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Chef David Schatzle

Seasonal, California-inspired cooking is my specialty, which means I can cook just about anything. If you can dream it, I want to cook it.

I cook private dinners and weddings, plus breakfasts, lunches and meals to go, right in your kitchen, cabin or event space, with produce from Sierra foothill and Central Valley farms. Tell me what you’re picturing and I’ll bring it to the table.

Start your bookingBook a callCheck my dates
A plated salad with cherries, radish and goat cheese, from one of my dinners

Tell me about your event

Five short chapters so I can cook exactly what you’re picturing, whether it’s a wedding, a dinner, a brunch or meals to go: how to reach you, who is coming, where it happens, what your table loves, and the moment worth building a menu around. It takes about three minutes, and once you send it your date is held for 72 hours.

See a finished example

What I receive Example brief

From
Jordan Ellis (sample), prefers text
Occasion
40th birthday dinner
Date
Saturday, April 17, 2027 (a few options: April 10 or 24)
Guests
12, including 2 kids. Served at 6:30 pm, plated course by course
Place
Vacation rental in Mariposa, full kitchen
Rentals
Tables, chairs and linens. Please include pick-up and delivery in the quote
Palate
Loves lamb and citrus. No cilantro
Allergies
Tree nuts (one guest, severe)
Menu
Salmon and Peaches, swap the peach salad for the strawberry and spinach salad, no nuts
Budget
$150 to $175 per person
The moment
A birthday toast with her sisters, who are driving in from Fresno

What you get back Example reply

Date
April 17, 2027 is held for 3 days. It is secured once the booking fee is paid
Menu
Three plated courses with your swap. The salad is nut-free and I cook that course separately
Food
$145 per person, $1,740 for 12 guests
Booking fee
$313.20, 18% of food, non-refundable, separate from food
Rentals
Pick-up and delivery for your rentals is an additional fee, listed on the quote
Included
A laminated copy of your menu and a personal note from me

    Your date is held for 3 days. When you send this, I hold the date you requested for 3 days while we talk through the menu. Your date is secured once the 18% booking fee is paid. If the fee isn’t paid within 3 days, I’ll send you one final text, and if someone else has asked for the same day, the date then goes to the next person in line.

    Your answers come straight to me. This is a planning brief, not a payment, and I always confirm allergies with you directly.

    How I cook for you

    I plan every meal around your guests, whether it’s one dinner, a weekend of breakfasts and lunches, or a week of meals ready to heat at home.

    Private dinners

    Dinner at your table, cooked the way you picture it: plated courses or family style, two courses or five.

    Breakfast and brunch

    Morning meals for cabin weekends, family gatherings and events. I cook them fresh at your place and plate every dish.

    Lunches

    Light, seasonal lunches for small groups, retreats and work gatherings, cooked on site.

    Meals to go

    Meals I cook and package for pick-up or delivery, so you can heat and eat at home or at the cabin. Ask for a menu and price for your week.

    Weddings and rehearsal dinners

    I cook wedding dinners, rehearsal dinners and intimate celebrations, plated or family style, including cabin gatherings of 25 and up.

    Wine pairings

    A good pour is part of a good meal. I’ll suggest a wine for each course at no charge, and you only pay for the bottles. Want the full experience? I’ll connect you with Travis at The Local Grape in Mariposa, who knows Sierra Foothills wines inside and out, for a sommelier pairing at an added cost. Just check the box on your questionnaire.

    From the Sierra foothillsLocal farms and purveyors

    I source produce, dairy, meat and seafood from farms and purveyors within about 100 miles of Oakhurst and Mariposa, or of Merced and Modesto. Partners I cook from often: Mariposa Creamery · Farm at Worman Mill · R&R Farms · Raw Root Farms · Schatzle Farm · Sierra Seafood.

    My calendar

    Struck-through dates are booked. Gold striped dates are pending: someone just started booking and has a 72-hour hold. You can still request one and I’ll put you next in line. Tap a date and it fills in your questionnaire. A date is secured once your booking fee is paid, so popular weekends go quickly.

    Where my guests come from

    Every client who books me is trusting me with a moment that matters to them, whether it’s a wedding, a birthday or a quiet dinner at home. I don’t take that lightly. I love looking at this map and seeing how far people have traveled to sit at my table, from right here in Mariposa all the way to Melbourne. Thank you for finding me.

    — Chef David

    Loading my calendar

    Don't see a date that works? Tell me anyway, because plans change and I can often make room.

    Build your event

    Tap dishes to add them from the 100-plus I’ve cooked. Menus start at $125 per person. Premium meats and seafood, handmade items, and more or more complex dishes raise the price. Larger parties pay less per person. Text me your picks and I’ll confirm what’s in season.

    Rentals and vendors

    Food is one piece of the day. These Fresno-area directories can help you find photographers and rentals for the rest of it.

    Party rentals: I can arrange pick-up and delivery of your rentals for an additional fee. Travel: events outside the Mariposa and Oakhurst area include a travel fee based on distance. Both appear on your quote, so there are no surprises.

    Let’s find your date

    Call, text or email me with your date, guest count and any allergies, or book a quick call by phone or video. I’ll confirm availability and send you a quote.

    Book a callCall or text 559-676-5137Email me

    About me

    Chef David Schatzle in his sunglasses at Disneyland

    I’ve been working in kitchens since I was 17. My first job sparked a love for pizza and the Food Network classics playing at the restaurant and at home. My love of cooking started earlier, with my grandma Anita and the women in my family who shared their traditions and love through food.

    I worked my way up through fine dining kitchens to executive chef, and after our youngest was born, I built something of my own. Since 2023, I’ve been cooking private dinners, weddings, breakfasts, lunches, and meals to go, building menus around what local farms have in season.

    Before you book, we’ll talk through the details. I’m transparent about menu costs, what the booking fee covers, and how the day will come together, so you know exactly what to expect and feel confident booking.

    My wife and our two boys are my greatest inspirations. We’re raising our family here in the mountains, surrounded by local ingredients, beautiful landscapes, and a community that keeps shaping the way I cook.

    For me, cooking is something I feel called to share. The food is always at the heart of it, but there’s magic in watching everything come together: the setting, the people, and the moments around the table. Being part of someone’s wedding or celebration, and helping create memories that last long after the last bite, is one of the greatest privileges of what I do. And when the evening winds down, I hope the stories keep getting told and the food is still the talk of the table.

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    Get a seat at my table first

    My list is where the good stuff goes first: pop-up nights, kitchen secrets and early seats at local wine dinners. A few emails a season, never spam. Stick around a little while and something extra special lands in your inbox.

    Pop-up nightsOne-night-only menus, like a sushi night, cooked in a home kitchen near you. Seats go to my list before anyone else.
    Wine dinnersEarly access to the dinners I cook with Travis at The Local Grape in Mariposa. I’ve cooked them before, and they fill fast.
    Kitchen secretsThe little things that make a dish, like what really makes my beef Wellington. The stuff I usually only tell the cooks beside me.
    First dibs on datesWhen a weekend opens up, my list hears about it first.