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Kelley Heldt

Owner/ Chef, Kelley Heldt Catering & Private Chef Services

Kelley-heldt "Faux Pho": golden consomme of roasted chicken scented with saffron, Thai basil, star anise & cassia, "noodles" of shaved hearts of fennel, a disk of steamed duck liver mousse with ginger juice, English peas, asparagus tips & spring onions Tomatoes from my garden, ready to roast: Summer Preserved in Sauce Roast Rack of Lamb, porcini mushroom powder dusted, served au jus with Pink Beet Quinoa and A Vegetable Tasting Platter  Dessert: Passion Fruit Mousse & Gelee, with Rhubarb Raspberry Coulis Seared Ahi Poke with Thai Herb Essence, shaved watermelon radish, Persian cucumber, daikon sprouts Lobster Roe & Hearts of Palm Risotto (cooked in coconut water & vermouth), persimmon glaçage with saffron & ginger,  poached lobster out of shell
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3 things diners should know about me:
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I draw on all of my restaurant cooking experiences, from cafes to four star, to provide you expert preparation of quality ingredients.
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Menus: from what is fresh & in season, combined with your requests & favorites, I create an inspired menu.......
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Diet restrictions? Preference lists? Challenges to make it delicious while healthy sharpens my skills!!
What is your signature dish?
Mainstay: pan roasted rack of lamb au jus, root vegetable gratin with lavender goat cheese, seasonal green vegetables. Lately: chawanmushi of oysters broiled in uni custard with confit of baby leeks, roasted ...
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Featured menu
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Overall satisfaction based on 20 reviews
Review date:
11/19/2011
Host:
Ayesha M.
Featured review
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Kelley
"Kelley was a real pleasure to work with especially given the 24 notice he had to pull together a buffet dinner for 9. With very minimal direction he put together a healthy satisfying menu and gave us super clear instructions on best ways to heat, serve and present the food. Our guests were delighted...
Review date:
12/19/2012
Host:
Douglas S.
Four-star dinner party for 12
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Kelley prepared a delicious meal and was able to accommodate our requests. Service was spot on and kitchen cleaned and as we had left it. A great find. Thanks Kelley and sorry for the delayed review.

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Review date:
12/15/2012
Host:
Celi C.
The Show Stopper for 11
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I could not have asked for better. It was just that great from beginning to end. Chef Kelley's cooking and organizational skills are top notch.
He and the gourmet dinner for 10 was such a hit that everyone could not stop talking about it.
It was truly a wonderful experience.

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Review date:
11/29/2012
Host:
Cass B.
Casual meal for 40
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Our event was a casual afternoon barbecue/luncheon/light dinner in early November for 40, served mostly buffet style. The menu included poached lobster, Turkish shrimp, seared ahi, pear salad, seared scallops, Tandoori roast chicken, vegan quinoa, grilled rack of lamb, gratin of root vegetables

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Review date:
08/10/2012
Host:
Sushil P.
Four-star dinner party for 12 in ,
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Review date:
07/23/2012
Host:
Carrie H.
Casual meal for 12 in Helena, CA
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Kelley did a fabulous job preparing an amazing meal for 12 people celebrating a friend's bachelorette party. He was extremely responsive and attentive to detail while we were planning the event and he made us a memorable and perfectly executed meal from antipasto through dessert. Everything was fan

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Review date:
06/27/2012
Host:
Robert K.
Casual meal for 7
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5 stars and hats off for Chef Heldt. The culinary and event adventure was superb, everything promised and more, and a wonderfully memorable experience. World class and a pleasure to recommend.

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Review date:
06/08/2012
Host:
Kim and ian M.
Four-star dinner party for 12 in San Francisco, CA
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Review date:
05/05/2012
Host:
Patrick H.
Four-star dinner party for 8 in Mountain View, CA
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We had a wonderful dinner with Kelley as he prepared delicious dishes for our foodie dinner. We wanted some good food to go with wine for our party, and Kelley delivered some outstanding food pairings. We even had a seared foie gras appetizer to start with, and finished with an amazing fluffy choco

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Review date:
05/01/2012
Host:
Matt W.
Four-star dinner party for 16 in Palo Alto, CA
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My wife has evolved into a refined foodie with specific tastes and a willingness to explore. For her 40th, we wanted a dinner to remember. Kelley Heldt was fantastic. He listened carefully to her tastes and favorite flavors and then created a custom menu that was unique, memorable, and absolutely

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Review date:
03/25/2012
Host:
Henry T.
Buffet for 7 in San Francisco, CA
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Chef Kelley exceeded our expectations. Even though we contacted him on short notice, he put together a custom menu with stunning variety for our vegetarian dinner party -- he brought colors and flavors and aromas that made an unforgettable experience. He also put in a lot of effort in preparing befor

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Review date:
03/22/2012
Host:
Andrea L.
Buffet for 12 in LOS ALTOS, CA
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Kelley was a professional from start to finish--quick to respond, aware of his timing, a wonderful, well thought-out meal, and he left the kitchen exactly as he found it after. We were sort of on the fence as to whether we wanted a buffet or a sit down, as we only had 12 guests, but he made our buffe

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Review date:
03/04/2012
Host:
Novita A.
Casual meal for 10 in San Francisco , CA
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Great experience overall. Food was great and chef Kelley was very friendly and professional.

