Chef Dave Mau

Private Chef In Orange

My cuisine is a fusion all on its own; there is absolutely no pretense to my culinary style. I cook for the best of reasons: love for people, friendship, and the magic that happens over a few bottles of wine with just the right folks. I firmly stand by my mantra: “good company is the best ingredient and pretense make a lousy garnish

My kitchen experience is formed around being puro Californio, my indigenous ancestors go back before the Spaniards arrived and the European side sailed from France to settle Sonoma in the 1850s. Those roots run deep in ancestry and attitude. My palate reflects that and draws from Americana, Regional Mexican, Mediterranean, Moroccan, and even aspects of Vietnamese. The West Coast experience is in my blood and the purest expression of that for me is via the plate and pen. I also have a gritty, sentimental side that I pour onto each preparation. Every dish has a story and that story deserves to be told.

I pride myself on being super easy to work with. Food should be fun and I think good company makes for the very best of ingredients. As a writer I love to talk about cuisine and restaurant culture, it’s a passion of mine to create a narrative for my guests. Most of all I like to craft memories as well as dishes, let’s have a meal to remember!

For me, cooking is...

An act of profound skill and dedication to people and the culinary craft.

I learned to cook at...

Beside my Father as a child and onto my professional journey from the hip, urban spots to the California wilderness.

A cooking secret...

Good company is the best ingredient and pretense makes a lousy garnish

My menus

Chef Dave’s Holiday Family Favorites

STARTER

All inclusive

Grandma Lola’s Holiday Mix - The Holiday Classic from her original 1940’a index card recipe. Mixed nuts, pretzels and all the fixins’. Perfect for cocktail snacking

Olives San Leandro - Marinated Olives in my family tradition served with crudités

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Caesar Salad a la Minute - The real deal made to order from scratch, there’s nothing like it. The classic ingredients in the purest form

Green Bean Casserole West Coast - The traditional Midwest presentation with fresh herbs, olive oil and Romano cheese as well

Real Deal Whipped Taters and Chris’ Infamous Sausage Stuffing - Legendary

Pan Gravy From Scratch - Guest’s choice

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Prime Rib O’Neill - A classic Central California presentation, garlic and olive oil Prime Beef rubbed with black pepper, mustard seed, garlic, olive oil and herbs. Pan dippings

Roast Turkey - My way, stuffed with apples, onions, rosemary and guajillo chiles. Baja table salt. A fine West Coast version of the classic holiday main dish

Pork Loin In Plum Sauce - Camp style in a dutch oven with fresh plums, garlic, Japanese chiles, and Fresno Onions. Shallot

DESSERT

All inclusive

Seasonal Dessert - Assorted Offerings, pies to ice cream, per client request. Let’s have some fun

Tales Of The Bay

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Classic Caesar Salad - Made a la Minute with Organic Romaine Lettuce, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Homemade Croutons, Egg, Meyer Lemon Juice, Garlic, Shaved Romano Cheese and Anchovy

Cioppino Portugesa - A Portugese version of the classic seafood dish with Loganiza Sausage

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Pasta North Beach - Al Dente Linguine tossed lightly with Herb-Roasted Roma Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Garlic

Striped Sea Bass Nob Hill - Lightly poached with Red Onion, Japanese Mint, Citrus Essence

DESSERT

All inclusive

Ricotta and Meyer Lemon Poundcake with Thick Cream and Organic Blueberries

Tacos Estilo Alta Baja

STARTER

All inclusive

Fresh Chips and Guacamole from scratch

Three kinds of house made salsa made from scratch (legit) with fresh chips

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Authentic Frijoles Barrachos - Charro Beans with Beer Broth

Red Rice Classic Style - Cilatro, Chicken Stock, Cumin, Onion

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Grilled Carne Rancheria (Steak) with Cebollitas (Mexican Grilled Onions) and Pollo Adobado (Grilled Vegetables for Vegans)

Hand made de harina o maiz (corn or flour)

DESSERT

All inclusive

Chambones (Mexican seasonal muffins) with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Candied Tajin Pecans and Mint

