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What is it like to be a personal or privatechef?
What is it like to be a privite and or personal chef?
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Lynn Miller
Private and Personal Chef, Food Stylist, Recipe Developer
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Lynn’s Answer
You should understand that personal and private chef jobs are different, but there are a few commonalities between the two. Both these vocations require you to be an extremely skilled, experienced and organized chef with creativity and a strong background in nutrition, food allergies, and food safety. Personal and private chef work involves creating meals for individuals' particular needs, tastes, and dietary requirements. Both vocations involve shopping and/or ordering raw materials, knowing where and how to purchase the best quality ingredients and how to procure and store them in the most efficient way possible-this part of the job can eat up A LOT of your time. Usually, clients paying for this type of personal service require the use of organics whenever possible. An ability to craft flavorful and balanced meals and a strong understanding of seasonal foods and their availability is a huge aspect to both positions.
Here is where they differ-
A personal chef provides meals to anywhere between 1 and 10 or so clients, depending on how many meals each client requires on a weekly basis and the complexity of the dishes they prefer. Some clients might hire you for a couple days per week or possibly more. There are also businesses that book personal chef services for clients and place you in several different homes on a regular, weekly basis. Most clients who hire personal chefs require you to cook meals in their home and package/refrigerate or freeze them with instructions for heating and serving later. Setting the table, plating and serving is not typically part of a personal chef's responsibilities. Pay ranges for personal chefs run $25-65/hour without benefits, as the chef is considered an independent contractor. The nice thing about being placed by a personal chef service company is that they take care of all your bookings, manage payment for food purchases, and take care of all the payroll deductions for taxes, social security, and medicare.
A private chef works as an employee for one family and is member of their estate service team. They are expected to be a cooperative and collaborative member of that team. Private chefs are responsible for preparation and service of all meals the clients wish for, sometimes breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, packaged meals for your days off in addition to serving guests when the family entertains. Sometimes, all the clients want is a nice dinner every night with a few packaged lunches. Their requirements run the gambit, so flexibility on the chef's part is essential. Some private chefs travel with the family between their other homes or to vacation locations, though some do not.
People who hire private chefs are known as UHNW families (ultra high net worth) and live in only the toniest cities and towns. They often have very sophisticated tastes and they expect their chefs to have: 1. a culinary degree, 2. Michelin restaurant experience as well, and 3. at least 5 years of private chef experience in a single home. (What these folks don't really know is that this combination is extremely rare. If a chef is at the top of a hierarchy in a Michelin rated restaurant, there is little motivation for them to leave (fame, money, endorsements etc). However, if the chef applying for a private chef position has star-restaurant experience it's unlikely they held a position of much authority or creativity, skilled though they may be.)
Very often, these families, or members of the family, have strict dietary requirements for medical reasons (often diabetes, Crohn's disease, IBS, celiac or kidney disease) so the chef should have a strong background in dietetics and nutrition with the ability to run nutritional analysis and adhere to strict portion control. The family might also be vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians or the like. And then, the client can be what some PCs call "Goop Clients"-these are the clients who follow the latest fashionable diet trend too often created by some naturopathic doctor creating diets that focus on eliminating whole categories of food for some arbitrary , contradictory, and scientifically unsupported reason. Whatever the reason, this requires the chef to be knowledgeable of current nutritional trends and flexible enough to produce whatever the client requests, even when they ask for foods you know do not adhere to the parameters set down.
Private chefs must learn to be "part of the furniture" who provide impeccable, high-end service while being invisible. You are definitely part of "the help." Prima donna chefs do not get hired for these jobs. Usually, the principles will interact with the chef only to plan what will be served throughout the next week and give critique of previous offerings-sometimes the chef never sees the principles and all information is forwarded through their personal assistant or estate manager. These jobs are very, very demanding but are most often very well paid and often include generous benefits -$70,000/year is a lower end salary and can range up to $185,000/year.
Applying for either a personal or private chef's position requires a trial where you will shop and cook for them for a day or two or up to a full week. You will also need your own car, a clean driving record, pass a very stringent background check and drug testing, sign a privacy/non-disclosure agreement, have a current passport and up-to-date vaccinations.
If you want to pursue personal or private chef work, it's always best to go through a private personnel placement agency. Be prepared for the process to take a long time. They carefully vet all applicants, but they also vet the clients to determine wether they have the financial resources and temperament to employ a chef.
