We were lucky to catch up with Ross Weber recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ross , thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

In-home catering started for me in January 2019 — not as a business plan, but as a favor.

My mom had a coworker whose husband was turning 40. She wanted to surprise him with a special dinner at home and asked if I would be interested in cooking it. At the time, I was working as a Sous Chef at Target Center in Minneapolis. I had never considered doing private dinners in someone’s home, but after a few conversations with my mom and the client, I decided to give it a shot.

That dinner changed everything.

It was intimate. Creative. Personal. I wasn’t just executing plates in a busy kitchen — I was in someone’s home, cooking just for them, watching their reactions in real time. It gave me the freedom to truly flex my creativity. The night was a success, and over the next five years I did more events here and there — nothing structured, just a passion project I squeezed in when I could.

Then 2024 hit.

Inquiries started coming in more consistently. I booked two large weddings. A chef experience dinner came through my wedding photographer. Then two more events followed that fall. For the first time, I stepped back and thought: this could be something real. Not just a side project — an actual, profitable business with low overhead and unlimited creative potential.

When I ran the numbers and looked at the demand, it was clear this was worth pursuing seriously.

What makes my concept different isn’t just that I cook in my clients’ homes. It’s the interaction.

Yes, the food is exceptional — but the experience is what people remember. I don’t disappear into the kitchen. I engage. I teach. I explain techniques. I answer questions. I coach guests through what they’re tasting and why it works. From start to finish, people get to see how the meal comes together. They get access to a chef in a way most restaurant diners never do.

There’s something powerful about that connection.

And it all happens in the comfort of your own home — whether that’s a suburban dining room, a downtown condo, or a lake house up north. There’s no pressure. No reservations. No driving across the city for a great meal. You invite your neighbors, your friends, your clients — and I bring the restaurant to you.

If you want a bartender, I’ll source one from my network.
If you need servers to pass appetizers, I’ll coordinate it.
If you want to impress clients or celebrate something big, you call your chef friend — and I create an experience they’ll never forget.

This isn’t just catering.

It’s a chef experience — personal, interactive, and entirely yours.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi, I’m Ross Weber.

I do private chef experience dinners, weddings, and events in private homes — and I am completely obsessed with food.

I think about it 24/7. If I’m not cooking, I’m eating. If I’m not eating, I’m researching. I have an insatiable curiosity when it comes to food — techniques, cultures, flavor combinations, history, wine, plating, service. It’s not just my career. It’s who I am.

I started in this industry at 16 years old as a baker for a bagel company. I had no idea what I was getting into. I just loved the food and thought it would be cool to learn how to make it. That curiosity turned into a calling.

In high school, I worked not only at the bagel shop but also at Old Country Buffet — my true foundation. I wore every hat imaginable and learned more than I could have ever expected. It was fast, it was chaotic, and it taught me how to cook for volume, for consistency, and for people.

I went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Northern Michigan University, where I had the privilege of working with incredibly talented professors and chefs who helped shape my craft. Like many young chefs, I left school convinced I was headed for Michelin kitchens and five-star resorts.

Life had other plans — and I’m grateful for that.

I became a personal chef for a sorority at the University of Minnesota. Wild. Energetic. Unforgettable. From there, I landed a role at Target Field in the fine dining Champions Club during the summer of 2014. It was my first taste of large-scale, high-end service — adrenaline-fueled and incredibly precise.

That opportunity led me to Levy Restaurants, where I worked as a Sous Chef for three and a half years. I went on to hold various Executive Chef roles, continuing to refine my leadership and culinary voice.

Then the pandemic hit.

During that uncertain time, my in-home chef experiences — which had quietly begun years earlier as a passion project — started to take on new life. I did a handful of dinners. Nothing massive. Nothing overly consistent. Just enough to keep cooking, creating, and connecting during a tough season.

In 2021, I joined Hewing Hotel in Minneapolis as a Banquet Chef. The role was demanding, and I had to pause my in-home experiences, but it sharpened me. Hewing’s reputation and standards pushed me to elevate every detail — from execution to storytelling to hospitality. The hotel sales team offered similar experiential dinners, and it gave me time to refine what I wanted my own chef experience to feel like.

After two years, I transitioned into my current role as a Corporate Chef in the business dining sector. I’ve also started a family, and this position gives me something rare in this industry: balance. I work Monday through Friday, with weekends and holidays off. No more endless late nights. And that balance has allowed me to build my private chef experiences the right way — intentionally.

I’m now in year two of fully pursuing chef experience dinners again, and it has been incredible.

What I offer isn’t your typical dinner.

