Chef Darius Knetsch

Private Chef In Croydon

Darius Knetsch,

My Passion for cooking started at a very early age. I remember helping my mother on Sundays with the roast and making cake for families and guests who would visit.

I took up my first position as a Chef in the Park Lane Hotel "London" Where I started as a Commis "trainee" Chef. While at Park Lane I took up Catering College to improve my knowledge in the Catering Industry. I continued college for seven years covering basic cooking and then advance my skills in Buffet and Larder work. I work throughout the Industry Picking up skills and knowledge from the different establishments. Since I started at the Park Lane Hotel I have constantly worked my way up the career ladder.

My deepest passion is for Oriental Cooking after work at the Crockford Casino "London," I have always been interested to know much more about this style of cooking, so I brought books. But this was not enough so I took up classes and started visiting foreign countries on holiday.

I visit New Orleans where I first tasted Cajun food and California where I experienced Real Mexican cooking.

It was a great enrichment to visit all the different countries and tasting the vast range of ethnic dishes from around the world, I would then try a master all the dishes on my return home

After my long period working in five-star hotel and Michelin style restaurant, I really enjoy working as a private chef more because you get to see your work being enjoyed giving you that first hand feeling to do more for the host and guest,

For me, cooking is...

is my way of life, am proud of whatever I put on the plate because it not just food its part of myself

I learned to cook at...

I have always loved cooking from a very early age, took my first position at the Park Lane Hotel which was a 5* hotel

A cooking secret...

I love the new challenge that hospitality brings each and every day, it helps me to enjoy and love the things I do.

My menus

South America fine dinning menu

STARTER

All inclusive

Chef Selection of 3 Canapes

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Breaded Cod Taco with Spicy Mayo and Ice Burg Lettuce

Salmon Ceviche with Mango and Red Onion and Lime

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

DESSERT

All inclusive

Fine Dining Middle Eastern

STARTER

All inclusive

Chef 3 choice canapé

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Boneless Quail served with wild mushroom and a rich port Jus and herb cress

Avocado and roast red beetroot served with a mix cress salad and basil oil

Seared Tuna served with Mango and Tomato Salsa and oriental Dressing

Tomato and ricotta cheese served with rocket salad

Pickle vegetables with goats cheese and mix leaves salad

Roasted Aubergine and beetroot with anchovies on mix olive tapenade and rocket and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Roasted Fillet Salmon served Mediterranean Mix Vegetables, Pomme Anna and Tomato and basil sauce

Mushroom and spinach wellington served with seasonal vegetable and herb oil new potato

DESSERT

All inclusive

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce

Apple crumble and Crème Anglaise

Orange cheesecake

Dark Chocolate Fondant with Chocolate sauce and cream

Oriental Shared Table Menu

STARTER

All inclusive

Chef selection of 3 Dim sum with chilli and soya sauce dip

FIRST COURSE

Choose 3 dishes

Pan Fried Pork Gyoza with Thai Dressing

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Oriental Spicy Baby Back Pork Ribs

Vegetable Spring Rolls with sweet chilli dip

Vegetable Samosa with Yoghurt and mint dip

Spicy Salmon Fishcake with chilli and coriander dip

Sesame Prawn on Toast

Crispy Aromatic Duck with plum sauce and pancake

Ban Ban Chicken with spice sauce

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab with Chilli and Garlic topping

Deep Fried Crab Claw and Prawn with a chilli and onion dip

Fried Butterfly Prawn with chilli butter

Deep Fried tempura prawn

MAIN COURSE

Choose 3 dishes

Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet

Cantonese pork with and spicy chilli and garlic sauce

Beef with pepper and black beans sauce

Peking Duck with a rich Peking Glazed

Breaded Lemon Chicken Breast with mix pepper and Lemon Sauce

Steam Prawn and Black Bean Sauce

Chicken and Chinese Mushroom and Bamboo Shoots

Mix Seafood with Ginger and Chilli Sauce

Pan Fried Tofu with Black Bean Sauce

Seasonal Vegetable with Oyster Sauce

Crispy fried oriental chicken with a honey glazed, steamed vegetables

Steam stone-bass top with spring onion, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, fresh coriander, and sesame seed oil and soy sauce

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Brioche and Banana Bread and Butter Pudding served with Crème Anglaise