If your application for private chef work goes only through the principles, do not consider the job. I've applied for private chef jobs this way on several occasions and REGRETTED IT EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Good luck to you!
Go to culinary school
Work at the most high-end restaurant you can
Educate yourself about nutrition and medically-based dietary parameters (Crohn's, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease)
Here is where they differ-
A personal chef provides meals to anywhere between 1 and 10 or so clients, depending on how many meals each client requires on a weekly basis and the complexity of the dishes they prefer. Some clients might hire you for a couple days per week or possibly more. There are also businesses that book personal chef services for clients and place you in several different homes on a regular, weekly basis. Most clients who hire personal chefs require you to cook meals in their home and package/refrigerate or freeze them with instructions for heating and serving later. Setting the table, plating and serving is not typically part of a personal chef's responsibilities. Pay ranges for personal chefs run $25-65/hour without benefits, as the chef is considered an independent contractor. The nice thing about being placed by a personal chef service company is that they take care of all your bookings, manage payment for food purchases, and take care of all the payroll deductions for taxes, social security, and medicare.
A private chef works as an employee for one family and is member of their estate service team. They are expected to be a cooperative and collaborative member of that team. Private chefs are responsible for preparation and service of all meals the clients wish for, sometimes breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, packaged meals for your days off in addition to serving guests when the family entertains. Sometimes, all the clients want is a nice dinner every night with a few packaged lunches. Their requirements run the gambit, so flexibility on the chef's part is essential. Some private chefs travel with the family between their other homes or to vacation locations, though some do not.
People who hire private chefs are known as UHNW families (ultra high net worth) and live in only the toniest cities and towns. They often have very sophisticated tastes and they expect their chefs to have: 1. a culinary degree, 2. Michelin restaurant experience as well, and 3. at least 5 years of private chef experience in a single home. (What these folks don't really know is that this combination is extremely rare. If a chef is at the top of a hierarchy in a Michelin rated restaurant, there is little motivation for them to leave (fame, money, endorsements etc). However, if the chef applying for a private chef position has star-restaurant experience it's unlikely they held a position of much authority or creativity, skilled though they may be.)
Very often, these families, or members of the family, have strict dietary requirements for medical reasons (often diabetes, Crohn's disease, IBS, celiac or kidney disease) so the chef should have a strong background in dietetics and nutrition with the ability to run nutritional analysis and adhere to strict portion control. The family might also be vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians or the like. And then, the client can be what some PCs call "Goop Clients"-these are the clients who follow the latest fashionable diet trend too often created by some naturopathic doctor creating diets that focus on eliminating whole categories of food for some arbitrary , contradictory, and scientifically unsupported reason. Whatever the reason, this requires the chef to be knowledgeable of current nutritional trends and flexible enough to produce whatever the client requests, even when they ask for foods you know do not adhere to the parameters set down.
Private chefs must learn to be "part of the furniture" who provide impeccable, high-end service while being invisible. You are definitely part of "the help." Prima donna chefs do not get hired for these jobs. Usually, the principles will interact with the chef only to plan what will be served throughout the next week and give critique of previous offerings-sometimes the chef never sees the principles and all information is forwarded through their personal assistant or estate manager. These jobs are very, very demanding but are most often very well paid and often include generous benefits -$70,000/year is a lower end salary and can range up to $185,000/year.
Applying for either a personal or private chef's position requires a trial where you will shop and cook for them for a day or two or up to a full week. You will also need your own car, a clean driving record, pass a very stringent background check and drug testing, sign a privacy/non-disclosure agreement, have a current passport and up-to-date vaccinations.
If you want to pursue personal or private chef work, it's always best to go through a private personnel placement agency. Be prepared for the process to take a long time. They carefully vet all applicants, but they also vet the clients to determine wether they have the financial resources and temperament to employ a chef.
If your application for private chef work goes only through the principles, do not consider the job. I've applied for private chef jobs this way on several occasions and REGRETTED IT EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Good luck to you!
Lynn recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Keyston’s Answer
Being a private chef is a unique journey. I have a friend who is the personal chef of once of the Colt's players'. He tells me about the thrill of crafting personalized menus, ensuring each dish fits the player's dietary needs and preferences. From creating pre-game fuel to post-game recovery meals, he feels a sense of pride and responsibility in fueling the athlete's performance. It's not just cooking; it's a blend of culinary skill, understanding the individual, and being a key part of their success.
