We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marvin Lim. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marvin below.

Marvin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

The entire foundation of TheKitchenTable was built by doing one major thing differently from the industry standard: we flipped the pricing model on its head.

In the traditional private chef world, the power dynamic is set by the chef. They have a high, non-negotiable price-per-person, and the customer either takes it or leaves it. This immediately makes the service feel exclusive and unaffordable for most people. We saw this as the single biggest barrier preventing the industry from growing.

Our approach is the complete opposite. We empower the customer by asking them one simple question first: “What’s your budget?”

This small change has a massive impact. It shifts the entire experience from “Can I afford this?” to “What amazing meal can we create for this?” It makes the customer feel in control and turns an intimidating luxury into an accessible, collaborative experience.

I remember one of our first customers, a busy mom trying to plan a special 40th birthday dinner for her husband. She had a group of 12 and was stressed. A restaurant was too loud and generic for what she wanted, but she assumed a private chef would cost a fortune. She came to our site, tentatively put in a budget of $1,000—what she would have spent at a decent restaurant—and was shocked when our chefs started sending her incredible, multi-course menu proposals that fit perfectly within her price.

The event was a huge success. She got the intimate, personalized celebration she wanted, without the stress and for the same price as going out. That’s the difference that matters. By starting with the customer’s budget, we’re not just selling a service; we’re breaking down the walls and making a truly special experience a normal and affordable part of people’s lives.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Marvin Lim, and I’m the founder of TheKitchenTable. My journey into this industry wasn’t a straight line; it was born out of necessity and a deep, personal connection to the problem we’re solving.

A little over a year ago, I was living a pretty chaotic life, juggling three full-time jobs. The daily question of “what’s for dinner?” was a constant source of stress. I had no time to cook, was bored of the three recipes I knew, and was tired of the choice between expensive, unhealthy takeout and meal kits that still left me with a pile of dishes. I felt stuck in a food rut, and I knew I wasn’t alone.

At the same time, I was watching my own family members—talented, passionate chefs and restaurant owners—struggle within a broken industry. They were burning out from the grueling hours and razor-thin margins, with some even leaving the craft they loved just to make ends meet. It was clear the system was failing both the people who make the food and the people who eat it. I knew there had to be a better way.

That’s the “why” behind TheKitchenTable. We are a platform that makes private chefs affordable and accessible for everyone. We’ve unbundled the traditional restaurant, removing its single biggest cost—the expensive real estate—to create a direct, win-win connection between customers and chefs. For our clients, we solve the stress of dining. Whether it’s a special celebration, a bachelorette party, or just a Tuesday night dinner, we provide a seamless experience where a professional chef handles everything from grocery shopping to cooking and complete cleanup, all within a budget that the customer sets.

What truly sets us apart is that we flipped the industry standard on its head. Instead of a chef setting a high, non-negotiable price, we empower our customers to tell us what they want to spend. This simple change makes the entire experience feel collaborative and accessible, not exclusive.

I’m incredibly proud that we’re proving this model works. We’re delivering five-star experiences for an average cost of just $32.66 per person, while our chefs are earning 3 to 5 times more than a standard restaurant wage. It’s a sustainable ecosystem that’s resonating, and the traction has allowed us to attract investment from legendary figures like Jason Calacanis.

The main thing I want the world to know about TheKitchenTable is that we believe the most meaningful moments happen around a shared meal at home. We’re not just a food service; we’re in the business of creating connection and giving people back their time. Our brand is about making a special, nourishing experience a normal and affordable part of everyday life.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Yes, it absolutely did, but it started less as a “side hustle” for extra cash and more as a mission to solve a problem that was consuming my life. A little over a year ago, I was working three full-time jobs. My life was a blur of deadlines and exhaustion, and the simple act of figuring out dinner every night felt like an impossible task. I was living on ramen and the same three recipes, completely stuck in a food rut.

TheKitchenTable started as a personal obsession to fix my own problem. I began by manually connecting a few friends with local chefs I knew, just to see if the idea had legs. I wasn’t taking a cut; I was just testing the concept. The feedback was immediate and powerful. People were blown away by the experience of having a professional chef cook in their home for a price they could actually afford.

That was the first key milestone: realizing this wasn’t just my problem, it was a universal one.

The real shift from a project to a potential business happened when we landed our first partnership with a luxury apartment building. They paid us to host a resident event, which acted as a live demo for dozens of our ideal customers at once. That night, several residents asked how they could book a chef for their own parties. That was the lightbulb moment—we had found a capital-efficient way to grow.

The final leap to making this my full-time career came when our traction and vision got us accepted into Jason Calacanis’s Founder University accelerator. That experience was a pressure cooker that sharpened our business model and prepared us for the big leagues. Securing our first investment from Jason was the ultimate validation. It gave us the conviction—and the capital—to leave everything else behind and go all-in on building the future of dining.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

For us, brand loyalty isn’t built with complicated points systems; it’s built on trust and personal connection. In an industry that’s becoming more automated and impersonal, we’re doubling down on the human element.

First, we’re incredibly hands-on. As a founder, I am personally on-site at many of our events. I’m not just there to take pictures; I’m there to meet our customers, listen to their stories, and get direct, unfiltered feedback. It shows our clients that we are deeply invested in their experience, and the insights we gain are invaluable. There’s no substitute for that “belly-to-belly” connection.

Second, the entire experience on our platform is designed to be collaborative, not transactional. From the moment a customer books, they are in direct conversation with their chef. They work together to create the perfect menu. This isn’t like ordering from a faceless app; it’s a personal, creative process that builds a real relationship between the customer and the chef.

Finally, we follow up with gratitude. After every single event, our customers get a personal thank you from me. We’ll often share a gallery of photos from their event as a keepsake. We also actively ask for reviews and feedback, and when someone takes the time to share their thoughts, we reward them with a promo code for their next event.

By focusing on these high-touch interactions, we’re not just acquiring customers; we’re building a community of fans who feel seen, heard, and cared for. That’s the foundation of true brand loyalty.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tkteats.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekitchentable_official/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thekitchentable/
• Other: Google: https://share.google/GCs345RCRbdIhqNYT

Image Credits

All pictures are owned by TheKitchenTable