• Private Chef James Chicago
  • Asian
  • French
  • Italian
  • Mediterranean
  • Modern American

Signature dish:  

Crab and avocado canneloni

About Me

Hello,
I am Chef James Bellicchi. I love to cook and am in my element when in the kitchen preparing great food! I have 20+ years of professional experience mainly in NYC, London, Miami, Boston and Northern California. I have worked under some very talented chefs in my career and their influence can be seen in my food. Tom Collichio (Craft/Top Chef) The Roux Brothers (Le Gavroche London UK) Hiro Sone (Terra Napa Valley) Todd English (Olives Boston) Are some of the chefs that I have studied under. I am comfortable preparing most cuisines, and look forward to working with you in making your food just the way you want it.

Recent Menus

Reviews - click review to see menu (24)

  • Our team hired Chef James to cook for our clients, a family of 12 people, to be a closing gift for their new home. They enjoyed the meal so much and had very high accolades for the Chef, the food, and the whole experience. They have already voiced they will invite him back! Thank you Chef James!

    • Worked on October 24, 2024
  • Chef James did an AMAZING job with my vegan dinner party. The food was excellent, and his great communication leading up to the event made this a wonderful experience for my business meeting dinner.

    • Worked on March 14, 2022
  • Chef James was simply incredible. The food was delicious. He was prompt and professional. Most of all he really created an amazing experience for my fiancée and I on Valentine's Day. My only criticism is that there wasn't more food because I was craving it the day after. I would recommend him to absolutely anyone.

    • Worked on February 14, 2021
  • Chef James was a pleasure to work with. He reached out to coordinate menu details in advance, gave me a suggestion for saki, showed up on time, was friendly and courteous and, most importantly, is a fantastic cook! This was a surprise celebration for my husband’s birthday and he loved it! The dishes were all wonderful although my favorite was the squash soup. The dishes were beautifully plated, the flavors were intriguing without being overwhelming and everything fit together beautifully. Would highly recommend his services to anyone looking for a memorable way of celebrating a special occasion.

    • Worked on February 13, 2021
  • Chef James did an AMAZING job for my husbands 50th bday dinner! We had a lot of changes and dietary preferences and he nailed all of it! My in laws were in attendance who were blown away by the quality of the meal and the presentation as well as Chef James’ talents! We would book him again in a heart beat!

    • Worked on March 4, 2021
  • Chef James gave my friends and me the most delightful dining experience from start to finish. He singlehandedly cooked, plated, served, and cleaned everything. He was attentive and took time to explain the food and answer our questions. His plating is gorgeous, and the food is even tastier than it looks. Extremely impressive. He did a perfect job delivering a special experience that left my friends buzzing about when we can find an occasion to celebrate like this again. The six of us debated which of his courses we loved the most--a debate that resumed the next morning over text message. But, since I get to write this review, my vote is for the ricotta agnolotti. Thanks, Chef James!!!

    • Worked on October 17, 2020
  • We had a surprise 60th Anniversary dinner for my parents and Chef James worked with us and created an amazing dining experience. His tomato shot/ amuse Bouche was a unique starter and his agnolotti with black truffle was divine! The steak was tender and well seasoned and the butter poached lobster was just perfect. What a memorable experience!

    • Worked on September 19, 2020
  • Chef James is amazing. He served a six course meal that was mind blowing. Every dish just seemed to be better than the previous one. I highly recommend him!

    • Worked on September 5, 2020
  • Fabulous meal in our home with Chef James! We celebrated our 22nd anniversary with our family of four. The multicourse dinner was spectacular. Watching him plate the meals was the highlight. Such an expert! We will have him again.

    • Worked on June 12, 2020
  • Chef James was AMAZING in preparing a delicious meal for my friends surprise 50th birthday! He was able to accommodate a group of 9 with a few picky eaters and dietary restrictions flawlessly while providing exceptional food! Not only was the food amazing, he spoke to the group about the dishes and tools that he used to prepare the meal and was just generally a joy to work with and have present at our dinner party. He ensured each dish was a treat to the eyes and palate and at the end of the evening took care of the dishes and clean up so there was nothing to do but enjoy the company of good friends. I cannot recommend him enough and will be hiring him again in the future! He provided so much more than just a personal chef experience!

    • Worked on February 22, 2020
  • Chef James was not only a great chef but a fun person to chat with as well!

    He shared a sample menu to get us started, and with one quick revision we had the perfect meal planned for our party. He was also great about accommodating our vegetarian guest and a last minute change in attendees.

    I look forward to working with Chef James again in the future and highly recommend others give him a shot!

    • Worked on October 30, 2019
  • We are four wine loving friends who asked Chef James to prepare a menu based on some special bottles we wanted to drink together. The experience was everything we had hoped it would be. Chef had everything under control from the moment he arrived and was super friendly as well. The food was outstanding - such flavor! And the presentations were colorful and original. And most importantly- the food went perfectly with the wine! What a special night - thank you!

