How This Private Chef’s Evening Hustle Grows From Intimate Dinners to 24-Pax Feasts
The Story of Chef Naughty Rabbit
Background
Hi, I’m Mohamed Nabeel Firdaus Bin Aziz, a private dining chef who started Chef Naughty Rabbit based in Singapore and I’m also working full-time as a Head Chef in retail restaurants on other days.
Chef Naughty Rabbit’s primary focus is to create a unique halal dining experience tailored for younger families. Drawing from my extensive background in non-halal restaurants, I adapt and refine dishes to ensure they are halal-friendly while maintaining their original charm.
We primarily offer a private dining culinary experience, where we either travel to your location or host you at ours. Our menu is kept small and simple, and we cater to groups of at least two adults, ensuring an intimate and personalized dining experience.
I also prioritize halal-friendly options Based on my client’s requests, I also make adjustments to certain food requests or replace certain ingredients with halal-friendly ingredients for instance to suit my clients’ wants and ensure they enjoy their dining experience without experiencing a drop in quality.
Currently, I’m also working as a Head Chef at a seaside beach restaurant at Canopy Changi Village.
As the sole founder, I’m in charge of the following:
Exploring novel dining experiences
Marketing on social media from time to time
Sourcing for ingredients and liaising with suppliers
Administrative work like matching my availability with my customers’
And of course, cooking
And when I need help, my awesome wife will always step up to help.
How I Started Chef Naughty Rabbit
Well for inspiration, I didn’t know how it came about but I can safely say it was a hobby.
I love hosting my friends over and I love cooking. I wondered why don’t I give it a try and utilize my hobby to generate some extra income.
My interest in entering the F&B industry was cultivated from watching a ton of cooking shows such as Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, etc. Even as a kid, I was always excited to wake up early in the morning just to watch episodes of Yan Can Cook.
After National Service, I studied Mechatronics but I decided to pursue my passion for cooking and enrolled myself in At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy where I graduated with a Diploma In Culinary Arts.
After graduating with my diploma. I wanted to have the full “Hell's Kitchen” experience. Getting a job at Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsey at Marina Bay Sands was difficult enough as I had to do a trial shift where they would let me run a service with the team while the chefs validated my performance and skills. Then, I went for the interview. This was all done within the same day.
Luckily, I managed to snag a job there, and safe to say it was probably one of the greatest achievements and experiences I’ve had working at Bread Street Kitchen.
After which, I’ve also worked at Super Loco, a Mexican restaurant at Robertson Quay, Publico International Robertson Quay, and Burger and Lobsters at Jewel Changi Airport.
The idea of becoming a private chef began in July 2018 with my group of friends while we were in Bali.
They asked if I could cook for them during the trip and I decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a hit—everyone loved the food, and I ended up cooking for them throughout the week. Encouraged by their enthusiasm, my friends pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and explore something different.
That’s when the lightbulb moment of offering a private dining experience first started.
Then somehow, I managed to get my very first gig, Chef Naughty Rabbit, where a group of four friends wanted to add a unique dining experience to their bachelor party, and they asked me to cook in their hotel room.
It was a last-minute request, but I took on the challenge of curating a three-course menu for them. We even took pictures and videos to capture the moment. I’ll admit, it was nerve-wracking; serving four friends who trusted me to deliver was both exciting and intimidating. But it turned out to be a success, and that experience set the tone for what was to come.
Word spread quickly after that.
Within the first few months, we had a steady stream of clients, sometimes even serving different groups daily. The concept of private dining was still relatively new, and the demand grew rapidly through word of mouth. I also had the opportunity to participate in interviews and video shoots, which helped spread awareness of our services.
The clients I attracted weren’t what I initially expected—I’ve had families, couples with newborns, and small groups looking to celebrate special moments.
It’s truly an honor to be part of these intimate celebrations.
Having worked in various restaurants, I knew how to cook and manage a kitchen, but I realized I rarely had the chance to connect with customers—whether it was getting their feedback, creating a memorable dining experience, or even sharing cooking tips. It allows me to share my knowledge and passion while creating a personal and exciting experience for my clients.
From what I’ve observed, private dining is becoming increasingly popular in Singapore, with many chefs hosting guests in their own homes.
What sets Chef Naughty Rabbit apart is our flexibility—we primarily travel to your location (though you’re welcome to come to ours). We cater to a minimum of two adults, keeping our menu small and simple to ensure a hassle-free experience. We understand that the usage of your kitchen can be a sensitive space sometimes, so we strive to deliver great food without leaving a mess behind.
