Chef Intern Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

This is for the culinary student who wants to learn private chef work from the inside.

Not restaurant work. Not catering. Private dining in the homes of high-net-worth clients, where the kitchen snd menu changes every night, the guests are five feet away, and the entire experience runs on preparation, timing, and how you carry yourself in the room. Professional appearance and social confidence are required for this highly-visible culinary internship.

If you are looking to learn what it takes to run a private chef operation, this is a rare seat.

Instagram: @vendadorchicago

Website: www.vendador.com

Contact: chefs@vendador.com (630) 864-9349

Vendador imports a complete fine dining ecosystem to any location. We build individualized tasting menus and private dining experiences for clients across the Chicagoland area, and we execute them in private residences and venues.

You will be working directly alongside Chef Francis Pascal, whose background includes Sous Chef at Roister of The Alinea Group, Momotaro, and Japonais by Morimoto. On most days it will only be you and Chef in the kitchen, alongside a Sous. You will gain invaluable access to direct feedback in a supportive yet disciplined environment. 

• A student who wants to understand private chef operations as a whole, because being a private chef is far more than cooking.
• Disciplined, hungry, and comfortable in a "yes, chef" fine dining environment.
• Clean, sharp, professional in presentation and hygiene, every single day
• Polite and charismatic. This is different from most kitchen jobs. You will not get to stay in the back of house. You will work in close quarters inside people's homes, and you need to be able to hold a warm, easy conversation with a client or guest and then get back to your station.
• Extreme sense of time. We have zero tolerance for tardiness, and we are relying on you in a small team.
• A clear communicator
• Must have a reliable car. Events happen across the Chicagoland area and suburbs.

The Position

Event preparation

• Mise en place for private events: butchery support, vegetable and fruit prep, stocks, sauces, pastas and components built to spec
• Portioning and labeling, stock rotation, and date checks
• Packing and staging equipment, ingredients, and service ware for transport
• Dishwashing, running glassware, polishing as needed

On site at events

• Support plating, garnish, and pass work during service
• Serving at the table alongside Chef Francis and FOH team
• Dish and equipment handling, station reset, and breakdown
• Maintain a clean, highly-organized workspace in a client's home from setup through load-out

Kitchen and operations

• Build and maintain prep sheets and order sheets alongside Chef
• Inventory counts, receiving and unpacking deliveries, organizing and labeling product
• Support kitchen management: deep cleaning schedules, equipment care, reporting anything broken or off immediately
• Uphold food safety and sanitation standards at all times

What you will learn

• How individualized menus and tasting menus get built from a client conversation to a plated course. We run roughly four different menus in a given week, so there are a lot of moving parts on ingredients and you will be in the middle of them. 
• Sourcing and purveyor relationships specific to private chef work
• The operational side of private dining that never shows up in a classroom: logistics, client communication, timing across a moving calendar, and what it takes to deliver fine dining in a space that was not built for it
• How to build adaptability, flexibility, drive and perseverance to work as an independent private chef 

• 30 to 36 hours per week on average, Tuesday through Saturday
• Prep days in the kitchen, generally 10 AM to 6 PM
• 1 to 4 private chef events per week, depending on the calendar, with a minimum of one event per week
• Event day schedules vary and typically run into the evening. Flexibility is required
• Schedule is released one week in advance based on the confirmed event calendar

• Dates: September 21 through November 29, 2026
• Pay: $18 per hour
• Location: On-site in private, professional kitchen and off-site at events.
  The Vendador Kitchen is located within:

The Hatchery
135 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL, 60612

• Minimum hours: 300-340 hours over the course of the internship
• Strong interns may be considered for a continuing position with the company at the end of the internship

Please email your resume and a cover letter expressing why you are interested in private dining/private chef work, specifically addressing how this position aligns with your goals and personality - to chefs@vendador.com, CC hospitality@vendador.com with the subject line Intern Applicant: [Your Name].
We look forward to reviewing your application.