Now a new social network website for chefsand foodies

[Dinesh jain]

Fancy a mouthwatering meal from a chef who
has served celebrities? Or want to rustle up a
gourmet dinner? It now seems possible to do
all that by just logging on to a new social
networking site designed exclusively for chefs.
ChefHost, an online peer-to-peer marketplace
and community connects chefs and hosts for
private dining and exclusive catering services.
"Like a LinkedIn or Facebook site, ChefHost is
an online community that connects chefs and
hosts," says Abhinandan Balasubramanian,
Founder and CEO of the startup.

The platform has 250 chefs, including celebrity
chefs plus over 50 culinary consultants, and
partners signed up.

So for a plain dinner or a fancy wedding,
consumers who want the services of a
professional chef can log on to the networking
site where the chefs have advertised their
services.

"It is very straight forward; hosts can search
for a chef based on cuisine, budget, etc. and
enquire online about the chef's availability. On
acceptance of the booking by the chef the
hosts pay online. The chef does the homework
- planning, and shopping - and on the day of
the booking, cooking and cleaning!" says
Balasubramanian.

Launched in June this year in India and
HongKong, the website currently has over
2,500 subscriptions and claims to have over 15
high profile bookings lined up till the end of
November.

"We are also launching the premium feature
'Fly home a chef' where hosts can hire
international celebrity chefs for bespoke dining.
This is a luxury category, and we already have
two booking enquiries for this service," says
Balasubramanian.

Prices to hire a chef start at Rs 1,500 per
person depending on the type of menu and the
type of experience (buffet or plated), and the
quality of the chef.

ChefHost has also signed an exclusive
partnership with a food and beverage
conglomerate that has 11 restaurants and a
combined six Michelin stars.
"We launched the platform at WebSummit in
Dublin and are also looking to launch the
concept as a mobile app tentatively by January
2015," says Balasubramanian.

Celebrity chefs like Ajay Chopra, an ex judge at
Masterchef India, Ripudaman Handa the
winner of Masterchef India (Season 3) and
high profile chefs from Hong Kong are on
board.
"To be a member of the site one has to be a
professional chef or be reviewed by food critics
or come recommended. We will obviously
require some basic identity for security
purposes from both the chefs and hosts," says
Balasubramanian.
Now a new social network website for chefs and foodies