Eat Well Tampa  · Chef John Baldesmo

Private chef for homes that gather around the table.

Scratch cooking from Florida farms and Gulf waters, run with restaurant-level discipline. Weekly family meals, dinner parties, wellness programs and full household food management.

Tampa Bay, FLAvailable for travel & seasonal residencesBackground check & NDA ready
The Story Dish
“Tell me the meal you miss most. That’s where we start.”

Every household I cook for gets one dish from their own story: the Sunday sauce, the birthday cake, the soup someone made when you were sick. I recreate it the way you remember it, down to the details you didn’t know you remembered.

It’s the most useful conversation I have with a new family. It tells me how you like to eat, what comfort tastes like in your home, and what the table means to you. Everything I cook after that is built on it.

That idea is at the heart of every Eat Well Tampa household: every meal has a memory, and every guest at the table has a story worth cooking for.

Services

Four ways to work together

For a single evening, a standing weekly program, or a full-time role inside your household.

Weekly Meal Program

Families

A week of dinners, lunches and snacks cooked in your kitchen, labeled and stocked so the fridge simply works.

  • Menus planned around your schedule and goals
  • Shopping, sourcing and pantry restock included
  • Kitchen left cleaner than I found it
From $450 per cook day + groceries

Dinner Parties & Events

Entertaining

Plated or family-style dinners, holidays and celebrations, handled from menu tasting to the last dish washed.

  • Custom menu with a pre-event consult
  • Service staff and rentals coordinated
  • Wine and beverage pairing on request
From $125 per guest

Wellness Programs

Health goals

Food that follows a protocol without tasting like one. I work alongside your physician, nutritionist or trainer.

  • Anti-inflammatory, low-sugar or high-protein plans
  • Macro and ingredient tracking when needed
  • Allergen-safe prep and labeling
From $600 per week + groceries

Residence & Estate Chef

Full-time

A dedicated chef who runs the household food program: daily meals, staff meals, entertaining, budget and inventory.

  • Full-time placement or seasonal residence
  • Vendor relationships and food budget managed
  • Travel with the family on request
Salary or seasonal contract · quoted on inquiry
How It Works

From first call to first dinner

  1. Consultation

    A conversation about your household, schedule, dietary needs, and the dish from your story.

  2. Tasting

    I cook a short tasting in your kitchen so you can taste the direction before committing.

  3. Proposal

    A written plan with menus, service days, grocery budget and rates. No surprises later.

  4. First service

    Groceries sourced, meals cooked and labeled, and a weekly check-in to keep refining.

About John

A chef who can also run the kitchen

For more than ten years I’ve led kitchens as a chef-operator, general manager and culinary director: writing menus, sourcing from local farms, opening new units and building teams that hold a standard.

Most private chefs can cook. Fewer can run a full food program. I bring the systems behind a restaurant into the home: sourcing, budgets, inventory, food safety and documentation, so your household never has to manage any of it.

Experience
  • Chef & HostEat Well Tampa · private dining, meal programs & community food events
  • Culinary DirectorNatural market & eatery, Downtown Tampa · café, scratch food line, meal prep & catering
  • Operations ManagerHampton Chocolate Factory
  • Chef Operator & General ManagerNaked Farmer Group · farm-to-table, seasonal menus
  • Operations Assistant ManagerMCCS

Dietary fluency

Gluten-freeDairy-freeAllergen-aware prep Plant-based & veganAnti-inflammatoryLow-sugar High-protein & performancePhysician-guided protocolsKid-friendly
AAS, Culinary ArtsCulinary Institute of Virginia
BS, Business AdministrationJohnson & Wales University
Background check & NDA readyReferences available on request
Inquire

Let’s talk about your table

Tell me a little about your household or event. I reply within one business day.

Opens your email app with your inquiry filled in.