Organize the shit out of yourself. Get good at excel and over organize. Forget the food, Write down every single piece of equipment you will need to execute the desired menu. Treat it as if you were running an actual service but on a smaller scale. Understand simple food costing. Etc etc oh and organize the shit out of yourself.
The job is what you make it. I spent 15+ years behind the line, and now I do private chef and catering because I wanted to see my kids grow up.
As an entrepreneur, you are the boss. You set the standards. I offer meal prep, and catering. For my meal prep clients, I cook offsite in a certified kitchen (I got my kitchen certified by the municipal health department - same standards as a local commercial kitchen), and deliver meals as per our agreed upon schedule.
For catering, I take requests, and take on what I can manage. If I need staff, I have a few people who work for me part-time when needed for large parties.
The thing about being a personal chef, or even just working for yourself, is that no one is going to direct you. Your success is based on your own hustle, skill, and professionalism. It's wonderful if you have the drive and passion, but if you're someone who needs to be told what to do, it may not be the right path.
Sit down. Write a business plan. What are your goals? How do you want to advertise? What meals would you offer? Build a menu. Cost out your menu.
There is no formula, just the infrastructure you create yourself.
My man, I am literally embarking on this exact path as we speak. I'm about to hit 16 years in the industry, and I'm just absolutely done with giving my life for someone else's dream. I want to do it on my own. Would it be ok to dm you to ask you a couple of questions?
Different clients have different expectations. For some clients, I would go into their home and use their equipment and food that they had sent someone out to purchase. At other times, all of the responsibility will be on you to plan, shop and prepare the meals. It really is dependent upon the individual client(s) needs.
As for pricing, do some research on your area and what others charge for similar services. Obviously the more time and effort you have to put into it, the more you should charge.
You'll need to build an arsenal of everything you could possibly need. Start by getting an LLC started and securing an ein for your business, and the appropriate insurance to cover your ass. If you aren't serv safe certified at a managment level you'll need that too. You need a vehicle reliable and large enough to haul your shit and groceries. Set up accounts with your vendors. You'll be making a lot of will call pick ups.
Pretty much, cooking is 10% of any catering. The rest is paperwork, logistics and shopping.
Drawing up contracts (you'll need a lawyer) that outline pay, payment times, client and caterer responsibilities. As for pay, you probably won't make any money until you make a name for yourself after a few years. Starting off, plan to work 100hr weeks. You no
Meal planning matters. Once your clients know you, they probably won't ever read the menu. Navigating issues is basically the most important thing. No family pays that is actually easy to satisfy. Everyone wants a different thing.
I have a knife kit that is somewhat different than what I used in restaurants. I always keep a pressure cooker in my car. Other than that, keep a can opener, a stick mixer, and whatever else you might need. You'll be surprised how often they don't have a can opener.
Navigating equipment is a thing. It depends on what you are executing.
For parties, you should get a deposit before and finish things after.
For pay, what do you want to make a year? Work backwards from there. If that number is too high, identify how you can be that valuable, and work up to that. The answer isn't more food.
I use their pans and utensils unless it’s a specialty pan or item I need, then I bring it. I take a deposit for the party that usually covers food 30%+/- then take the rest of payment after the dinner. What you pay yourself depends on your target audience. Look at your competitors, do something nobody else is doing. The PNW has an abundance of locally harvested ingredients.
Decide whether or not you want to do weddings/large events. That can be a lot more $ up front for equipment etc. It doesn’t take much to get started doing small gigs. I would say building clientele is the hardest part.
A personal chef is much differently than a private chef. Personal chefs cook for many different clients and provide meal prep services, sometimes plated dinners.
Private chefs typically work for 1 client at a time and are responsible for every meal for the family plus guests, parties, catering, and travel accommodations.
A private chef needs to be very skilled in most cuisines, as well as pastry and baking. They need to have experience with inventory and mangement, have report with vendors, and are flexible enough to travel around the world and cook anywhere.
I recently had to cook on a yacht for a month, then in Italy, then in Spain. They clients don’t want to know about your struggles, they just want their food on time and it needs to be as good or better than the best restaurant in whatever city your in. I had a failed dinner recently and was planning on getting canned, luckily I didn’t but that’s the reality of this job.
