Personal and Private Chef in Raleigh, NC
Raleigh runs on long days. Downtown, at NC State, at WakeMed and Rex, in the offices out along I-40. Dinner is usually the first thing to go.
Our chefs drive to homes all over Raleigh, from North Hills and Five Points to the neighborhoods outside the Beltline, and cook in your kitchen. You come home to a fridge full of food, or to a dinner party that’s already on the table.
The Travelling Cafe is a collective of personal and private chefs based in Chapel Hill and cooking across the Triangle and beyond.
Life in Raleigh
Raleigh is the state capital, and it is called the City of Oaks for good reason: miles of greenways and thousands of acres of parkland run right through it. It is a serious food town too, with chefs and restaurants that get national attention, and on game nights the arena fills for the Hurricanes and NC State basketball.
We have taught cooking classes in Raleigh, so we know how full a week here gets. When the calendar is packed with work, games and the next restaurant on your list, a chef cooking at home makes the nights in just as good.
What we cook in Raleigh
A lot of what we cook in Raleigh is for the table: a private chef for a birthday, an anniversary, a client dinner or a holiday at home, so the host gets to sit down with their guests.
Weekly meal prep. For long weeks downtown or on hospital shifts, a chef comes to your kitchen once a week, shops, cooks a week of meals to your plan, labels everything and cleans up. One all-in price. Groceries are included.
Dinner parties. Birthdays, promotions and holiday tables, planned with you and cooked, served and cleared in your Raleigh home.
Private cooking classes. Learn a cuisine you love in your own kitchen, with friends gathered around the island.
Special diets. We cook to the plan your clinician or dietitian set, for GLP-1, AIP, low-FODMAP, diabetic, paleo, keto, athletes and more. Every dietary need, same price. See all the special diets we cook.
Meet some of our chefs
Chefs Crene, Denzell and Bruce are based right here in Raleigh, and Leslie, who founded the collective, cooks here from Chapel Hill. Every chef in the collective cooks all over the Triangle and beyond, so the chefs on this page are a few of the many who can cook for you. We match you with the one who fits your household.
Chef Crene Manishimwe
Based in Raleigh
Born in Tanzania to Burundian parents, Crene’s passion for food began in a small kitchen alongside both parents.
Chef Denzell Berry
Based in Raleigh
Since earning a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu Chicago, Denzell has honed his craft in restaurants, resorts, hotels and bakeries.
Chef Bruce Pressey
Based in Raleigh
Bruce attended Le Cordon Bleu in France and has spent decades in professional kitchens.
Leslie Chartier
Founder, based in Chapel Hill
Leslie founded The Travelling Cafe. Her gift is translating global cuisines into limiting diets, so anyone with food allergies or health conditions can still enjoy the food of the world.
How it works
- Tell us how you eat. Fill out our food questionnaire: your plan, any restrictions, and what you love.
- Meet your chef. We match you with a chef from the collective.
- Open the fridge. Your chef shops, cooks in your kitchen, labels everything and cleans up.
Start with the food questionnaire
Frequently asked questions
Do you cook in Raleigh?
Yes. Our chefs cook in homes across Raleigh every week.
What’s the difference between a personal chef and a private chef?
A personal chef cooks for several households, usually as weekly meal prep. A private chef works for one household or one event. The Travelling Cafe does both.
Can you cook a dinner party in my Raleigh home?
Yes. Our chef plans the menu with you, shops, cooks and serves in your kitchen, and cleans up.
How much does it cost?
Weekly meal prep is one all-in price with groceries included, and every dietary need is the same price. Fill out our food questionnaire and we will send the plan that fits your household.
We also cook in Apex, Cary, Wake Forest, Morrisville, Fuquay-Varina, Pittsboro, Durham, plus Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough.
Questions? Get in touch.
With you at the table.