Chef Tanja Nixdorf

Private Chef In Brisbane

Born near Hamburg, Tanja has over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry.

Classically trained in Germany, she worked for only the finest restaurants and hotels in Europe and spent 10 years prior to arriving in Australia as a Head Chef in gourmet and Michelin star restaurants in Switzerland.

Following her passion for other countries and cultures, Tanja enjoyed a lot of her time between jobs traveling.

She also worked for a few months in Bangkok, Singapore and Florida to explore different cooking styles and cuisines.

In 2012 Tanja took the challenge to relocate to Sydney to become the Executive Chef for Swissôtel Sydney, at that time, the only female Executive Chef in a 5 star hotel in Australia.

Tanja believes food should be enjoyable, clean and easy. She wants guests to experience new products and techniques so they can take something away with them, whether it be a new taste, surprising presentation or just a memory of a perfect evening with friends & family.

Tanja's passion is to create food which is fresh and simple, yet stunning and healthy, satisfying the highest standards and expectations.

Tanja's cooking style is classic european/french based inspired by asian techniques and flavours.

For me, cooking is...

passion, fun and art, I simply enjoy bringing great food to people’s table, making them smile and to create memories

I learned to cook at...

4*+ Hotel Hohe Wacht in Hohwacht/Germany .....and along the way all over the world ....you never stop learning and life never fails to surprise

A cooking secret...

great local produce, desire and creativity

My menus

Modern Italian/Mediterranean

STARTER

All inclusive

Bread, oil, olive and balsamic

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Spaghetti Carbonara, egg, cream, prosciutto, crushed pepper, parsley & parmesan

Cauliflower Soufflé twice baked, fig, gorgonzola, walnuts, truffle honey (gf)

Asparagus vichyssoise, scallop carpaccio & truffle (gf)

Confit duck ravioli tarragon burnt butter, cranberries, parmesan

Soft polenta, baby beets, three bean salad, goats’ cheese, berry vinegar reduction (v)

Porcini mushroom risotto, crunchy amaretti, truffle oil

Braised Baby Octopus, Ligurian Olives & Lemon Mascarpone, Crusty Bread

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Lemon pepper crusted salmon, leeks, spinach risotto, mussels, chive butter sauce (gf)

12hrs braised beef cheeks, truffled potato purée, green beans, merlot jus & gremolata

Lamb back strap, haloumi, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach salad, balsamic dressing (gf)

Chateaubriand - darling downs beef seasonal greens, gratin potato, bernaise or red wine jus

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

CLASSIC TIRAMISU

Merlot poached pear, mocca icecream, vanilla anglaise

LEMON CAKE - lemon tart, citrus salad, limoncello & sorbet

Tortino - Chocolate Mud Cake, Dark chocolate ganache, Berry Compote, Chocolate soil

Modern French

STARTER

All inclusive

Baguette, Brie, salted butter

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Comté cheese souffle, tomato essence, basil & milk foam

Porcini mushroom capelleti, sage burned butter & aged parmesan (v)

Harissa spiced chicken, ratatouille salad, hazelnuts & dijon mustard sauce (gf)

Baked ricotta, spinach, truffle honey, red lentils

Duck Confit - smoked sweet potato, caramelized onions / balsamic reduction, rocket

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Duck à l‘orange, paris mash, seasonal greens (gf)

Chateaubriand - whole cooked prime beef tenderloin, gratin potato, seasonal greens & truffle jus

Coq au vin, pearl onion, Dutch carrots, noisette potato, thyme foam (gf)

Herb crusted market fish, maple roasted cauliflower, saffron pilaf, verjuice sauce (gf)

Lamb entrecote w‘ herb crust, marjoram jus, kohlrabi & beetroot gnocchi (gf)

Angus prime rib w’ tomato tapenade, green beans, olive polenta, capers salsa (gf)