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Review date:
02/10/2012
Host:
Cathy V.
Buffet for 20 in San Francisco, CA
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Very responsive and easy to work with, a pleasure to have in the kitchen, and most importantly fantastic food! Our guests came with high expectations and left very impressed... Made hosting a 20 person holiday dinner party felt like a breeze!

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Review date:
01/29/2012
Host:
Carolyn P.
Four-star dinner party for 8 in San Mateo, CA
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Kelley was just amazing and delivered a truly memorable meal and experience for my 40th birthday. We had a smallish dinner party for 8 people and Kelley delivered a truly 5 star experience. He developed a menu that worked with our budget and gave our guests a choice of entree. Those of us who had

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Review date:
12/15/2011
Host:
Gina B.
Casual meal for 14 in Palo Alto, CA
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We had the traditional Hanukkah meal and I called on a Thursday for a Tuesday night party and Kelley was like, "no problem."

Peter, the server, and Kelley showed up at 4pm and were ready as planned by 6:30. The food was amazing and, more importantly to me, when they left at 10pm every dish was do

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Review date:
12/14/2011
Host:
Stacie C.
Four-star dinner party for 22 in Palo Alto, CA
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For my 40th birthday party, I wanted throw an elegant, intimate dinner party with amazing food. We had just come back from Hawaii and Chef Kelley's Asian/Hawaiian-influenced menus were just what we were looking for.

In short, the dinner was wonderful, and more than I could have ever expected.

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Review date:
11/23/2011
Host:
Ayesha M.
Event with Drop-off Food for 9 in san francisco, CA
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Kelley was a real pleasure to work with especially given the 24 notice to pull together a buffet dinner for 9. With very minimal direction he put together a healthy satisfying menu and gave us super clear instructions on best ways to heat, serve and present the food. Our guests were delighted and we'

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Review date:
11/01/2011
Host:
Julie C.
Casual meal for 6 in San Francisco, CA
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Kelley is amazing. If you want to have a dinner that feels both easy and high-end, Kelley is the right man for the job. Everything went off without a hitch and our guests were extremely impressed with the food. Beyond that, Kelley is a dream - I'd invite him over for dinner at my place any time (even

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Review date:
10/19/2011
Host:
Brad S.
Casual meal for 6 in Burlingame, CA
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Our entire mean was fantastic ! After reflection and leftovers, I've decided I to add your bisque of kabocha pumpkin, carrot & persimmon with gingered crème fraiche to my list of what I want as part of my last super :)

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Review date:
10/18/2011
Host:
Cathy V.
Casual meal for 10 in Tahoe City, CA
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We hired Kelley to cater a casual dinner party for a group of friends at a vacation home in Tahoe. Kelley worked with me beforehand to come up with some seasonal menu suggestions and was happy to accommodate our dietary restrictions, tastes, and budget. He featured a lot of fresh, locally sourced, pr

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based on 20 reviews
My culinary résumé
Education
City College of San Francisco, Culinary Arts, Hotel & Restaurant Management, San Francisco, CA
UC Davis, Food Science Extension, Davis, CA
Restaurant Experience
Various: 20 years +, San Francisco Bay Area, Honolulu, Hawaii + Various locations across the U.S., & Canada, Cook, Chef, Chief bottle washer
Helpful notes
My top cuisine specialties
  • Farm-to-Table
  • Chinese
  • Classical French
  • Italian
  • Mediterranean
  • Mexican
  • Moroccan
  • New American
  • Nose to Tail
  • Pan-Asian
  • Pastry
  • Seafood
  • Southeast Asian
  • Spanish
  • Wine Pairings
  • Japanese/Sushi
  • Thai
  • Vietnamese
Diets I can accommodate
  • Diabetic/Low-carb
  • Gluten-free
  • Kosher
  • Nut/Allergen-free
  • Paleo/Primal
  • Raw
  • Vegetarian/Vegan
Travel
Headquarted in Marin County, I am able to serve all Bay Area Counties: From Napa to The Peninsula to the East Bay. With enough notice and planning I am willing to travel further: Tahoe, Carmel and beyond ! For travel further than Bay Area counties I charge an additional day rate of $350. for my time and expenses.