As my business grew, I started getting some requests for bigger group dining experiences, so I’d bring in a few fellow chefs to assist, ensuring the same level of quality and care. It’s all about making the experience seamless, enjoyable, and uniquely tailored to my customers.
Growing the business
In the beginning, the business wasn’t very profitable because we didn’t charge for transportation and offered promotional pricing to attract customers. Over time, we realized that charging for transportation based on location was essential, especially since we travel all across Singapore. This adjustment helped us break even.
Fortunately, we didn’t need to invest heavily in equipment since I already owned most of what was needed since cooking was already one of my personal hobbies.
We initially also had a first-mover advantage in this field as I wasn’t aware or at least I didn’t notice if anyone was doing something similar back then.
As time went on, we received a lot of positive feedback—not just about the food, but also about the close interaction with the chef and the overall dining experience. This gave me the confidence to raise prices from $75-95 per pax at the beginning to around $120-140 per pax currently, not including transportation costs which range from $20-50 depending on the location.
As for sourcing for suppliers, I rely on a few trusted suppliers I’ve built relationships with over the years, as well as some I met during my time working in various restaurants. This ensures the quality of the ingredients we serve and they also do home deliveries which makes the entire process more seamless.
It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how much people appreciate the personal touch we bring.
Troubles along the way
One of the main challenges that I faced was time management by trying to balance out working full time while working on Chef Naughty Rabbit.
Each week, I do my best to carve out time for private dining experiences, squeezing them into my schedule wherever possible. I generally avoid taking weekend bookings unless absolutely necessary, as I value having some downtime. However, there are moments when the overwhelming response to bookings pulls me in completely, and I lose track of taking breaks or simply enjoying life.
Thankfully, my wife is incredibly supportive and understands my passion, but she also helps keep me in check, reminding me to balance work with rest and personal time.
Yet, there were also some initial doubts as to whether Chef Naught Rabbit would work. For instance, we originally designed our dining experience for a minimum of four people. However, we soon noticed that many clients were seeking a more intimate setting for just two. After reconsidering, we adjusted our pricing and portion sizes to better suit couples, and the feedback from our customers improved significantly.
Another hurdle was the variability of kitchen setups in clients’ homes. Not every household had the same equipment or space, but I always tried to adapt to their requests and work with what was available, ensuring they still had an exceptional experience.
But things are looking pretty good now.
Word of mouth still works the best for me and I don’t see any need for making use of ads for the moment since I already have a backlog of customers to attend to.
What I’ve accomplished so far
One of our most significant milestones came at the end of 2018 when we catered to a large group of 24 people. It was just me and a good friend handling everything—cooking, serving, and even washing plates between courses to reuse them. That experience was a turning point, teaching me the importance of having extra plates and cutlery on hand to manage larger events seamlessly.
Since then, we’ve grown steadily. On a monthly basis, we now serve around 4-6 clients, which fits perfectly with my schedule and two off days a week.
There are even days when we handle two bookings—one during the day and another in the evening. To meet the demands of bigger events, I’ve built a reliable team to assist, particularly for corporate functions. We’ve evolved from serving intimate pairs to comfortably accommodating groups of 10-14 people.
To support this growth, we’ve invested in additional plates, cutlery, and equipment.
As our revenue grew, so did our ability to innovate. We’ve expanded and revamped our menu to include more diverse options, such as seafood dishes, catering to a wider range of preferences. Remarkably, we’ve achieved all this without relying on ads—word of mouth has been our most powerful tool, keeping us consistently busy and allowing us to focus on delivering exceptional dining experiences.
Plans for the future
Looking back, it’s been an incredibly rewarding journey filled with milestones and achievements. We’re proud of how far we’ve come and excited to see where the future takes us.
Right now, our plan is to continue with our private dining experiences and try our best to fulfil the growing demands and requests. I’d also try to change my menu yearly. As of January, we are still planning our new menu for this year.
I feel really great about Chef Naughty Rabbit and I’m constantly excited about the opportunities I have when I come over to my clients’ place to serve them meals while ensuring that there aren’t any dissatisfaction or disappointment with the food and overall dining experience.
One thing I might do differently
Well, I had thoughts of changing the brand name to simply Chef Nabeel Firdaus but I guess with Chef Naught Rabbit, the current unique name and brand has given me quite a strong foundation for my clients to engage me.
If you want to learn how to build your business, join the Dreamer’s Diary or let me know who I should reach out to next!