Tell us what you need
A date, a number of people, where you are, and what kind of food you are after. If you know the dish, name it. If you only know it should be Nigerian and there should be a lot of it, that is enough to start.
Get matched with a verified chef
We put your request in front of chefs who cook that food and can reach you on that date. Every one of them has already cleared identity, food hygiene, allergen and insurance checks — the checks are listed here. You see their menu and their price before you commit to anything.
Agree the menu, then pay into escrow
You and the chef settle the dishes, portions and any allergies in the message thread, so there is a written record of what was agreed. When you are happy, you pay — the food price, plus a 5% service fee, plus delivery if the chef is cooking off-site.
That payment goes into escrow. We hold it. The chef can see the booking is funded and start shopping; they cannot touch the money.
The chef cooks
Depending on what you booked, the chef either cooks in their own registered kitchen and the food is delivered to you, or they cook in yours. Either way you can message them and follow the order in the app or on the site.
You confirm — then the chef is paid
After the meal arrives you confirm it. That release is what pays the chef. If the food never turned up, or it was not what you agreed, you raise it instead and we still hold every penny while we sort it out.
You are not chasing a refund from a stranger. You are asking us not to pay one out. Those are very different positions to be in, and it is the single biggest reason this platform exists.
What the chef brings, and what you provide
For a delivered booking: the chef brings everything. Ingredients, equipment, their own kitchen. You provide an address and someone to open the door.
For a booking in your kitchen: the chef brings the ingredients and their knives. You provide a working hob and oven, running water, bin space, and whatever serving dishes you want the food to come to the table in. Agree the specifics in the thread before you pay — kitchens vary enormously and it is better found out on Tuesday than on Saturday.
Allergies and dietary needs
Put them in writing in the message thread, every time, even if you have booked the same chef before. Every Cook4Me chef has completed allergen awareness training as a condition of being listed, but training is not telepathy — the chef has to be told.
If an allergy is severe, say so plainly and say what the consequence is. A chef who cannot safely guarantee it in their kitchen can decline, which is the correct outcome.
If something goes wrong
Cancelling, late food, a chef who pulls out, food that was not what you ordered — all of it is covered in the Refund & Cancellation Policy, including the exact refund you get at each notice period. The short version: cancel more than seven days out and you get everything back; the closer to the date, the more of the chef’s sunk costs you cover.
If a chef cancels on you, you are refunded in full regardless of when it happens.
Ready when you are
Tell us the date and the number of people. You will not pay anything until you have seen a menu and a price.