Thank you so much for the advice.
Sarah
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Sarah !
Although I am not a personal or professional chef, I would like to give you some advice and insight in response to your question so that you may make further decisions about a career.
First and foremost, as a chef of that kind, you will be doing a lot of cooking. Cooking must be your passion and it's best if you know everything there is to know about food and beverages. You would be cooking meals for individuals in their homes or in a commercial kitchen, depending on what the person hired you for. They will discuss what they require. A lot of times you would be asked to cook meals for the week that could be frozen and sometimes you would be cooking on certain days a special meal for your employer. It all depends on what they want.
The people hiring personal chefs are sometimes people that just do not have time to cook or they just don't like cooking. What the actual duties would be are stated by the employer, but most likely you will need to know how to come up with the menus, plan, shop for the ingredients and cook the meals, safely handle and store the ingredients and the meals, cleaning work areas, and keeping up to date on everything culinary - meals, equipment, appliances, tools. If you are a private chef, you would work with one customer but if you become a personal chef, you can have as many clients as you choose.
If you are still in High School and they have a cooking class in Home Economics, I would suggest that would be good to take. There is no special college degree required to do this career. Read a variety of cookbooks and cook any chance you get. Practice a lot. Don't forget baking, too. It would be advantageous to enroll in Culinary School or a two year college for an Associates degree (but I recommend Culinary school for this) as that will impress your customers and they would feel confident that you have been trained that way.
Sometimes there are employment notices in listings for personal or private chefs and you can go that route until you decide to open your own business. This is why Culinary School will be important. Being this kind of chef is part business, part actual cooking. You will need to learn how to promote yourself to potential customers. Although certification is not required, you can obtain a certification as a personal chef. I would advise to get all the certification that is offered in this field.
I do hope this has been helpful and I wish you all the best !
Although I am not a personal or professional chef, I would like to give you some advice and insight in response to your question so that you may make further decisions about a career.
First and foremost, as a chef of that kind, you will be doing a lot of cooking. Cooking must be your passion and it's best if you know everything there is to know about food and beverages. You would be cooking meals for individuals in their homes or in a commercial kitchen, depending on what the person hired you for. They will discuss what they require. A lot of times you would be asked to cook meals for the week that could be frozen and sometimes you would be cooking on certain days a special meal for your employer. It all depends on what they want.
The people hiring personal chefs are sometimes people that just do not have time to cook or they just don't like cooking. What the actual duties would be are stated by the employer, but most likely you will need to know how to come up with the menus, plan, shop for the ingredients and cook the meals, safely handle and store the ingredients and the meals, cleaning work areas, and keeping up to date on everything culinary - meals, equipment, appliances, tools. If you are a private chef, you would work with one customer but if you become a personal chef, you can have as many clients as you choose.
If you are still in High School and they have a cooking class in Home Economics, I would suggest that would be good to take. There is no special college degree required to do this career. Read a variety of cookbooks and cook any chance you get. Practice a lot. Don't forget baking, too. It would be advantageous to enroll in Culinary School or a two year college for an Associates degree (but I recommend Culinary school for this) as that will impress your customers and they would feel confident that you have been trained that way.
Sometimes there are employment notices in listings for personal or private chefs and you can go that route until you decide to open your own business. This is why Culinary School will be important. Being this kind of chef is part business, part actual cooking. You will need to learn how to promote yourself to potential customers. Although certification is not required, you can obtain a certification as a personal chef. I would advise to get all the certification that is offered in this field.
I do hope this has been helpful and I wish you all the best !
Updated
Emma’s Answer
Being a personal or private chef is a dynamic and rewarding career that involves crafting customized menus tailored to clients' preferences and dietary needs. It offers culinary professionals the chance to exercise creativity, work in diverse settings (from private homes to yachts), and build strong client relationships. Flexibility in working hours and locations is a significant advantage, but chefs must meet high culinary standards and adapt to various dietary considerations. This profession also includes aspects of entrepreneurship, such as marketing and client management, and staying updated on culinary trends and techniques is essential. While it provides a unique and enjoyable culinary experience, it can be demanding, requiring effective stress management and a commitment to discretion and confidentiality.