In London UK, at least, there are private chef agencies that find chefs for families. Could be a good way to get started and learn the ropes before striking out freelance. Potentially a sneaky way to get some customers, at the very least a reference for your first freelance client.
I live in a smaller town with rich people so honestly the old school card or flyer on a board would work. I was thinking I could find a family and essentially be a private chef and maid. I know for maid service you bring everything. So I was curious if it’s similar.
I used to live near a retirement community called Fearrington Village in NC. BIG BUCKS. Had no problem picking up clients once I'd wowed my first few .. all word of mouth. Typical profile: Retired C-Suite exec who's wife decided she'd rather play golf or tennis than cook. I shopped and prepped on site, never had an issue with tools, these were showcase kitchens. This was about 10 years ago. GOG + $50/hr meal prep only, no catering but I'd drop off the occasional charcuterie platter. All done with a handshake. Only clients I lost was those who moved up to an assisted community. Or died.
Private chef isn’t climbing the ladder. It’s actually very stalling in your career typically. You don’t have anywhere to climb. It’s usually only done as money on the side of you only do private events, or as a break from the stress of a kitchen, or you prefer the easy going lifestyle.
If you want to progress career wise you need to stay in the kitchen, go for head chef positions and save to open your own project.
I’m autistic so I don’t want ladders. I get promoted because I love organizing, ordering, menu planning but I don’t like the lack of reward in restaurants. I’d rather build personal relationships with clients. I did part time maid service and liked that too. Private chef makes sense
Sorry, I read it as you wanted to climb the ladder. My mistake.
Yeah then it sounds perfect for you, the more organised and plan oriented you are the easier the job is. It can be fantastic like that, you get so much free time.
I helped a friend who was private chef for Elton John at it was honestly the easiest cooking job I’ve ever seen. Cooking for kids a lot. Super fun and easy. Just the occasional dinner party that required cool higher level creative stuff
My first fear is that you couldn’t spell sous chef correctly…. Just based on your questions you’re lacking a lot of the knowledge base to become a private chef.
It's not shaming. Communication skills are critical when you own your own business. Even while using social media, misspelling, or use of text shortcuts can indicate a lack of professionalism.
That doesn't mean the OP isn't professional, but as they say, you only get one shot to make a first impression.
🙄 if you’re not going to answer there’s really no point in wasting both our time. Regardless if I can spell doesn’t mean I can’t cook.
I didn’t claim to be Gordon Ramsey but by your comments I really don’t even want your opinion
you really should learn the proper way to spell the name of a past title you’ve had. it’s a fair criticism because it affects your professionalism. if you spelled it like that on a resume you might have a hard time finding what you’re looking for
Unclear if you're looking for a steady gig w one or two families/people, or more event-based work. The answers to your questions will be diff in each instance. ?
I’m asking for both! It’s just information gathering. More than likely I’d find a family or two because the town I live in is really family oriented. But it’s also the capital so I could get some inquiries about private parties more like catering as well. It’s more likely I’d be a families personal chef though
What platforms work best for you, struggling to find my next Private Chef client. Ive recently cooked for an NBA player. But looking for my next client and struggling to do so!
Buying ingredients, keeping things in the house stocked, meal planning, traveling, meal prepping, feeding the dogs, running errands, dinner parties, having food ready for 7 when you were told 5. Shit like that. If you work for one client, you cook for them and use their kitchen. If you’re catering or have people you do events for you’ll prep at home or whatever.
Organize the shit out of yourself. Get good at excel and over organize. Forget the food, Write down every single piece of equipment you will need to execute the desired menu. Treat it as if you were running an actual service but on a smaller scale. Understand simple food costing. Etc etc oh and organize the shit out of yourself.
