I craft fresh, colorful, nutrition-forward cuisine tailored to your tastes—at sea or at home.

Virginia Hodgins

I create fresh, colorful, nutrition-forward dining for every occasion

I am a qualified Kiwi chef and pastry chef with 10+ years of experience. For the past 7 years I have worked abroad as a private chef on motor yachts across the Mediterranean and the United States. I believe the nutrition of a dish is just as important as its taste—especially when I cook for families over the long term.

My style is clean, fresh, and colorful. I love designing menus around your preferences and dietary needs, including Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and Pescatarian. I comfortably cook across cuisines such as Italian, American, Mediterranean, French, British, Asian, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Mexican, Moroccan, and Middle Eastern.

Get in touch with me

Cooking is my passion—I love to bring people together through food.

What I bring to your table

I cook to bring people together

Cooking is my passion, and I use it to bring people together. I focus on vibrant, feel-good food that turns every meal into a shared experience.

I never stop learning

I trained at the Culinary Arts School in Christchurch (CPIT) for two years and I have kept learning ever since—refining techniques, exploring cuisines, and evolving with every service.

I lead with nutrition and great ingredients

I cook with love for my ingredients and I always consider the nutritional value of every dish, balancing flavor, freshness, and wellbeing.

Chef Virginia’s Menus

I design multi-course menus across cuisines—from Tex-Mex to Italian and Asian fusion—tailored to your event and dietary needs. I can adjust portions, courses, and ingredients to fit your guests and venue.

Plan your event with me

My clients’ stories and testimonials

Gin was so lovely, we had THE best experience and evening. The menu she presented to me sounded incredible and the food was beautifulll. She was so sweet and attentive to our 2 year old son and gave him extra food free of charge. I would book her again and use Take A Chef again in a heartbeat

Courtney Small

Virginia was an absolute star. We really appreciated her chill and humble nature. Her food was amazing. Our guests are still talking about how good it was. Virginia surpassed all our expectations and we're looking forward to experiencing her cooking again next time.

Rob Wiseman

Such a great experience, thank you so much, 10/10

Emerson Bartholomew