West Coast Brunch

STARTER

All inclusive

Mixed Fruit Jalisco Style with Tajin and Mint

Assorted Breakfast Pastries with Local Honey and House Preserves

Ebelskevers - A Solvang tradition, Danish Pancake balls with Organic Syrup and Butter

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Homemade Hash Browns with Crispy Scallion

Thick cut bacon and grilled sausages

Baked Greek Frittata with Feta, Rice, Fresh Herbs and Leeks

Eggs Made To Order

Avocado Toast on thick cut Brioche with Olive Oil, Green Onions, Heirloom Tomato and Herbs

Real Deal Campfire Style Corned Beef Hash - The Denitive Version From Scratch

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

DESSERT

All inclusive

The Calabrain Table

STARTER

All inclusive

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Grilled asparagus salad with mignonette and gruyere

Fresh Baked Bread Variety with Compound Butter and Herbed Olive Oil

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Pappardelle Pasta with Fresh Herbs, Olive Oil, Garlic, Proscuitto and Romano Cheese

Stracotto de Manzo-Braised Prime Chuck Roast in Tomato with Garlic and Herbs

DESSERT

All inclusive

Cannoli with House Preserves and Heavy Cream

The Tokyo Street Kitchen

STARTER

All inclusive

Compressed Watermelon Salad with arugula, Japanese mint leaf, rice vinegar and lemon zest

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Soba Noodles with Home Made Broth, Veggies and Bonito

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Yakitori Skewers with Ponzu and Organic Brown Rice

DESSERT

All inclusive

Assorted Mochi with Lemon Curd and Korean Pastry Crumbles

Up From The Valle - A Taste Of Baja

STARTER

All inclusive

Warm salad of grilled local vegtables, organic olive oil, fresh herbs, farm cheese

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Classic Green Rice - Saffron rice with cilantro, homemade stock, onions and cumin

Fresh Baked Bread Variety with Compound Butter and Herbed Olive Oil

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Grilled sustainable Sea Bass with salsa verde, pickled vegetables and citrus essence

Salsa Cruda with avocado, red onion, chiles and olive oil

DESSERT

All inclusive

Assorted Mexican Pastries with Local Honey

From The West Coast Grill

STARTER

All inclusive

Salad Corte Madera - Avocado, Tomato, Cured Olives, grilled Cebollitas, Napa Cabbage and Baby Kale with Lemon/Egg Dressing

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Authentic Black Beans Sofrito Style with Jasmine Rice and Scallion

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Citrus/Herb Marinated Whole Free Range Chicken

Slow Grilled Tri Tip - The Real Deal, marinated in Beer, Spices, Tapatio and Olive Oil with house made Salsa Cruda

Grilled Cebollitas with Mexican Squash, Sweet Peppers and Pascilla Chiles

DESSERT

All inclusive

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding - Flambe Bananas, Egg, Bread, Brown Sugar and Vanilla Bean with Piloncillo Cremoso

Show me more

Chef Dave's reviews

4.99

•

352 services

Dave was awesome and we all had a great time with him!! The food was so delicious and the banana foster and the espresso martinis were extra special!! Highly recommend Chef Dave!!!

Chef Dave prepared a wonderful dinner. He is very experienced, knowledgeable and personable. My husband, guests and I had a great evening of great food prepared by a wonderful chef.

Chef Dave was a dream to work with. Regardless of a tricky set of menu and dietary requests, Chef Dave created a curated, thoughtful and compassionate menu. He not only delivered an amazing dinner, but was so kind, relatable and generous with his time and story. Logistically, Chef Dave is great communicator, efficient, super tidy and a considerate kitchen guest. Experientially, Chef Dave knows how to let the flavor of the ingredients sing, makes intuitive menu changes and provides something truly special. I can't wait to find another opportunity to work together again.

Chef Dave went above and beyond, crafting an amazing menu based on our dietary restrictions. The homemade tortillas and lentils were spectacular.

A wonderful experience comprised of delicious food and fun conversation. We felt well taken care of and Chef Dave made sure of that.

Wonderful food and a great story teller and entertainer. He absolutely knows his way around the kitchen and food! Book in a heartbeat.

