Chef David Mau

Private Chef In Windsor

My family settled Sonoma in 1849 and my indigenous ancestors go back for millennia. After a dynamic career as a Chef, Writer and Photographer I’m back where I am meant to be living this next chapter of my culinary journey. Sonoma and the region mean a lot to me and I love sharing my experiences from the OC to High Sierra as well."

I pride myself on being super easy to work with. Food should be fun and as a writer I love to talk 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

Russian River Table - 4 Course

STARTER

All inclusive

Fresh Baked Bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cruets served tableside

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

California Potato Salad - Organic Pee Wee Potatoes, Olives, Roasted Sweet Peppers, Cebollita, Rosemary Aioli

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

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Real Deal Thin Sliced Beef Tri Tip Roast Coastal Style with Salsa Cruda

Broasted whole Farmhouse Chicken

Poached North Coast Salmon - Caldo, Egg, Lemon, Dill and Capers

DESSERT

All inclusive

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream and Candied Pecans

Provence On The West Coast - 5 Course

STARTER

All inclusive

Fig and Goat Cheese Gallets with Rosemary

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Salad of Grilled Local Vegetables tossed with Arugula, Cabbage and House Dressing

Fresh Baked Bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cruets and Local Butter served tableside

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Beef Daube Provençal - Braised Prime Beef in Consommé, Red Wine, Shallot, Pearl Onions and Herbs

Line Caught Local Halibut poached in Courtboullion with mint burre blanc

Creamy Cruchade (Polenta) with Espagnole

Gratin au Dauphinois - Shaved Pee Wee Potatoes, Cream, Garlic, Butter and Cheeses baked to perfection

DESSERT

All inclusive

Puff Pastry with Berry Compote and Cream

Provence On The West Coast - 4 Course

STARTER

All inclusive

Fig and Goat Cheese Gallets with Rosemary

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Salad of Grilled Local Vegetables tossed with Arugula, Cabbage and House Dressing

Fresh Baked Bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cruets and Local Butter served tableside

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Beef Daube Provençal - Braised Prime Beef in Consommé, Red Wine, Shallot, Pearl Onions and Herbs

Line Caught Local Halibut poached in Courtboullion with mint burre blanc

Creamy Cruchade (Polenta) with Espagnole

DESSERT

All inclusive

Puff Pastry with Berry Compote and Cream

Provence On The West Coast - 3 Course

STARTER

All inclusive

Fig and Goat Cheese Gallets with Rosemary

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Salad of Grilled Local Vegetables tossed with Arugula, Cabbage and House Dressing

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Beef Daube Provençal - Braised Prime Beef in Consommé, Red Wine, Shallot, Pearl Onions and Herbs

Creamy Cruchade (Polenta) with Espagnole

DESSERT

All inclusive

Puff Pastry with Berry Compote and Cream

Russian River Table - 5 Course

STARTER

All inclusive

Fresh Baked Bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cruets served tableside

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

California Potato Salad - Organic Pee Wee Potatoes, Olives, Roasted Sweet Peppers, Cebollita, Rosemary Aioli

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

MAIN COURSE

Choose 3 dishes

Real Deal Thin Sliced Beef Tri Tip Roast Coastal Style with Salsa Cruda

Broasted whole Farmhouse Chicken

Poached North Coast Salmon - Caldo, Egg, Lemon, Dill and Capers

DESSERT

All inclusive

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream and Candied Pecans

Russian River Table - 3 Course

STARTER

All inclusive

Fresh Baked Bread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cruets served tableside

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

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

California Potato Salad - Organic Pee Wee Potatoes, Olives, Roasted Sweet Peppers, Cebollita, Rosemary Aioli

MAIN COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Real Deal Thin Sliced Beef Tri Tip Roast Coastal Style with Salsa Cruda

Broasted whole Farmhouse Chicken

Poached North Coast Salmon - Caldo, Egg, Lemon, Dill and Capers

DESSERT

All inclusive

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream and Candied Pecans

Road To The Valle - 5 Course

STARTER

All inclusive

Avocado and Citrus Salad with Arugula and Shaved Red Onion

Oaxacan Cheese dip with scallion and local chorizo

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Green Cilantro Rice - The definitive presentation

Corn Tortillas Hecho a Mano (by hand from scratch)

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Shrimp La Paz - with Garlic, Oregano, Myer Lemon, Jalapeños and Olive Oil

Shrimp Skewers - with Herbs, Chiles and Roja Dipping Sauce

DESSERT

All inclusive

Assorted Mexican Pastries with Tajin Candied Pecans and Sweet Cream

Road To The Valle - 4 Course

STARTER

All inclusive

Avocado and Citrus Salad with Arugula and Shaved Red Onion

FIRST COURSE

All inclusive

Green Cilantro Rice - The definitive presentation

Corn Tortillas Hecho a Mano (by hand from scratch)

MAIN COURSE

All inclusive

Striped Sea Bass La Paz - with Garlic, Oregano, Myer Lemon, Jalapeños and Olive Oil

Jumbo Prawn Skewers - Herbs, Chiles and Roja Dipping Sauce

DESSERT

All inclusive

Assorted Mexican Pastries with Tajin Candied Pecans and Sweet Cream

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Chef David's reviews

4.8

•

89 services

We had an amazing experience with chef Dave. He communicated very thoroughly with me weeks in advance, again the week of our dinner and prior to his arrival day of. His food was delicious. We all enjoyed everything he made for us. He fit right into our group. He was very kind and we all thoroughly enjoyed having him as our chef. I would highly recommend him and use him again.