Seared Eye fillet cubes à la bourguignon, Durchesse potatoes, Brussel sprouts, apple & red wine jus (gf)

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Caramalised pear, honey sauce, crunchy almonds & vanilla ice cream (gf)

Profiterole, baileys, crème patisserie, chocolate sauce & vanilla bean ice-cream

Classic Crème Brûlée, cherries, red wine coulis (gf)

Valrhona chocolate fondant, berries, roasted walnut ice cream

Hazelnut mousse slice, blackberries , mocha cream (gf)

Crêpes Normandie, baked Apple, Calvados, almond, caramel ice cream (gf)

Chocolate crème brûlée, cointeau, orange & sorbet (gf)

Fusion

STARTER

All inclusive

Oven fresh bread, spiced dips, corn chips

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Siu Yuk - pork belly⎹ carrots⎹ sugar peas

Spicy Shrimp - jerusalem artichoke⎹ szechuan-aioli

Shōgayaki Beef - sirloin top⎹ ginger⎹ horseradish

Sea x Leek - trout | leek⎹ seaweed ⎹ char caviar

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Grilled snapper fillet | spicy chickpea laksa | green beans | coriander | basmati (gf)

Sumac spiced lamb | nashi pear | lentil | broccolini | sake

Tsume style miso salmon | fennel | aniseed pumpkin | shallot salsa

Crispy barramundi | sweet & spicy edamame | sesame | udon | ginger sauce

SWEET PLUM DUCK - Pink roasted duck breast | water spinach | peppers | plum sauce | black rice

Char siu short rib | roasted cauliflower & puree | oyster mushrooms | xo sauce

Kohituji – Japanese slow roast lamb | charred carrot | rice cake | teriyaki jus

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

STICKY RICE & MANGO - Sweet pandan sticky rice | coconut milk ~ Thai mango

GINGER PANNA COTTA - blackberries | mint |

Matcha green tea brûlée | pineapple | pomegranate | coconut

Mochi | strawberries | honeycomb

Thai spiced carrot & pineapple cake | kaffir lime syrup | sour cream

Black sesame pannacotta | spiced berries | sesame praline

Burnt passion fruit | ice cream pina colada | orange| batida

Modern Mediterranean

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Seared Scallops w` sundried tomato crust, cauliflower mousseline & dill crème fraîche (gf)

Goat cheese & rosemary brûlée, spiced tomato & pear purée

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Venison, parsnip purée, broccolini, blackberries & juniper sauce (gf)

Eyefillet tournedos w’ juniper sauce, green beans & pumpkin-tarragon mousseline

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Burned orange & ginger crème citrus salad, honeycomb (gf)

Merlot poached pear, chocolate icecream, vanilla anglaise (gf)

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Chef Tanja's reviews

4.79

•

170 services

Tanja was incredible. In the whole lead up to our event she communicated quickly and nothing was too much trouble. The menu she prepared was exactly what we were after. Tanja arrived, prepared, served and cleaned up so efficiently. She found her way around the kitchen with no issues at all and unless she was serving, we didn't even know that she was there, nor would you have known anyone just prepared a meal that contained several courses and sides. Will definitely be doing this again and hopefully have the opportunity that it is with Tanja!

Tanja was professional, pilot, prepared an incredible 3 course meal for our group, and left our kitchen spotless. She made our event stress free and very memorable! We can not recommend her more highly and will definitely use her again!

What a fabulous experience it was to have Tanja in our home cooking for us. The food, from the platter through to dessert, was incredible. The flexibility she gave in tweaking some menu options was so well appreciated and her communication once the booking was made was responsive and professional. She found her way around my kitchen without needing to ask anything and it was spotless when she left! I am definitely going to find another reason to have Tanja back cooking for us again! Very happy client and guests.