Selection of Mini Dessert

Baked New York Cheese Cake

Lemon Tart

Chinese Crispy Apples and creme Anglaise

Lychee cheesecake

Grilled Pineapple with orange syrup and vanilla beans with rosemary

Seafood dining

STARTER

All inclusive

Chef 3 choice canapé

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Baked Goat cheese and red onion marmalade

Duo Gravadlax with celeriac & fennel salad (fresh salmon beetroot and dill gravadlax served with mix apple and celeriac)

Chinese Cured Salmon with Ponzu Dressing and micro cress salad

Salmon tartar served with avocado and micro cress

Seared Tuna served with Mango and Tomato Salsa and oriental Dressing

Fresh Seabass eviche cannellini bean salad

Sea- bass ceviche Served with red onion, avocado and Tomato top with Micro Cress and Lemon Dressing

Avocado and tomato bruschetta with crispy sticky rice cake

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Wine Poach Fillet of Cod serve on spinach and cherry tomato and sliced new potatoes and lemon sauce

Pan fried Sea Bass with seasonal vegetables sautéed potatoes and lemon butter sauce

Pan Fried Fillet of Stonebass on Celeriac Puree and Ratatouille and Pommes Anna

Oriental glazed Salmon served on sticky rice stir fried vegetables and sticky honey sauce

Poached Salmon served wit seasonal vegetables saffron new potato and lemon and wine sauce

Baked Chicken Breast served with puy lentils and wild mushroom mix vegetables and a rich port sauce

Herb Crust Rack of Lamb served with Vegetable Timbale and Dauphinoise Potato and Rosemary Jus

Fillet steak with green peppercorn sauce mix vegetables and Dauphinoise potato

Crispy duck beast served with rich port and plum sauce beans and broccoli on sticky rice

Crispy Confit of duck leg served with puy lentils Ragout, spinach glazed carrots

DESSERT

All inclusive

Brioche and Banana Bread and Butter Pudding served with Crème Anglaise

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce

Lemon Tart with Orange Compote

Creme Brulee with Shortbread Biscuit

Mexican Churros (Mexican style Doughnuts)

Baked cheese cake with orange compote

Chocolate fondant

Mexican Vegan and Vegetarians menu

STARTER

All inclusive

Vegan Cheese Nachos top with Guacamole, Salsa and Sour Cream

FIRST COURSE

Choose 3 dishes

Jalapeno pepper stuffed with mince vegetables top with vegan cheese

Red pepper spinach and vegetables quesadillas

Black beans and vegan mince taco cup

Mexican vegan falafel balls

Quinoa and mix beans Taco

Spicy Mix vegetables Empanadas

MAIN COURSE

Choose 3 dishes

All served with sour cream, chilli, salsa, guacamole, Flour tortilla and Mexican rice

Mixed Peppers and Quinoa and herbs Burritos

Vegetables and onion Fajitas

Plant base mince and vegetable Tacos

Quorn mince and vegetables Enchiladas

Vegetarian Enchiladas with mixed pepper, courgettes, red onion, and tomato

Cheesy and vegetables Chimichangas |

DESSERT

All inclusive

Tres Leches Pastel

Mexican style bread pudding with toffee sauce

Mexican Churros (Mexican style Doughnuts

Crispy Pineapple with orange syrup

Middle Eastern shared Table menu

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

Choose 3 dishes

Lamb Kibbeh

Tradition Hommus with pitta bread

Stuff vine leaf with rice

Falafel with tahini and coriander dip

Lamb or chicken or vegetable samosa

Bake baklave Chicken wings (roasted wings top with nuts)

Middle Eastern Tabouleh Salad

Tomato and red onion salad

Chicken Skewers

Salted Cod fritters with chili dip

MAIN COURSE

Choose 3 dishes

Lamb Kofta

Chicken Kebab

Chicken and rice

Moroccan chicken pastilla filo pie

Beef Kebab

Jack fish coat with spice and herbs

Salmon coated with mix toasted nut and herbs

Fried red mullet top with mix peppers and onion

Stuffed red pepper with spicy rice and vegetables

Roasted aubergine with halloumi served with a tomato and oilve sauce

Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage

All the above served with rice, salad and dips

DESSERT

Choose 2 dishes

Roasted Pineapple and Ginger a Vanilla Syrup

Rice Pudding top with cinnamon sugar

Stewed Fruit with yoghurt

Custard tart

Vanilla CheeseCake

Kunafa and feta cheese roll

Baklava with orange yoghurt dip

Tradition English Christmas Menu

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Chef Selection of 3 Canapes

FIRST COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Terrine of Ham Hock set in its own Juice with homemade piccalilli and Curly Endive

