You Thought You Were Just Here For The Food….
Avocado Toast w/ Heirloom Tomatoes, Mangoes & Balsamic Reduction
Welcome to Grifter & Grape, a private chef company that brings the world to your table with a unique blend of global cuisine, engaging storytelling, and a focus on nutrition. Our team is passionate about crafting exquisite dishes from around the globe, offering an authentic taste of diverse cultures while emphasizing the historical roots and stories behind each meal. We believe that food is not just about sustenance but is also a celebration of people and their traditions. Our personalized dining experiences are designed to be fun and interactive, encouraging you to explore new flavors and learn about the rich tapestry of history that influences each dish. With a commitment to using fresh, wholesome ingredients, we ensure that every meal is not only a culinary delight but also a nourishing experience. Whether it’s an intimate dinner party or a festive gathering, we have you covered.
“Heal Each Other First, Heal Each Other Last.” - Chef Demeatrie’s personal guiding mantra
Chef Demeatrie’s story begins everywhere at once — in military housing, overseas kitchens, roadside cafés, late-night conversations, and the kind of meals that make people feel at home far from it.
Raised in a military family with both parents serving in the Army, she spent her childhood moving between Germany, Belgium, and Louisiana, absorbing cultures, flavors, and stories that would later shape her approach to food. Inspired by the events of September 11, she joined the Air Force as a Computer Engineer, serving for six years in England and South Korea. But even in uniform, food quietly became her true language.
While stationed overseas, Demeatrie became known for cooking meals that brought comfort, connection, and a sense of home to fellow service members. What started as a playful bet to cook for the base football team after every win turned into something much bigger when the team kept winning — and she realized cooking wasn’t just a hobby. It was a calling.
After leaving the military in 2007, she attended culinary school in Honolulu while working in the restaurants of Waikiki, sharpening her craft through fast-paced kitchens and diverse cuisines. Her journey continued through Chicago, Central Florida, and Northern California, where she worked in fine dining, catered film productions, supported San Francisco’s homeless community through nonprofit work, and collaborated with community theater and luxury catering companies in Oakland.
Driven by curiosity and a desire to create food with soul, Demeatrie traveled internationally through places like Slovenia, Spain, and Portugal, studying regional traditions, techniques, and the emotional stories tied to meals around the world.
Today, her work blends culinary artistry, storytelling, healing, and human connection — creating experiences that feel both deeply personal and universally familiar. Every dish is rooted in the belief that food is more than nourishment; it’s memory, comfort, survival, celebration, and love served at the same table.
Demeatrie Funderburk
Our Dynamic Owner & Chef
When she’s not creating and coming up with innovative menus and takes on classic dishes, she spends her time writing poetry, short stories and even screenplays.
Joana Gracio-snellenberger
Our Fearless Photographer & Life Enthusiast
Joana is a blogger, content creator and writer from Brazil. As an added bonus, she loves food! She met Chef Demeatrie in 2013, when they were roommates in Chicago working in the hectic frenzy that is the food, beverage & hospitality industry. She has vast experience such as elite service, training and supervising that she has perfected over the last decade in places such as Georgia, Australia, Colorado, Georgia and currently, Austin.
She has hopped onboard with The Starving Gypsy family to help visually document the thrill, joy, passion and vibrancy that radiates from each event and experience with us.
Roasted Radishes w/White Bean Puree, Mushrooms & Spinach
“Demeatrie is a true professional and an excellent chef. She has a passion for pleasing her clients and would always go the extra step to create exciting and delicious meals. She was a pleasure to have at our club as she made our visits very special. I would highly recommend her and hope to enjoy her culinary arts again.”
Stromboli
“Chef Demeatrie went out of her way to make our Thanksgiving holiday most memorable and special. We hosted a dinner for our son and some of his fellow soldiers. We wanted to serve the traditional Thanksgiving meal and she was most accommodating to everything we wanted to serve. The meal was amazing and the dessert which was a pumpkin caramel cheesecake most delicious. She took time from her holiday celebrations to deliver from Austin to Killeen. We know the guys thoroughly enjoyed the dinner after watching them go back for thirds. I would highly recommend Chef Demeatrie at The Starving Gypsy for any of your catering needs. Thank you again Chef Demeatrie for making our holiday so special and thank you for your service.”