We had the pleasure of Chef Tien being in our air bnb kitchen. Everything was amazing and exceeded my expectations! Great experience to have on any vacation!

Chef Dave was extremely personable, an outstanding Chef, and a lot of fun. He prepared a delicious meal with a great presentation, making a very memorable experience. Would strongly recommend Chef Dave to anyone wanting a terrific personal chef. Private Feedback: We had a great time, thank you very much.

Superb experience with great attention to detail and personal connections regarding the meal experience, highly recommend. Private Feedback: Thank you so much for the amazing meal and wonderful experience. You definitely enjoy your work and it shows, thank you!

Tien was awesome! Would highly recommend! Super communicative, friendly, professional, and the brunch was absolutely amazing! Private Feedback: A million thank yous!

We had a great dinner with Chef Tien. The food was terrific, but it was the treat of having it made for you in your home that made it a special experience. Chief Tien was great - well-prepared, personable, and fit in well with our gathering. He was very appropriate in when he related stories or descriptions of the menu, and when he blended quietly into the background. And last but not least, he did a great job of cleaning up - everything was spotless and back in its original place. Private Feedback: Thanks Tien. We and our guests had a truly special occasion thanks to your efforts.

Chef Dave was an absolute joy. On top of early and often communication before, during and after our experience, the food was amazing, storytelling was next level and Chef Dave was a charming and excellent host and chef for our group. He was the absolutely perfect choice. He fulfilled the dietary restrictions of our group, catered to our every need, helped us to capture photos and content, he even got out a drone and created a one of a kind video for us. Our group decided to have some fun and dress as our favorite famous chefs. Chef Dave loved this and took the time to express his passion for cooking, tell us stories of the famous chefs he’s met and worked with over his decade of time in the culinary industry. Again an absolutely joy of a person, chef and creator of exceptional experiences.

Such a thoughtful and delicious selection of food. Chef Tien did the full setup, place setting, and clean up too. Great experience!

So glad we found Chef Dave and will highly recommend him to any of our friends who travel to Napa/Sonoma. Great communication leading up to the dinner, arrived on time, and he was fully prepared. He cleaned up our airbnb kitchen perfectly, and quietly. We really enjoyed sitting and chatting with him while he cooked, and the food was nothing short of incredible. On top of that, he’s super friendly, humble, and a great story teller. Dinner al fresco with a true Californian chef feels like a Napa/Sonoma must do experience. We’ll be talking about this experience for years to come. Highly highly recommended! Private Feedback: Thank you so much! We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you and the food was fantastic. Hopefully we can do it again sometime in the future!!

Chef Tien was amazing- he was so friendly and cooked a delicious meal for me and my husband, and customized mine to be vegetarian. He left our Airbnb kitchen spotless, and we’re so excited to have leftovers for tomorrow! Private Feedback: Thank you!

Chef Dave was AWESOME! He was easy to communicate with before the experience and made sure he took any special requests. The dinner itself was fabulous, but Dave really made the experience with his personality and anecdotes. He made my dad and sister’s birthday dinner so special and even brought birthday cake! Such a fabulous experience, will definitely book again next time we’re in Sonoma! Thanks Dave!!

This was truly an amazing experience! So happy that we did it! Private Feedback: Thanks again chef!

Chef Tien prepared a delicious lunch with all fresh ingredients. He grilled the vegetables, marinated the meat ahead of time and provided a variety of tasty salsas, toppings and garnishes. The presentation was beautiful, all the sides were seasoned and cooked to perfection. We were welcome to ask questions and watch him do his magic. The afternoon sped by and we were sorry to see him go. Private Feedback: What a fabulous experience! Can’t wait to do it again. See you Christmas Eve, love the Jacques.????

Tien was very easy going and delightful to work with. From start to end, he was very intentional and organized. He is a gem of a human and I would highly recommend him for your private chef experience!

Chef Dave was amazing! We feel so thankful to have found this experience with him. To say he went above and beyond is an understatement! He was communicative, on time, so kind and personable, and even an amazing photographer and videographer. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate our time here in Sonoma than with brunch with Dave! Private Feedback: THANKS DAVE!!!!