Chef Eric James

We hired Chef Eric and his team at Culinary Misfits to take care of the catering for our dinner party of 10. This was the first time i've hired a catering service to come in for a party because I usually like to cook. However after doing that for several years I realized I was missing out on a lot of the fun and conversations with my guests.Chef Eric and his team showed up about an hour early professionally dressed of course and unpacked their gear to prep everything and chat . We had opted to have an extra staff member come with him and she took care of serving, pouring drinks etc. which was invaluable I would highly suggest doing this as she walked around with Hors D'oeuvre and was such a delight to the ambiance. All of the food was incredible as one might expect, steak, fish, salads, polenta cakes and much more was perfect. Dessert was SERIOULSLY good - the Carmel Budino (photo attached). Aside from the delicious food and wonderful service we appreciated the extra mile the team went to completely clean everything and put the kitchen back to exactly as it was, they even swept the floor. I couldn't believe it.I highly recommend any menu from them and i'll definitely be using Culinary Misfits again in the near future.The icing on the cake was not only did they prepare, plate and serve everything but he memorialized the event by making a cool TikTok video which I am SO HAPPY ABOUT! Give him a follow on TikTok! https://www.tiktok.com/@culinarymisfits/video/7190437522856529198

Chef Eric/Culinary Misfits was amazing to work with. I am a corporate event planner (@joltevents) and hired Eric for a 28 person private residence dinner. He was so easy to work with, professional, personable, and the food was superb. Highly recommend and hope to get to work with him again in the near future.

Yup, what you're reading in all these reviews is true. Chef Eric is a master at his craft, and created 3 delicious meals back-to-back for our multi-day corporate team event of 22 people with extremely specific dietary restrictions and preferences. But don't think of him as just your catering vendor - as soon as you contact him, you'll realize that Chef Eric is a wonderful soul, passionate about feeding people and providing a good atmosphere, professional yet creative and flexible in his approach. Below are a few more reasons why we're 100% happy clients of Culinary Misfits:- Quick response and easy communication via text and email- Transparent pricing and easy online payment system- Photo booth and birthday cupcake tower add-on were a hit- Intuitive adjustments to portions and menus once he got to know our group- Since none of us are local to Austin, he volunteered to take our unused supplies, unopened snacks, and leftovers to a local shelter on the last day so they wouldn't go to wasteThank you for being a huge part of making our corporate event a success.

My fiancé and I was planning an intimate wedding dinner for ~45 guests at a local boutique hotel and we found Chef Eric after a lot of search on private chef. Out of all of the chefs we contacted, Chef Eric was the most responsive, friendly, and helpful in guiding us through what the menu and pricing would look like for the event. Even right up to the special event Chef Eric remained super attentive, patience, and accommodating to any of our questions and requests. Overall, we're so glad to entrust the important task of keeping our guests full and satisfied to Chef Eric because that's one of the highlights of the event that our family and friends keep gushing about--the food. From the small bite size appetizers (e.g., Tuscan Meatballs, Polenta Cakes) to the Caesar Salad, and the main courses (e.g., Chimichurri Roasted Chicken) everything was absolutely delish! My vegan friends also raved about his special vegan-friendly creations and were very appreciative of leaving the event with a very full and happy belly. On top of the great food, Chef Eric was quite generous in letting us borrow his portable photo booth at the event, which made the event extra special. Overall, Chef Eric is a culinary wizard and you will not regret in booking him to feed you and your guests for any special occasions. Thanks again, Chef!