Smoked Chicken and apple timbale with creme fraiche served lemon dressing and micro cress

Parma Ham and melon served with micro cress

Smoked salmon and prawn served with micro cress and basil mayo dressing

Classic Prawn Cocktail

Duo Gravadlax with celeriac & fennel salad (fresh salmon beetroot and dill gravadlax served with mix apple and celeriac)

Cured meat and vegetable Antipasti

Smoked Duck breast with Orange and port marmalade served with micro cress salad

Chicken liver pate with toasted brioche and red onion marmalade

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Please select two joint one vegetarian course

Roast Turkey

Roast beef with horseradish sauce

Honey glazed ham

Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce

Roast Chicken

Roast Salmon with comfit of mix pepper

All the above is con with roast potato, swede and carrot, roasted parsnips, sprouts and chestnut, braised red cabbage, pig in blanket, Stuffing and Gravy

DESSERT

Choose 2 dishes

Brioche and Banana Bread and Butter Pudding served with Crème Anglaise

Apple Pie and Crème Anglaise

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce

Baked New York Cheese Cake

Traditional English Sherry trifle

Treacle tart with creme Anglaise

Tradition English menu

STARTER

All inclusive

Chef Selection of 3 Canapes

FIRST COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Traditional Prawn Cocktail

Parma Ham and melon served with micro cress

Tomato tart with rocket salad

Baked Goat cheese and red onion marmalade

Ham hock & pistachio terrine served homemade piccalilli

Duo Gravadlax with celeriac & fennel salad (beetroot and dill gravadlax served with mix apple and celeriac)

Pan fried mackerel served with pickle vegetable and beetroot with rice wine and vinaigrette

Smoked salmon with blini served with lemon cream fraîche

Smoked salmon and prawn parcel served with micro cress and basil mayo dressing

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Fillet of sea bass served with baby vegetable saffron new and tomato and basil butter sauce

Braised beef short ribs served with carrot, swede, mushroom and baby onion, mash potato and beef jus

Braised lamb shank served with carrot, swede, mushroom, baby onion, mash potato and thyme jus

Fillet cod on Butter new potato seasonal vegetables served with a tomato and basil butter sauce

Duck Leg confit served with seasonal vegetables and rosti potato with port jus

Fillet of lemon sole served with a lemon cream sauce, Seasonal vegetables and butter new potatoes

Stuffed Fillet of pork with Mix herbs sausage meat, wrap in bacon served with potato cake and seasonal vegetables and thyme jus

Beef and onion pie served glazed vegetables cream mash potato and beef jus

Rump of Lamb served with Dauphinoise potatoes mixed vegetables and rosemary jus

Traditional Steak and ale steamed Pudding with roasted root Vegetables and creamy Mash and gravy

Traditional Chicken and Mushroom Pie with mixed Vegetables and creamy mash and chicken gravy

English Shepherd pie with mixed green vegetables New potatoes and lamb gravy

Traditional one piece Lancashire hotpot, with, Baby Onions, Carrot, sliced Potato, Swede, Mushroom

One Piece traditional French Beef Bourguignon with Diced Bacon, Baby Onion, Carrot, Mushroom, boiled potatoes and Fennel, in a Rich Red Wine sauce

Classic one piece Irish Lamb Stew, with Carrot, boiled potato, Turnips, swede, Baby Onion, Served with Lamb Stock and fresh thyme

DESSERT

Choose 2 dishes

Brioche and Banana Bread and Butter Pudding served with Crème Anglaise

Apple Pie and Custard

Profiterole Roll with Chocolate Sauce

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce

Traditional English Sherry trifle

Treacle Sponge

Baked cheese cake with orange compote

Eton Mess

Dark Chocolate Fondant with Chocolate sauce

Mixed season fruit cobbler

Pear and Almond Sliced with Blue berry compote

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Chef Darius's reviews

4.85

•

106 services

Darius was absolutely perfect! Warm and engaging, he is clearly expert in his trade as chef and also responsive to specific requests (intolerances, allergies - and a love of extra vegetables!). He had to put up with a curious young beagle wandering into his kitchen at the same time. He made our evening super special and we would, without a doubt, recommend him wholeheartedly. We are already looking forward to next time.