    • Worked on November 9, 2019
  • It took James a while to get to our house but once he got going, he didn't disappoint. The food was absolutely outstanding. He was personable and great with our clients/guests for this special dinner. I'll absolutely invite him back for another event in the future.

    • Worked on October 17, 2019
  • James was amazing! We were in the process of moving that day and things were hectic.. he arrived on time (even though we were late), and was so flexible about waiting until my boyfriend arrives from the old house. We had nothing unpacked, just a brand new kitchen we wanted him to cook something fabulous in. Not only did James bring all his own cookware, but also brought dishes & silverware!! He been brought 2 chairs for us to sit at the counter as we watched him cook and dined (and then he let us keep them for a week, until ours arrives).

    And I haven’t even started on the food. He served us so many amazing dishes, everything was perfectly prepared and presented. We had such a great time talking to James and enjoying the food.

    We will have James back. He’s fantastic and had such a great vibe.

    • Worked on August 30, 2019
  • Chef James was phenomenal! I am almost two years late with this review because I had just had a baby when we invited Chef James to prepare a meal for my husband’s birthday. He was so easy to work with, punctual, clean, and the food was fantastic!!!! I would definitely love to work with him again!

    • Worked on August 19, 2019
  • Chef James was great! His food was extremely tasty and his service was excellent. Super personable as well. We will definitely be using him again.

    • Worked on April 19, 2019
  • Chef James cooked st valentine dinner for me and my wife. He was a fantabulous experience, chef James is kind available and in no time he understood what I was looking for. The food was absolutely fantastic . We are talking Michelin starred type of food. I am serious I was born and raised in Italy so UK know very well what good food is and how it s made. Therefore Chef James from table at home highly highly reccomended.
    Eduardo and Marina

    • Worked on February 14, 2019
  • Chef James arrived before time and was an absolute pleasure to work with. His food looked and tasted great. I would highly recommend him again. I do have some feedback about the system: the site is tedious and doesn’t load as fast as it should and neither is it very intuitive to work. An app is recommended to connect with chefs. Even the pricing I had put in didn’t really translate into my required budget. I would recommend your services too but it needs to be made more user and chef friendly.

    • Worked on March 9, 2019
  • For a first time experience, Chef James exceeded all expectations from start to finish. I am a definite foodie in Chicago, and was hosting an end of year dinner for my team of 12 at my home. I wanted to provide the team with a high end experience, but make sure that the food was approachable for those who were not as "food adventurous". Chef James and I worked together to refine the menu, and discuss the plans for the evening. Once on site, he was great to talk with, and added an extra element to the night by having discussions with several members of the team on the techniques he was using in the kitchen. The food was incredible, and definitely rivaled anything I could have planned at a high end restaurant. I definitely would love to work with James again in the future and would highly recommend others do as well.

    • Worked on December 13, 2018
  • Chef James and his food were amazing!!! I highly recommend. We had chef James out to prepare a 5 course meal for a 15 person dinner party for my wife’s 30th Birthday. The food was amazing and had rave reviews from all 15 guests. To give you an idea we all voted on what we felt the best course was at the end of the meal and the votes were spread across the 5 course. Everyone had a hard time picking one over the other. My wife’s was the Autumn Squash soup and mine was the roasted Halibut with homemade gnocchi. Not only was the food great but so was the presentation of each dish. You can tell Chef James loves to cook and truly cares about the people he is preparing for. James arrived on time with everything he needed to get to work. James interacted with us (which is what we wanted) while cooking, servering each course, and even when he was cleaning up. Overall this was a great experience and I would highly recommend James to anyone looking for a chef.

    • Worked on November 10, 2018
  • Great service... food was very tasty... would definitely recommend

    • Worked on September 14, 2018
  • Chef James was a pleasure to work! He made our dinner extra special from beginning to end for eight. He didn't mind us watching and asking questions and it was so much fun to see and learn about behind the scene preparations that chefs have to do. His plated presentations were colorful and full of flavor. I can only dream of him cooking for me everyday and will definitely find a reason to have him back in my kitchen again.

    • Worked on September 27, 2018
  • The food James prepared was delicious. Everyone loved. It. The presentation was great as well. He was also punctual, personable, and cleaned everything up.

    • Worked on December 31, 2018
  • Chef James was prompt and got right to work. His service was second to none. Chef James set the table as if we were at a 5 star restaurant. He utilized so many of our dishes that I had forgotten we even owned them. Each of the 3 courses were beautifully plated and tasted amazing! He had great attention to detail and made sure our wine glasses were never empty. Chef James was personable and very accommodating. He left the kitchen spotless when the meal was done. It was a wonderful experience because of Chef James.

    • Worked on September 7, 2018