For my dad's 60th birthday, we had the pleasure of having Dave as our private chef, and he truly made the occasion unforgettable. Dave was incredibly accommodating, creating a personalized menu that catered perfectly to our diverse dietary preferences. His dishes were super delicious and filling. Dave's personality shone through as he engaged us with delightful and quirky conversation throughout the evening. He is definitely chatty & friendly, which only added to the fun and festive atmosphere. Overall, his culinary skills and charismatic presence made my dad's birthday an exceptional experience.

Chef Dave was a joy to work with. Very personable and professional, accommodating for dietary needs and respectful of our space and time. His menu was exactly what I pictured and we loved hearing about the development and creation of his recipes. Would definitely recommend Chef Dave for your private dining experience!

Chef David was incredible! He was on-time, engaging, personable, and went above and beyond to make sure we had an amazing experience. His food was delicious and he explained each dish perfectly and made sure that he understood all of our likes and dislikes. He cleaned the kitchen up perfectly an even made us a dish from leftovers for breakfast inn the morning, I would highly recommend David Mau to anyone. thanks for an amazing experience! Gretchen

Chef David was fantastic to work with. He was very responsive with communications prior to our event and very flexible with the menu. Upon arrival he was super engaging and humorous. He jumped right into cooking and gave us some of his background story. The food was delicious and it catered to several of us with food allergies. Overall would highly recommend Chef Dave and was hire him again for a future event!

Chef Dave was very easy to work with. He was flexible. At the last minute, we had a couple of special requests, which he handled no problem. He was interesting, and could tell some engaging stories. He also gave us plenty of space to enjoy visiting with each other. Overall, the experience exceeded expectations.

Chef Dave was fabulous! He cooked multiple meals for us on our visit and each one was incredible. He was fun, friendly, accommodating, and a joy to work with. We will absolutely work with him again in the future. Grateful for such a wonderful experience with Take a Chef and Chef Dave!

Chef Dave was great!

Chef Dave, quite literally, added the perfect seasoning to our family trip. He’s a rock n roll culinary vaquero who made himself “right at kitchen” in our vacation home. Being tasked with preparing multiple meals for many ages and varying palates is no easy task, but it became very apparent that’s what this guy lives and breathes. It seemed as though every dish came with a larger-than-life story of its conception, therefore leading to not only dinner, but a downright hell of a show. If you’re looking for a chef that will show up, curate a menu and meal, clean up perfectly, and leave- that’s no problem for Chef Dave. However, if you’re looking to make the most out of your experience, spend your time in the company of someone you will quickly find yourself believing is an old friend, and learning some history and tradition of the food you will be enjoying—well then, you’ve come to the right guy. Rock on, Chef Dave. Thanks for the meals and memories. -The Heller Family

Chef Dave was terrific! Loved having him cook for our crew!!!

We loved Dave!! Food was amazing & he's a great guy!

Easily a 5 out of 5 star review for Chef David. Great personality, amazing food, and very engaging. We enjoyed talking with him while he was cooking and got to know more about each other. Would highly recommend for a fun and delicious dinner party.

Dave Mau did an outstanding job as a chef and entertainer! The food was excellent and very generous! Chef Dave Mau entertained us with interesting stories as well. I highly recommend him for a wonderful prtsonal chef experience!

Personable. Entertaining. Delicious. We were still talking about Chef Dave, and eating leftovers, the next day. And he left the kitchen in the same state as when he arrived.

Chef Dave was wonderful! I’m so glad we had him for our wedding. Dave was super helpful, communicative, and on top of everything. The food was outstanding and he went above and beyond to include a variety of food choices that everyone could enjoy while also bringing in new and tasty items that we’d never heard of. We would absolutely use Chef Dave again.

Chef David exceeded our expectations. He made it such an incredible experience and a memorable time for us. He went above and beyond checking in with me, explaining his dishes, supporting us on our surprise proposal dinner by taking amazing professional photo and video! His chicken is to die for, literally the best we ever had. His sauce, dessert, main dish, and everything was just amazing, he gave us extra and said there should be enough for left over, but the food was literally amazing that no leftovers were to be found the next day. He made all of us laugh and explained all the dishes and where they came from and it was just such an amazing experience!!!

Chef David is the best! Highly recommend - he was super engaging and the food was delicious (we licked the plates). Great person to make your special event even more special!

Chef Dave treated us to a first class experience, great food and great company. I picked the menu via the website.

Chef Dave was amazing, entertaining, and the food was fabulous! We had such an amazing time and had plenty of left overs for the next day.

Chef David Mau was... AMAZING!!! What a talented chef with such a down to earth attitude. The man can’t help but radiate kick back vibes. He is a Michelin star caliber chef with a rock and roll style. He can make anything work. He can take a basic suburban kitchen that does not have all the right tools and still manage to pull out the best food that we have had, period. My guests and I devoured his food. You could tell that cooking was more than a passion, but a way of life for Chef David. I hired Chef David for my wife’s surprise 30th birthday and Chef was not only super on point with all details, but was happy to be a part of the whole process. He worked with me a little ahead of time and I can feel he was excited for me. He was supportive and took the lead with his experience when I needed him too. My wife and her friends were absolutely shocked by Chef David’s talent and charming personality. He will leave your home just the way it was before you started, and likely cleaner. You can tell that this professional chef has spent COUNTLESS Hours putting in the work it takes to be a chef that has opened several restaurants, all the while brining his own flavor and style to the process, not once making you feel that anything was beneath him. His talent was only surpassed by his class. Thank you Chef David and thank you Take a Chef for all making this happen for my wife. I will be doing this again in the future.