Personal Chef
If you enjoy cuisine and customer service, you might be interested
in a career as a personal chef.
Personal chefs work in their clients' homes and tailor what they cook to
specific requests. Unlike restaurant chefs, personal chefs meet with their
clients long before cooking a meal, in order to go over menu details.
"A personal chef's goal is to make every meal the very best meal you've
ever tasted," says personal chef Terry Henderson.
"About once every two weeks, personal chefs shop for the groceries, come
to the client's home with their own utensils and equipment, prepare several
entrees at one time in the client's kitchen, then package and store those
meals in the refrigerator or freezer and provide the clients with re-heating
instructions."
Henderson says that a personal chef will probably cook for several families
or individuals to maintain full-time work.
So how do you get started? "Get out into the community, talk about what
you do, volunteer at schools and community functions, talk to schools and
mothers' groups," he suggests.
Training can help, too. "We suggest that our members have some training,"
says Henderson.
Professional associations offer courses and self-employment packages.
Culinary training can be found at many post-secondary institutions. Personal
chefs may also be self-taught.
"You need to have solid cooking skills," says Gord Johnson. He is the
director of program development for the American Personal Chef Association.
Johnson says cooking courses are a must if you don't already have skills
as a chef.
"Many personal chefs are career changers from industries totally unrelated
to cooking," he says. "Experience in a commercial kitchen environment is helpful
but not mandatory."
Johnson also says that specific training for personal chefs is a good idea
because it can help you avoid making mistakes or wasting time.
"The associations offer networking opportunities to help the individual
personal chef continue in their professional development, as well as being
a virtual water cooler to share other experiences."
Johnson says younger people may want to develop life experiences before
becoming a personal chef.
"This isn't usually a good career for young people coming straight out
of high school or culinary school," he warns. "Having experience dealing
with people, selling as well as management at some level all contribute to
the personal chef business."
While what you know about cooking is important, personality is a factor
too. Personal chefs must relate well to clients, but they also need to be
assertive enough to advertise and promote their services.
Wendy Perry is a personal chef and co-founder of the Personal Chefs Network
Inc. She says that an outgoing nature can help a personal chef get started.
"Your marketing efforts are what will fill your schedule and bring you
the business you need," says Perry. "People with the most success develop
a focused business plan."
Perry says that some personal chefs are able to work full time right away;
others may take a few months to build up steady clients.
Mia Andrews is president of a personal chef association. Andrews says
that time pressures and a new understanding of the importance of diet prompt
people to hire personal chefs.
"It seems that people are spending more time on business activities. When
you factor in family pressures, activities, sports, taking care of aging parents
and more, there is less time left for the traditional family dinner."
Andrews also says that fast food outlets and family restaurants have addressed
this problem in the past. "A decade of using fast food to replace the family
dinner has left many of us facing weight problems and health problems."
People know they need to eat healthier, but the window of time for nutritious
family meals is still small in many households.
"Personal chefs enter the picture by being an answer to both the time stress
and the need for healthy eating," says Andrews.
According to Andrews, a personal chef can expect to earn about $200 per
working day, but the wage can be higher. And most personal chefs are in business
because they love what they do and enjoy working with families.
"I personally love the feeling of starting a cook day knowing that I'm
about to do what I love for the next six hours. When I get clients hugging
me or phoning me telling me how much they enjoyed their meals, it means a
lot," says Andrews.
"This job is mainly about customer service, so you really need to understand
how to make people happy and the importance of attention to detail."
As families find their time together shrinking, the call for personal chefs
will keep growing.
Links
American Personal and Private Chef Association
Resources for existing and aspiring personal chefs
United States Personal Chef Association
Information on the personal chef industry and about the personal
chef association
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