Culinary consultant & guest chef: kitchen supervision for large weddings
We supervise your brigade — we do not replace it. French culinary direction for weddings and receptions of 300 to over 1,000 covers, in Spain and internationally, including Indian weddings. A French chef takes charge of your kitchen; your team does the cooking.
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What this service is — and what it is not
Many international chefs travel with their own brigade. That is not what we do. We work in direction and supervision: your caterer, your hotel or your local kitchen stays in place, and our chef leads the existing brigade. You do not change supplier, you add a level of demand. You do not change supplier, you add a level of demand.
In practice, a French chef takes responsibility for the kitchen for the duration of the event: designing or adapting menus, organising the stations, service pace, plate-by-plate quality control, coordination with the wedding planner and the maître d'hôtel. This is culinary consulting and brigade supervision, not outsourced production.
Why bring in a guest chef
- A consistent level at high volume. Holding 500 plates to the same standard as a table of ten is a matter of organisation and control, not isolated talent. That is exactly what an experienced chef brings to a brigade unused to this level of demand.
- A French signature. Technique, plating, feel for produce: a French touch on an international event, without abandoning the local cuisine your guests expect.
- Live culinary stations. Live counters, experiential stations, carving and finishing in front of guests — the strong 2025-2026 wedding trend, which needs a steady hand to be run cleanly.
- A single point of contact. Between the planner, the venue and the brigade, someone whose only job is that the kitchen be flawless on the day.
Indian weddings: in Spain and at destination
Indian weddings are the most frequent request we get for this service, and they have their own requirements. We know them.
- Several days, several services. Mehendi, haldi, sangeet, ceremony: each moment has its own cuisine, timing and mood. Supervision is planned across the whole event, not a single dinner.
- Vegetarian, vegan and Jain cuisine. A strict Jain cuisine — no onion, no garlic, no root vegetables — requires rigorous separation of stations and utensils. It is a matter of organisation, and guaranteeing it is precisely the role of supervision.
- Halal, restrictions and alcohol service handled according to your rules and the venue's.
- Large volumes. From 300 to over 1,000 covers, with temporary kitchens and brigades reinforced for the occasion.
In Spain, Barcelona and Marbella are the two hubs of high-end Indian weddings, followed by the Balearics and the Canaries. Many venues and hotels accept an approved caterer or an outside guest chef guest chef: that is the way into this service. For a mission in India, we travel.
The advance site visit
On a large wedding, you do not discover the kitchen on the day. When the scale warrants it, we run a site visit — an advance visit to the venue, kitchen and suppliers — to assess equipment, flows, the cold chain, the brigade's real capacity and the risk points. This visit underpins a realistic service plan, not a plan on paper.
How we work
- Scoping. You describe the event to us: dates, key moments, covers per service, venue, brigade and caterer already booked, dietary constraints.
- site visit (depending on scale): visit to the venue, kitchen and suppliers.
- Menu design or adaptation with you and your planner, taking diets, key moments and venue logistics into account.
- On site: our chef arrives ahead of time, briefs the brigade, organises the stations and runs the kitchen during service.
- After: debrief and recommendations if the event is part of a series.
The practical questions, settled in advance
- Travel, accommodation, visas for a mission outside Spain are borne by the client. We set all of this out in the proposal, with no surprises.
- A brigade that speaks neither French nor Spanish: kitchen supervision works through demonstration, station sheets and control, not through long speeches. We work in English and by example.
- Hygiene in a temporary kitchen: cold chain, station separation, one-way workflow — supervision covers this too, and it is often where avoidable incidents are decided.
- Working with the caterer or hotel already booked: that is the normal case. We do not replace them, we raise their result.
Pricing
Supervision is charged as a fixed fee, set according to the length of the mission, the number of services, the number of covers and the venue. Travel and accommodation costs for a mission outside Spain are re-billed at cost. We give you a clear proposal after the scoping.
About the chef
Virginie Rocher is a French chef based in Barcelona. She has run Poc a Pots, a French catering business, since 2017, working on corporate events, private receptions and yacht services. Wedding supervision is a natural extension of that craft: designing, organising and holding a kitchen at a consistent level, whatever the volume.
Frequently asked questions
Do you cook, or do you supervise our brigade?
We supervise. Our chef leads the existing brigade — yours, your caterer's or your hotel's. We do not come to produce in place of your team, we lead it to raise the result. That is what sets a guest chef in supervision apart from a chef who turns up with their own brigade. guest chef in supervision apart from a chef who turns up with their own brigade.
How many covers can you supervise?
From 300 to over 1,000 covers, with a brigade sized for the occasion. The exact number is set at scoping, depending on the venue, the number of services and the available kitchen.
How far ahead do you arrive, and do you do a site visit?
On a large wedding, an advance site visit — venue, kitchen and suppliers — is strongly recommended. For the event itself, our chef arrives early enough to brief the brigade and organise the stations before the first service.
Who pays for travel, accommodation and visas?
For a mission outside Spain, travel, accommodation and any visas are borne by the client. We cost all of this in the proposal, re-billed at cost, with no hidden margin.
Do you work with the caterer or hotel already booked?
Yes, that is the normal case. Supervision is added to your supplier, it does not replace them. Many venues and hotels in fact accept an outside guest chef or an approved caterer — that is the route we take. guest chef or an approved caterer — that is the route we take.
Can you guarantee a strict Jain or vegetarian kitchen?
Yes. A strict Jain kitchen, with no onion, garlic or roots, requires rigorous separation of stations, utensils and flows. It is an organisational matter, and guaranteeing it is part of the supervision role. Vegetarian, vegan, halal and other restrictions are handled according to your rules and the venue's.
How do you manage a brigade that speaks neither French nor Spanish?
Kitchen supervision works through demonstration, station sheets and control more than through words. We work in English and by example, and it works very well with international brigades.
Do you design the menus or adapt ours?
Both. We can design the menus with you and your planner, or take over and refine the existing ones, taking diets, key moments and venue logistics into account.
Can you run a live counter or a French station during the sangeet?
Yes. Live stations and culinary shows are among the most frequent requests, and experienced supervision is exactly what makes it possible to run them cleanly at high volume.
Do you work in India, or only in Spain?
Both. We supervise Indian weddings held in Spain — Barcelona, Marbella, the Balearics, the Canaries — and we travel for a destination mission, in India or elsewhere.
How is the service charged?
As a fixed fee, set according to the duration, the number of services, the number of covers and the venue. Travel and accommodation costs for a mission outside Spain are re-billed at cost. You receive a clear proposal after the scoping.
Let's talk about your wedding
Describe the event to us: venue, dates, number of guests per key moment, kitchen and caterer already booked, dietary constraints. We come back to you with a supervision proposal and a quote.
WhatsApp +34 693 58 64 56 · virginie@pocapots.es