
An oven, four burners, fridge space, a blender, sharp knives and enough tableware for the group. Tell the chef exactly what you have. Outdoor kitchens with two burners and no oven are common here and change the menu.
