Lavish Cuisine - Personal Chef Services

09/03/2026

10 years ago today, Nicole & I finished working a dinner party and had some extra creme brûlée. We tracked down my daughter, a teenager at the time, who has hanging out at the Stone Oak Whataburger parking lot, and took our show on the road. One of her friends had a pickup trip and we had him lower the tailgate and I torched creme brûlée for Laura and her friends. Laura was, of course, mortified that Nicole and I had not only shown up, but inserted ourselves right in the midst of her friend pack and made dessert! Her friends thought it was awesome. ❤️

06/21/2026

In May of 2014, I was hired to cook for a family’s graduation party. What started as a one-time event turned into one of my favorite client relationships.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of helping this family celebrate so many special occasions. Whenever a text pops up asking if I’m available to cook for them, I do my best to make it happen.

Tonight, we celebrated the head of the household’s 60th birthday with a French-inspired dinner party after they returned from a week in Paris.

The menu featured a French charcuterie display, caramelized onion galette, French onion soup shooters, an endive and pear salad, filet mignon au poivre with Robuchon-style potatoes and roasted broccolini, and crème brûlée cheesecake. Sadly, I never got a photo of the galette.

I also have to give credit where credit is due. Laura designed and assembled the beautiful charcuterie board. Over the years she has grown into an incredible sous chef. Her attention to detail and creativity help make evenings like this possible, and I couldn’t be prouder of how much she’s learned.

We were also joined by Fernanda, who graciously jumped in to help us in the kitchen. It truly takes a team to create an evening like this.

I’m incredibly grateful for the clients who continue to invite us into their homes and trust us with their celebrations. Being welcomed into these moments is one of the greatest joys of what I do.

It all starts at the table™.

06/14/2026

Mike & Marilyn’s 80th Birthday Celebration 🥂

Eleven guests. One rented house. Siblings and their spouses and children, gathered from near and far to celebrate their parents turning 80 — together.

While we prepared dinner, they played cards. They laughed. They remembered. That’s the gift a lovingly prepared meal gives a family — it frees them to just be together.

The evening began with nibbles: vegan hearts of palm in phyllo shells, burrata and melon verrines, jumbo shrimp with remoulade, and lamb meatballs with tzatziki and warm pita. Then plated salads — baby greens with crisp apple, candied walnuts, cranberries and feta in a blush vinaigrette — before a family-style dinner of pan-seared salmon with lemon dill caper sauce, roasted beef tenderloin with chimichurri, garlic mashed root vegetables, and lemon-herb zucchini. Dessert was a gluten-free blueberry crisp and a flourless chocolate cake with ganache and fresh raspberries.

This is what 15 years of private chef work looks like. And it’s also the foundation of everything I’m building at CatherineRichey.com — because I’ve always believed the same thing:

It all starts at the table.

CatherineRichey.com, lavishcuisine.com

06/13/2026

Think your electric griddle is just for weekend pancakes? Think again.

Any time I need to sear a large batch of protein that won’t fit in a single skillet, out comes the griddle.

More surface area = more contact = more of that gorgeous, even browning you just can’t rush. Sear on the griddle, finish in the oven — perfectly cooked through every time.

These little lamb meatballs are headed to the table with warm pita wedges, crisp cucumber rounds, and homemade tzatziki. Simple. Beautiful. Gone in minutes.

03/22/2026

There is nothing more rewarding than hearing,
“That was the best steak I’ve ever had.”
…and even more so—
“That was the best dinner I’ve ever had in my life.”

Tonight was one of those nights.

A 12-person dinner party, multiple customizations, moving parts… and everything flowed beautifully. The ticket system was a game changer (note to self: keep that forever), and my incredible team—Gaby & Colette—brought it all to life with me.

While I finished the main course, they each took their guests and built stunning, personalized wedge salads… every plate intentional, every detail cared for.

And somewhere in between the plating, the timing, and the service…
we created something more than a meal.

We created connection. Celebration. Joy at the table.

And on the drive home—non-stop laughter, catching up, and gratitude for working alongside women who are not just team members… but friends. ❤️

This is why I do what I do.

It all starts at the table.

—
Lavish Cuisine
Chef Catherine Richey

03/19/2026

Our newest Monday meal prep client needed vegetarian lunches to take to work for the week. One of the dishes we prepared was a rice noodle, roasted tofu, veggie packed stir-fry with a really flavorful sauce of peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, chili crisp, honey and a few other ingredients! We left limes, cilantro and peanuts to add extra fresh ingredient toppers. Plant-based eating is not only gorgeous, but also quite nutritious and yummy!! (Catherine & Laura)

03/17/2026

Didn’t go traditional for St. Patrick’s Day for my clients today… just followed the color ☘️💚

Spinach, cannellini bean, chicken & cheese quesadillas with fresh guacamole for after school snack
+
chicken mushroom marsala with peas, parsley & green beans for dinner.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. It can be seasonal, fun, and really, really good.

Would you eat this for St. Patrick’s Day? ☘️

~ Catherine

12/06/2025

On the first Friday of December, every year since 2017, you can find me in Fredericksburg preparing a lavish staff-appreciation dinner for a dentist, his team, and their spouses.

It has truly become one of my favorite annual traditions.

Last year the practice grew, a new partner joined, and the guest list expanded — so much so that both dentists rolled up their sleeves to help me serve plates. This year, a last-minute staffing issue meant I was flying solo in the kitchen… with two multitasking dentists stepping in to help wherever needed.

What touches me most is how they welcome me back each year as if I’m part of their family and their practice —like I’m not just the chef, but someone woven into the tradition itself.

I always arrive a little early so I can be greeted with warm smiles and tight hugs, step into their beautiful home, and catch up over a glass of wine before guests arrive. It’s a joy to reconnect with people who genuinely appreciate the care and craft that goes into these meals.

My hour-and-a-half drive home last night was all smiles —deeply grateful for the clients who trust me, year after year, to create memorable meals for the people who matter most to them.

These moments are the heart of why I love what I do.

~ Catherine

11/29/2025

Today we are recovering from our travel day yesterday (it was a long 11 hours in the air from Frankfurt to Houston), — and my chef heart is full from this trip.

As a chef, when I travel, I seek out food experiences that challenge me, inspire me, and deepen my craft. Northern Italy — especially Turin and the Piedmont region — delivered all of that and more.

We explored the city through three unforgettable food tours:
• A chocolate and wine immersion, including the iconic local bicerin (yes, I had three).
• A walk through Turin’s historic food shops, many owned and run by generations of incredible women.
• A truffle hunt in the countryside that left me marveling at the beauty and tradition behind every ingredient.

We followed that with a 7-course dinner in the very town where Carnaroli rice is grown — a meal so thoughtful and beautifully executed that meeting chef-owner Manuel Costardi at the end felt like the perfect final note.

The truffles we’d unearthed that morning were later shaved over a Piedmontese feast prepared by a local chef. Pure, aromatic, melt-into-your-soul magic.

This trip was a chef’s dream: bold flavors, new techniques, humble ingredients elevated by tradition, and dishes that reminded me why food is the universal language of connection and joy. ~ Catherine

10/05/2025