A black box mystery dinner for friends
From $200 per guest plus groceries, $2,000 event minimum. Your all-in quote comes within 24 hours. For a client I had cooked for before, I turned a dinner for ten or twelve friends into a black box: a printed menu that kept all five courses a secret, and a guess before each plate.
$200 / guest + groceries · $2,000 event minimum
- Occasion — a gathering of friends
- Guests — ten or twelve
- Format — five courses kept secret, with a guess before every course
- Host — a returning client who asked for something interesting
What is a black box dinner?
A dinner where every course stays a secret until it is served. Each guest sits down to a printed menu, but in place of dish names it is a black box: guess what comes at each course. Before every course I give a hint, the table guesses, and the plate arrives.
Illustrations: there are no photos from this dinner.
How did the idea for a mystery dinner come about?
The host gave me free rein and asked only that the evening be something interesting, for the host and for the guests. So I made the dinner itself the mystery.
How do you write a menu the guests cannot see?
The secret is only for the guests, never for the kitchen. First I learned everyone's preferences and restrictions, then built the five courses around what the guests like, so every surprise lands on something they enjoy.
What was on the black box menu?
Five courses, and three of them I can reveal: eel with apple chutney on rice clouds, a duck course, and a steak. The other two stay hidden.
Could the guests guess the courses?
Not quite. Every dish was hard to guess. They named the category, meat, fish or poultry, but no one guessed a dish one hundred percent. The one guess that landed, I think, was that a steak would come: everyone loves meat, and for most meat eaters steak is the favorite. For me the evening was unexpected, delicious and interesting.
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Who is a black box dinner for?
For a host who wants an evening the guests remember, without a fixed menu in mind. Allergies and restrictions are covered: I ask before I write the menu, and the guests still do not know what is coming.
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Black box mystery dinner with a private chef — frequently asked questions
What is a black box mystery dinner?
A dinner where every course stays a secret until it is served. Each guest gets a printed menu in black box format: guess what comes at each course. Before every course I give a hint and the table guesses.
Can a private chef cook a mystery menu around allergies and restrictions?
Yes. The menu is secret only for the guests, never for the kitchen. I ask about everyone's preferences and restrictions first and write the course menu from those answers.
Do guests usually guess the dishes?
Across five courses at this dinner, no one guessed a dish one hundred percent. The guests named the category, meat, fish or poultry, and the one course they predicted was the steak. Each dish stayed a surprise until it was served.
Can I book a black box dinner at home in Miami?
Yes. I cook in private homes across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Tell me the date and who is coming, and I write a mystery or a classic menu for your evening.
Want a black box dinner of your own?
Tell me the date, the occasion and who is coming, with any preferences and restrictions. I cook, serve and clean up with my sous-chef, and table setting and flowers are part of every dinner. From $200 per guest plus groceries, $2,000 event minimum. Your all-in quote comes within 24 hours.
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