Why We Built Kootto: From Surf Sessions to Australia's Private Chef Marketplace

The Problem We Kept Seeing

Ian's a professional chef, and for years he'd tell me about how different the private chef scene was here compared to France. Back home, booking a private chef was simple, browse menus, pick what you like, book, done. But in Australia? He watched friends and potential clients struggle through endless back-and-forth emails, vague pricing, and the dreaded "we'll send you some menu options" black hole where you'd get flooded with 10 different proposals days later.

After nearly every surf session we shared together, Ian would ask me to build a private chef platform. Again. And again. For years.

The Turning Point

Then COVID hit. March 2020, I got laid off from my software engineering job. Suddenly, I had two things I hadn't had in years: time and motivation to take a risk.

Ian and I spent that autumn doing two things: surfing together at sunrise, and analysing every private chef platform we could find. Between sessions at Burleigh, we'd grab coffee and tear apart the user experience of our competitors.

What we discovered:

• Most platforms made you start a quote request before seeing any menus, why?
• Pricing was hidden or vague ("from $X per person" tells you nothing)
• Customers couldn't customise menus like they would in a restaurant
• Chefs were drowning in admin instead of cooking

Our First Validation

Before writing a single line of code, we tested the concept. Ian cooked for groups of our friends, small dinner parties where we could watch how people interacted with a private chef.

The results blew us away. Not just the food (Ian's seared barramundi is ridiculous), but the connection. Our friends spent as much time asking Ian about his techniques, where he sourced ingredients, and how he developed recipes as they did actually eating. One couple learned to make béarnaise sauce right there in their kitchen while Ian prepped the mains.

That's when it clicked: the chef experience is as valuable as the meal itself.

What We Built Differently

After watching our competitors, talking to chefs, and hosting those test dinners, we made three key decisions:

• Show menus upfront, no more quote request → wait 3 days → get spammed with 10 menus. Browse chef profiles and see exactly what they cook from day one.
• Let customers build flexibility into their event, want to see pricing for both a 4-course and 6-course option? Want to swap the beef for lamb? We built it like a restaurant menu, you should be able to see your options and make choices based on your budget.
• Handle everything for the chef, payment processing, booking management, menu templates, customer communications. We wanted chefs to focus on what they do best, cooking, not chasing invoices or managing spreadsheets.

The Market Behind the Movement

When we started analysing the market in 2020, the numbers validated everything we were feeling. The Australian personal chef services market generated $276.5 million USD in revenue in 2024, and is projected to reach $460.8 million USD by 2030, a robust 9.1% annual growth rate.

International cuisine leads the market at 38.9% of revenue, while special diets, vegan, gluten-free, health-focused menus, is the fastest-growing segment. This reflects what we've seen firsthand: more families, couples, and corporate clients choosing the personalisation of private chef experiences over traditional restaurant dining.

Where We Are Today

What started as two French guys surfing and solving a problem has become Australia's private chef marketplace. We're live across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast, and growing.

Every time we see a review that mentions "loved chatting with the chef" or "the whole process was so easy," we remember those first dinner parties at our friends' places. That's what we're building for.

If you're new to the world of private dining, you might be wondering what is a private chef exactly? We've put together a full guide to help you get started.

Keep Reading

Next: What Is a Private Chef and Do You Need One?