I wanted to say "hello" to my last year in my 30's with something I REALLY like: eating food. So, I decided to host a birthday feast. To me there's nothing better than sharing a meal with friends. Unless that's sharing a meal I DIDN'T have to cook or clean up after. Chef Eric is a personal chef without the hefty price tag. (I didn't want to start my new year by adding to my student loan debt.) He made the meal memorable, deliciously perfect, and within my price range. AND his crew did the serving AND the cleaning. WIN TRIPLE WIN WIN WIN! The kitchen in the hotel apartment rental I rented wasn't the most modern, but Chef Eric excelled at overcoming this obstacle.The other hurdle that the hotel allowed for only 6 guests in a room. I had 17. We had to host in the first-floor event room. Chef Eric and his team navigated cooking on the 16th floor (where my hotel room was located) and then bringing down the food down to the 1st-floor event room. Even though it had a long journey, the food still looked stunning, was still hot and tasted delicious. Instead of looking beleaguered and haggard by this very major inconvenience, Chef Eric's wonderful servers still looked beautiful and were graceful, tasteful and fun as well (Bless them!) I don't know if I'd have been able to muster that much grace and provide superb service with a smile if I were in their shoes.)The steak was cooked perfectly and people wanted to take shots of the oh-my-gawd sooo good chimichurri. I was skeptical about squash as a side that Chef Eric suggested to compliment my steak selection, but it was deliciously prepared with no hint of squashiee-ness that squash often has when cooked (i.e. microwaved) at restaurants. And don't even get me started on how delicious that key lime pie was! It was served in a cute round jar and I wanted to lick the jar to get all of its goodness. I probably could have gotten away with that social faux pas since I was the birthday girl, but alas, I declined the temptation. Unfortunately, I had six people who couldn't attend because of unforeseen circumstances and Chef Eric boxed up the leftovers for me to enjoy. He even heated up some of them for a couple of hungry guests that showed up for the "after-party" in the hotel room. Chef Eric's waiters helped set up the rentals (dishes, silverware, linen and tables) and when the dinner was over, food was swiped from the linens, linens were folded neatly, the rental dishes were cleaned and stacked back nicely into the creates. When I entered back into the hotel room, the kitchen was spotless and sparkling. I enjoyed not having to clean after the party so I could enjoy my guests that stayed for the after-party. What a perfect way to celebrate the start of the last year in my 30's! Thank you, Chef Eric, and crew!I will definitely be calling upon you again for future dinner parties. And next time, I'll book a space where you don't have to travel up and down 16 floors.

I cannot recommend Chef Eric enough! The food, service, and experience all exceeded my expectations. His mix of professionalism and personality make for an unforgettable event. I can't wait for my next work, family, or social event so that I can enjoy his amazing food again. Board dinner, baby shower, private dinner (birthday, bachelor/ette) 10/10.

Chef Eric hooked us UP. We were a bachelorette party and he came and cooked for us and was extremely professional, fun, and kind! Food was absolutely incredible.

Chef Eric James is a wonderful chef. He was our private chef for my friend's bachelorette getaway. The food was incredible! Chef Eric was easy to work with and fun to talk to. Thank you for making our event fun, delicious and memorable.

Chef Eric's steaks are a mouth watering. I am not a big fan of steak but his process Sous Vide of encapsulating flavour and juices has really made me a fan of steak again. His presentation, warmth and humor was just the cherry on top of a wonderful private chef experience. Put this on your bucket list you have to spurge at least one for that special occasion.

"We contacted Chef Eric James in September to request his service for a dinner party for 12 guests at our home. From this first contact through the event itself, it was an absolute pleasure to interact with Chef Eric.He is extremely knowledgeable and professional in all areas. He was always prompt in responding to our inquiries. He worked with us in detail regarding menu item selection, providing his expert advice to optimize our choices. He and his supporting staff of two helpers arrived on time. The helpers provided excellent table service with style, grace, and professionalism. Chef Eric prepared the food in our kitchen and came to the table to describe each menu item in detail as it was being served. The food was delicious, beautifully presented, and expertly served. We and our guests immensely enjoyed this fine dining as well as fun experience.Chef Eric and his staff handled all the kitchen equipment, dishes, glasses, utensils, etc., returning our kitchen to the way they found it.We were very pleased and impressed with Chef Eric and his staff. We have contracted for his services again for a holiday party in our home.