Gathar

About

Gathar is a marketplace connecting private chefs, cooks and caterers with hosts to deliver home catered dinner parties, events and private dining experiences across Australia and into the US.

Mission

Gathar operates an in-home dining marketplace—described in coverage as the “Airbnb of dinner parties”—that connects customers with private chefs, cooks, caterers and stylists for date nights, dinner parties, corporate events and weddings. The service was launched by Jodie Mlikota (with co‑founders Nicky Jurd and Kaj Haffenden) in Cairns and Port Douglas in 2018 and has grown from Far North Queensland to cover 27 locations across all Australian states and territories. The company reports a community of more than 180 chefs, cooks, caterers and stylists and a 330% increase in demand last year. Gathar says it has created thousands of dining experiences and has grown revenue and attracted investment despite pandemic and flood disruptions. The business plans to use new capital to scale the platform and team in Australia and to establish a US presence in California, with Michelin‑starred chef Curtis Stone joining as co‑founder of Gathar USA. The focus is on supporting chefs moving into private‑chef and creator‑economy models while expanding its marketplace internationally. Gathar operates a marketplace that connects private chefs with hosts to provide catered home dinner parties, letting hosts focus on entertaining rather than cooking. The platform was born from co-founder Jodie Mlikota’s frustration with cooking and the co-founders’ desire to use their amateur-chef skills more often. The founding team includes Jodie Mlikota, Nicky Jurd and Kaj Haffenden. As COVID-19 restrictions ease, the founders say friends and relatives are tentatively returning to house calls, creating renewed demand for home dining. Gathar recently raised $600,000 in seed funding amid this rebound. The product emphasizes convenience and social dining experiences by matching cooks to small private events.

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