La Cucina di Val e John
Private Chefs · Maui
Italian at heart, cooked in the house you are staying in.
We shop, we cook, we clean — you and your guests enjoy
5.0 on Google · 155 reviews5.0 on Google · 155
I Cuochi
Meet Your Chefs
Val was born in Italy — 100% Italian — and moved to Maui, where she and John raised their two children.
John has been cooking since the 1980s, and built his career at the Marriott in Lahaina.
They have cooked together as Val and John since 2012.
La Cucina
What We Do
Every menu is written for the people sitting down to it. Authentic Italian is Val's specialty, and between the two of us the table can go anywhere — island plates, surf and turf, the fresh catch, or a night that has nothing to do with any of it.
Authentic Italian is the specialty. The rest of the table travels.
Any meal of the day, in the home you are staying in.
All dietary preferences and restrictions are welcome. Please note: cross-contamination is possible.
I Servizi
Signature Service
Nothing here is a fixed package. Each one starts with a conversation about your table.
01
Dinner in the home you are staying in — your kitchen, your table, your evening. We build the menu with you, cook it there, and leave the kitchen the way we found it.
02
Weddings, celebrations and events, cooked on site. We cater parties of up to 100 guests, and the menu is built around the occasion rather than a fixed package.
03
For families and groups taking a house for several days or the whole week: your chefs for the stay. Meals planned with you, shopped for, cooked, and cleaned up after.
Prenota Diretto
Book Direct
The menu is custom, the add-ons are ours, and there is no booking-platform markup on top of the food.
Not a fixed package. You tell us the occasion and what nobody can eat, and the menu is written before we shop.
Extra days, a cooking class, a beach dinner or a dessert buffet — added straight to your booking.
Booking direct with Val and John means no booking-platform fee on top of the food.
I Menù
Our Most Popular Menus
These are the menus Val and John cook most often. Pick one, mix two, or build something else entirely.
Nozze e Feste
Weddings & Events
Weddings, celebrations and events, cooked on site — we have cooked at the chapel in Kapalua a few times. For big parties we bring the tables, chairs, chafing dishes and even a wedding arch. Shea C. put it plainly after her Kihei wedding: “Val and Johnny did an amazing job at my wedding!”
I Cuochi
The Chefs
Val was born in Italy — 100% Italian — and moved to Maui, where she and John raised their two children.
John has been cooking since the 1980s, and built his career at the Marriott in Lahaina.
They have cooked together as Val and John since 2012.
In order to cook well, you need time and you need to put passion into everything. From the most simple to the most complex recipe, this has a big meaning to us and this is what we want to teach to our children, simply because they are the ones that push us everyday to grow and improve ourselves.
Living in Hawaii, we like to utilize the abundance of local food and we always choose the best and freshest seasonal products available on the market. Here on Maui, we go straight to the fisherman to get the fresh catch of the day!
Eating well doesn't just mean eating good food, but it's a bigger concept that includes hospitality and know-how that you can't explain with words, but you have to experience it.
We shop, we cook, we clean — you and your guests enjoy
Val and John
Le Recensioni
Guest Reviews
Every quote below is a real guest review, reproduced word for word.
Val and Johnny did an amazing job at my wedding!
Val and Johnny did an amazing job at my wedding! We did the Hawaiian buffet and everything was to die for, it was perfect for my out of town guest to try Hawaiian style food. Everyone loved it! I can't say enough good things about them, they cooked an amazing dinner for us, cleaned and it was all very affordable! Thank you for making my wedding a success because the food is one of the most important things to us! I will use them for all my catering needs!
What a delightful couple, what a delicious 5 course meal.
Just experienced a private dinner for 6 courtesy of Val and John! What a delightful couple, what a delicious 5 course meal, and what a pleasure to just sit back and have them, prepare, serve and clean up. In addition to all this it was truly affordable, and we had leftovers for another meal! Both Val and John are Italian, with Val being a native from Milano and each have rich stories of their lives and experiences. One in our group was celebrating his birthday and this dinner was planned as a surprise. Val and John were eager to participate in the surprise including wearing masquerade masks when they came to the door. What fun!
John and Valeria were a highlight of our trip to Maui!
John and Valeria were a highlight of our trip to Maui! They are a delight to have in your home. Their food is delicious, deceptively healthy and creative. They were able to accommodate my numerous food allergies in a gracious and inventive way that had me eagerly looking forward to dinner each night, especially Valeria's decadent desserts!
Valeria's Porcini Mushroom Risotto was absolutely sublime.
Personalized service, wonderful personalities, can't say enough good things about this couple. Once in a while you encounter a dish that transports you to another place: Valeria's Porcini Mushroom Risotto was absolutely sublime. The texture was perfect, the rich earthiness and depth of flavor was incredible. It was a good thing it was served next to a strong main, in our case wild Alaskan salmon, because this side could have easily outshined a less worthy entree. Can't wait to book again and wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone visiting Maui. Every bit as good as Maui's top restaurants, right in your rental.
No better people than John & Val. Unbelievable food.
No better people than John & Val. Unbelievable food. Requests accepted. I'm leaving Maui with a full stomach & a smile. Wish I could hire them to come home with me. Mahalo!
Their pad thai and poke are out of this world.
Delicious food and even better people. Their pad thai and poke are out of this world in particular, but all food was tremendous. Highly recommend.
We highly recommend them no matter your dietary restrictions.
John & Valeria cooked us a delicious meal and were able to accommodate our vegan diet. We highly recommend them no matter your dietary restrictions. Thanks so much!
I found the ingredients fresh and everything made from scratch.
It didn't occur to me to take pics of the food until it was almost gone but... great lasagna Johnny. Thank you for accommodating us at the last minute for Chinese New Year! It was you or the Pizza Company and I think we made the right decision. I found the ingredients fresh and everything made from scratch. Thanks again.
Sumptuous tacos and pumpkin gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce.
I had a barbeque catered by Valeria and Johnny and it was beyond excellent! They are amazing cooks and made sumptuous tacos and pumpkin gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce. I am definitely going to hire them for the next catering event in Lahaina. I also really liked their personalities and their strong desire to please guests. I highly recommend this catering business!
Restaurant quality foods prepared in your home.
While here for our 25th wedding anniversary celebration, we decided to hire a chef for two dinners at our rental home. Valeria and John came fully prepared with foods prepped and ready to cook. Lovely fresh appetizers (bruschetta, seared ahi, roasted pepper with parmigiana, poke) started our meals. Dinner was a sformato di verdure (vegetable, potato, cheeses layered) and fresh fish the first night, and steak/chicken with Caesar salad and mashed potatoes with truffle oil the second. Wonderful flavors, super fresh, and savory foods. Valeria and John were super friendly and informative about Maui, and their services were much more affordable than comparable home chefs. I highly recommend you try them if you are looking for restaurant quality foods prepared in your home.
They will build a personal menu for you and your family.
John and Val were professional and well priced for the service offered. They will build a personal menu for you and your family, shop and deliver the most delicious and healthy food. They are both wonderful and friendly people, and were a highlight for my family and I on Maui. Being from Sydney Australia where our food standards are high and these guys delivered. Mahalo — Lara
La Galleria
From the Kitchen
Plates and tables from Val and John's kitchen and events.
Cioccolato Amore
Val's Chocolate Salami
Cioccolato Amore is Val's own chocolate salami, made with 72% Belgian dark chocolate. She has made it on Maui since 2012. You can order it on its own — no dinner booking needed — and we ship anywhere.
Prenota il Tavolo
Book The Table
The fastest way to reach us is a text message. Send the date, and we will come back to you about the menu.
808 359 4746