I’ve done intimate two-person experiences and 30-person weddings. What makes it different is the interaction. I’m not hiding in the kitchen. I’m in the room. I get to know my clients and their guests. I tell stories. I walk through each course. I explain wine pairings, hidden flavors, where I learned a technique, or how it took me two years of R&D to perfect a salmon dish.

It’s not just a meal — it’s a guided culinary experience.

The best part? The menu is fully customized. This isn’t a fixed restaurant offering. It’s collaborative. It’s personal. It’s built around you.

And I take the guesswork out of everything.

Holidays are stressful. Major life events are stressful. Let me handle the food. No grocery shopping. No menu planning. No coordinating drinks. I manage the pacing of the evening, the service, and the cleanup. You get to be present with your guests.

Beyond chef experiences, I offer meal prep services and curated charcuterie boards featuring premium meats, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables — all customizable to fit your event or lifestyle. I do have limits, but those are discussed event by event to ensure quality stays high.

My goal is simple: create something unforgettable.

Some clients I see again and again. Others I may only cook for once. Either way, I make sure the experience is memorable enough that if they ever want to book again, there’s no hesitation.

This is more than catering.

It’s storytelling.
It’s connection.
It’s passion brought to life in your dining room.

And I would be honored to cook for you.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

One of the most powerful parts of building this business has been how it grows.

Almost entirely by word of mouth.

I don’t have a massive social media presence — not yet. That will come in time. Right now, my marketing strategy is simple: do exceptional work, create unforgettable experiences, and let people talk.

And they do.

I love that my business grows through friend-to-friend conversations. Someone attends a dinner. They have an incredible night. A few weeks later they’re telling a neighbor, a coworker, a sibling — “You have to call Ross. You have to do this chef experience.”

That kind of referral means more than any ad ever could.

There’s something special about that level of trust. My clients don’t feel like they’re hiring a random caterer they found online. They feel like they have a chef in their circle — someone they can call for a birthday, an anniversary, a client dinner, a holiday party, or a wedding.

It creates a sense of exclusivity.

Not in an unapproachable way — but in a personal way. You don’t stumble across me by accident. You hear about me because someone you trust had a memorable experience.

That’s powerful.

As the business continues to grow, I do plan to expand my marketing efforts. I have ideas. I have partnerships in mind with other small businesses. I know there are avenues to scale visibility when the time is right.

But for now, I appreciate the organic growth.

Word of mouth keeps it personal. It keeps it intentional. It keeps the quality high. And it reinforces what I care about most — relationships.

Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about food.

It’s about people sharing something special — and telling others about it.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons this journey has taught me is how to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

When I started doing in-home chef experiences in 2019, I was incredibly nervous. Like most chefs, I was trained to operate behind the scenes. The kitchen was my comfort zone. Stainless steel, controlled chaos, tickets printing — that made sense to me.

Standing in someone’s dining room, making conversation while finishing a sauce?
That was a different skill set entirely.

These experiences forced me out from behind the line and into the spotlight. I had to unlearn the idea that my job was just to cook. I had to relearn how to interact with guests, how to sell myself, how to tell a story. Because it’s not just about food anymore. People want connection. They want to understand what they’re eating. They want to feel something.

Learning to be a storyteller wasn’t easy.

There were moments early on where I felt awkward. Unsure. Not naturally social. I had to practice explaining dishes in a way that painted a picture — why this ingredient, why this technique, why this wine. I had to learn how to read a room. When to talk. When to let the moment breathe.

Now? I can’t wait to talk to someone new — especially about food.

Food is such a powerful gateway. It breaks barriers. It sparks curiosity. When I describe how a dish came together or how long it took to refine it, I genuinely get excited. That energy is contagious. What once made me uncomfortable is now one of my favorite parts of the experience.

And it goes beyond conversation.

Being in someone’s home means things won’t always go perfectly. Mistakes happen. You forget sugar in a dish. Something reduces too far. A pan runs hotter than expected. There’s no back kitchen to hide in.

Early on, those moments would have triggered panic.

Now, I pivot.

No sugar? Maybe honey. Maybe maple syrup. Maybe the dish evolves into something even better than originally planned. The key is composure. The client doesn’t see stress — they see confidence. They see adaptability.

There is always an opportunity to pivot.

Being comfortable in uncomfortable situations has made me a better chef, a better host, and a better entrepreneur. It’s sharpened my instincts. It’s strengthened my presence. It’s given me confidence not just in my food, but in myself.

Growth rarely happens in comfort.

And some of the best parts of this journey started with me stepping into rooms that once made me nervous — and deciding I belonged there.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rossweber_privatechef/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575665514491