Tanja was amazing. She prepared an amazing dinner for us and our guest. She was timely, friendly, prepared amazing food and her clean up was better than our cleaner. 100% recommend

I recently had the pleasure of hiring Tanja for a special event at our home, and the experience was nothing short of outstanding. From start to finish, the service was exceptional. Tanja’s communication was impeccable, ensuring that every detail was tailored to our preferences and answered every question that I had and no question was a silly question, When it came to the food, the chef truly outdid themselves. Each dish was a masterpiece, beautifully presented and bursting with flavor. The ingredients were fresh, and the combinations were inventive yet comforting. Every course was a delight, demonstrating not just skill but a genuine passion for cooking. Tanja left the kitchen how she found it, as someone who is very OCD with cleaning and their kitchen I was amazed to see everything put back in it’s place and cleaned up. Overall, the chef's professionalism, creativity, and attention to detail made the entire experience memorable. I would highly recommend Tanja to anyone looking to elevate their dining experience in the comfort of their own home and allow your guests and yourself to sit back relax and have everything taken care of.

Thanks Take a Chef and Tanya for an evening of great food, enabling us to focus on the company.

The Take a Chef experience was fantastic. Chef Tanja is so experienced! The options she sent for our selection were seriously extensive. No problems for her to cater to our Gluten Free requirements. The GF bread was out of this world! Nothing was too much trouble even allowing us to tailor our selections to suit our group. Our menu consisted of Scallops, Prawns, Wagyu. Amazing. Tanja left the kitchen cleaner than it was before she arrived. Such a relaxing option for our relatives who have difficulty getting out due to high care family needs. No carers required.

Amazing

Thank you to Tanja for an amazing night for my 40th. All the dishes were quality and well thought out. All of our guests highly rated the Morton Bay bugs used in the gnocchi entree. And the chocolate fondant and walnut ice cream was probably the best I’ve ever had. Tanja had great communication throughout the process, and was extremely professional on the evening. All the dishes were immaculately presented, which were explained to the guests at the table and there was an excellent flow to the evening. Thanks again for a memorable occasion.

Our chef experience was more than I expected and everything I wanted. Our chef Tanya was just perfect. The right fit our intimate dinner for two she made us feel like we were in our own fine dining restaurant. Couldn’t recommend her enough and the food…. Scrumptious!

Tanja’s cooking was sensational! She was so professional, and was able to provide alternatives and suggestions when we found it hard to select from the amazing options she provided us with. She made my birthday dinner so special, would highly recommend Tanja.

Tanja was absolutely wonderful. Very accommodating, friendly and professional. She made our night extra special. Food was delicious, presentation was great, service was seamless and the clean up was amazing (as a clean freak, I was extremely impressed). Would recommend Tanja to everyone!

Tanja was amazing to deal with! Great flexibility & great menu choices. Thank you for making my birthday dinner so special.

Tanja was our chef & she is amazing. From the moment she arrived & until the moment she left she was very professional. Our meals were devine & beautifully presented. We will definitely book Tanja again.

Amazing experience

We had the most magical experience with Tanjia. Her food was magnificent, the flavors and presentation was superb. She was so profesional and everything went so smooth that it really exceded my expectations. I would recommend her services at anytime. Thank you Tanjia for your magic touch on my empowering women workshop♥️

Chef Tanja catered my 60th birthday party recently. What a lovely lunch it was. We had alternate drop and everyone commented on how lovely the meals were. Tanja cooked quietly in the kitchen and was happy to delay a little as some guests got caught up in traffic. Nothing was too much effort. Thanks for a memorable lunch x

Tanja was lovely and friendly from the start explaining her menu and confirming everything. Punctual, polite, friendly, well prepared with delicious food and very clean. Thanks for making my Mums 70th birthday dinner special.

Our chef was professional, offering a enjoyable evening for all our guests. This was our second time using Tanja and we will definitely do so again in the future. Thank you Tanja

Tanja was wonderful. She went above and beyond for our birthday celebration and we all had a wonderful time. We would highly recommend Tanja and look forward to working with her again.