Moules Frites (in a Papaya Broth)
Tiger Shrimp w/ Blood Orange Beurre Blanc & Spring Greens
“J.R. and I had the pleasure of experiencing a wonderful date night provided by TSG and CONFIDENTLY SAY 12/10 RECOMMEND ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Demeatrie truly left us with an unforgettable experience, and she keeps saying it’s “just soup” but I’m not lieing when I tell you I had the BEST soup of my life I actually get sad when I think about it sometimes. Her creations are absolutely exquisite and devastating 🤤 and for us, we had our menu made plant-based and it was INCOMPARABLE 😍 She is the most professional and passionate artist I have had the pleasure of knowing, and she is extremely professional when it comes to covid and food safety of course. If you and yours are able, I whole heartedly suggest you booking a romantic at-home private chef dinner date with The Starving Gyspy!!”
“What a gem! A chef that clearly displays a love and passion for her industry and helping others. It’s clear that her dishes are about more than food and she works with her clients to build menus that work for them! From Vegan to Pastries she is an absolute Wizard in the kitchen. Her experience allows her to manipulate ingredients to get different tastes and textures and she often does this on the fly! There are very few chef’s remaining like her and I would recommend The Starving Gypsy for ANY occasion!
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“Chef Demeatrie was excellent from the moment we first conversed about our meal through the end of the night! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she took the time to go through her menus and everything she offers. The whole bachelorette party was in awe of how she took what could be a simple meal (Mexican) and made it uniquely her own. My best friend- and who the night was in honor of has Celiac. Chef made sure the meal was GF and no one could tell the difference! We even had enough for everyone to have left overs and she packaged everything up so we didn’t have to lift a finger after our meal. Her table set up was simple, yet beautiful. Everything was really perfect for celebrating our bride-the delicious food, cute wine glasses and color scheme! I cannot recommend Chef Demeatrie enough to exceed your expectations and leave your heart and stomach full! Thank you again!!”
Achiote & Dark Cherry Pork Loin
Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Green Bean Salad
“Working with Demeatrie was an incredible experience from start to finish. I had never worked with a private chef before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she communicated quickly, and set expectations so well! I was incredibly nervous about the food intolerances/allergies of my guests, but Demeatrie went ABOVE and beyond to make sure they were taken care of. I loved the menu she created based on our initial conversation - it was honestly perfection right away, which set my mind at ease! And then getting to meet her — seriously, she is so much fun. She brought her music, which we ALL enjoyed, and then served us food that made our taste buds explode....I’m not kidding, her churro dessert was actually orgasmic. I can’t wait to work with Demeatrie again - in fact, I’m already planning my second retreat and I’ve asked her to come along for the ride! If you are looking for a chef who cares about their craft, who pours love into what they do, and is just a lot of fun, you could not go wrong by working with Demeatrie! - Mia”
The Set Up
Sea Salt Caramel Mousse
“Demeatrie and her team helped my fiancé and I celebrate our anniversary from home during COVID. I reached out to her about two and a half weeks before the date and she responded right away. I am so grateful for her! She worked with me to customize the perfect menu and was considerate of our desire to try multiple items while avoiding an over abundance of food— since it was only the two of us. I highly recommend Demeatrie as a personal chef. Not only is she professional and pleasant to work with, but she is also great a great chef. I have been to nice restaurants before, but I have never tasted food as good as hers. If something was meant to be sweet and spicy, you could taste both flavors distinctly, without one over powering the other! Nothing was too sweet or too salty, everything paired perfectly. I really appreciate the cyclical nature of her art as a chef. It was evident that each dish was prepared with the mindfulness of the flavors of the other. I will definitely be scheduling with her again!”