Lovely food, lovely man! We had a great evening and would highly recommend Darius

This was our first time to hire a private chef to cook for us at home. Darius was an excellent introduction to hiring a private chef and we will certainly be hiring him again (provided he is not already fully booked up). His food was delicious and he respected what we liked/did not like. He was flexible and adjusted the menu to our taste (including respecting my nut allergy). Darius added in a few pleasant surprises like canapés and biscuits which were delicious! Personally, I have learnt a lot about where to buy wholesome food as we were educated on the ingredients used. Darius was very punctual, discreet, considerate and left the kitchen spotless. We only wished Darius could cook for us every night. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our wedding anniversary whilst the little ones sleep. Thank you Darius.

We had the absolute pleasure of eating a wonderful meal prepared by Darius. We were only a family of 3 ( one of us with a dairy & gluten intolerance) but this was not a problem for Darius at all. All courses were adapted to suit the main menu choices; and it all tasted divine. The food was well portioned, and very flavoursome. Darius can offer a very varied menu, which will certainly suit, most/if not all food preferences. A very talented chef, who is engaging, yet unintrusive. Do not hesitate to book. We are certainly looking forward to having him cook for us again!!!

We highly recommend Darius as your chef for a special event. He was engaging, friendly and created superb food. We had an Italian lunch including ceviche, risotto and cod in pancetta, topped off with prize winning Greek style walnut cake, black cherries and banana brioche. His assistant helped ensure everything went smoothly and we could all relax and enjoy the meal. Fantastic! Thank you !

The whole experience with Darius was more than we had hoped for! The food itself was exceptional and presented beautifully. What really made it for us was Darius himself who ensured it was a special evening for us, very relaxed and super accommodating to what we asked for (including managing around an inquisitive child and bedtime!)

Darius and waiter were great. Big size portions, high quality ingredients and amazing food. Couldn't have asked for better. We had a great celebratory night!!

Both Chef and waiter were incredible. Very pleased and over the moon with night and food . Thankyou so much

Darius was excellent. He arrived on time, was very tidy and clean. Food was amazing and presentation was great. Will certainly book him again.

Darius was amazing from start to finish the food was extremely tasty and nothing was too difficult we had a dairy intolerance which he catered for beautifully. I would highly recommend Darius

Darius and Karen were great. Efficient, discreet, professional and provided great food.

Darius was awesome, very engaging with a great sense of humour and got on immediately on arrival. Everything served was delicious prepared with supreme ease and presented beautifully. 14 guests all with different dietary needs handled well. Thanks Darius !

I can't recommend Darius enough. He prepared a delicious dinner for 17 of us for a surprise birthday party. He adapted the menu to our preferences (pescatarian), everything was served right on time. It all tasted amazing and looked beautiful. Darius left our kitchen spotlessly clean afterwards. He even brought a waitress to help. Both of them were discreet yet pleasant to have around. I will definitely hire them again!

we had an excellent dinner, from the appetizers thru main course and the dessert, everything was great. The assistant did an excellent job as well for setting tables, serving and explaining the dishes. Cleanup was awesome as well. highly recommend.

Darius was an excellent chef, his food was delicious and portions were generous. He was calm, professional and a pleasure to have cook for us. Will definitely use him again and would recommend.

Chef Darius was incredible in presentation but more importantly in taste. Overall excellent experience from start to finish.

I can highly recommend Darius for your evening catering - professional, superb dish presentation, excellent food in good quantity, and all cleaned up seamlessly. We had a wonderful evening and enjoyed every bit of our meal. Thank you Darius!

He was personable, polite, well-presented and pleasant. He let us set the pace and we never felt rushed. He chatted a little but not too much. We were made to feel special. He cleaned the whole kitchen really well afterwards.

Darius is a fantastic chef and the food tasted so good! He was very accommodating to allergies and went out of his way to offer us a great menu to chose from. We could pace the evening to exactly the timings we wanted, and each course came with a great introduction the dish and its ingredients. Darius was the perfect balance of being both informative and attentive but also giving us privacy to enjoy our meal. The food was exceptional and every course had clearly been made by a top quality chef whose expansive knowledge and experience really reflected in the food. Darius tidied and cleaned the kitchen spotlessly. We will definitely use him again and highly recommend Darius.

Chef Darius was good at communicating before the event and on the day kept me updated with his timings. Throughout the evening, Darius was polite and attentive, and was happy to accommodate our pace of dining. He explained each course as they were served and did a good job of cleaning up at the end. The food was very tasty and well presented. Darius was happy to take photos and chat with us at the end. Highly recommended!