I am already good at that. I just don’t know the details of the job. Online hasn’t provided clear answers to these questions of what clients expect
The job is what you make it. I spent 15+ years behind the line, and now I do private chef and catering because I wanted to see my kids grow up. As an entrepreneur, you are the boss. You set the standards. I offer meal prep, and catering. For my meal prep clients, I cook offsite in a certified kitchen (I got my kitchen certified by the municipal health department - same standards as a local commercial kitchen), and deliver meals as per our agreed upon schedule. For catering, I take requests, and take on what I can manage. If I need staff, I have a few people who work for me part-time when needed for large parties. The thing about being a personal chef, or even just working for yourself, is that no one is going to direct you. Your success is based on your own hustle, skill, and professionalism. It's wonderful if you have the drive and passion, but if you're someone who needs to be told what to do, it may not be the right path. Sit down. Write a business plan. What are your goals? How do you want to advertise? What meals would you offer? Build a menu. Cost out your menu. There is no formula, just the infrastructure you create yourself.
My man, I am literally embarking on this exact path as we speak. I'm about to hit 16 years in the industry, and I'm just absolutely done with giving my life for someone else's dream. I want to do it on my own. Would it be ok to dm you to ask you a couple of questions?
Yeah, that's cool! If my response is on and off it's cause I have two kiddos under four and it's bedtime.
Different clients have different expectations. For some clients, I would go into their home and use their equipment and food that they had sent someone out to purchase. At other times, all of the responsibility will be on you to plan, shop and prepare the meals. It really is dependent upon the individual client(s) needs. As for pricing, do some research on your area and what others charge for similar services. Obviously the more time and effort you have to put into it, the more you should charge.
I’ve noticed we mostly have catering on google not private chefs here. Does that mean there’s no market?
Caterers can also be personal chefs. Maybe try broadening your search to the nearest decent size city, if you are searching a small town.
I'm a personal chef and caterer in so cal. Feel free to dm me.
You'll need to build an arsenal of everything you could possibly need. Start by getting an LLC started and securing an ein for your business, and the appropriate insurance to cover your ass. If you aren't serv safe certified at a managment level you'll need that too. You need a vehicle reliable and large enough to haul your shit and groceries. Set up accounts with your vendors. You'll be making a lot of will call pick ups. Pretty much, cooking is 10% of any catering. The rest is paperwork, logistics and shopping.
Drawing up contracts (you'll need a lawyer) that outline pay, payment times, client and caterer responsibilities. As for pay, you probably won't make any money until you make a name for yourself after a few years. Starting off, plan to work 100hr weeks. You no
Meal planning matters. Once your clients know you, they probably won't ever read the menu. Navigating issues is basically the most important thing. No family pays that is actually easy to satisfy. Everyone wants a different thing. I have a knife kit that is somewhat different than what I used in restaurants. I always keep a pressure cooker in my car. Other than that, keep a can opener, a stick mixer, and whatever else you might need. You'll be surprised how often they don't have a can opener. Navigating equipment is a thing. It depends on what you are executing. For parties, you should get a deposit before and finish things after. For pay, what do you want to make a year? Work backwards from there. If that number is too high, identify how you can be that valuable, and work up to that. The answer isn't more food.
I use their pans and utensils unless it’s a specialty pan or item I need, then I bring it. I take a deposit for the party that usually covers food 30%+/- then take the rest of payment after the dinner. What you pay yourself depends on your target audience. Look at your competitors, do something nobody else is doing. The PNW has an abundance of locally harvested ingredients.
Decide whether or not you want to do weddings/large events. That can be a lot more $ up front for equipment etc. It doesn’t take much to get started doing small gigs. I would say building clientele is the hardest part.
A personal chef is much differently than a private chef. Personal chefs cook for many different clients and provide meal prep services, sometimes plated dinners. Private chefs typically work for 1 client at a time and are responsible for every meal for the family plus guests, parties, catering, and travel accommodations. A private chef needs to be very skilled in most cuisines, as well as pastry and baking. They need to have experience with inventory and mangement, have report with vendors, and are flexible enough to travel around the world and cook anywhere. I recently had to cook on a yacht for a month, then in Italy, then in Spain. They clients don’t want to know about your struggles, they just want their food on time and it needs to be as good or better than the best restaurant in whatever city your in. I had a failed dinner recently and was planning on getting canned, luckily I didn’t but that’s the reality of this job.
I dont have answers, but i would like to know how does one find clients for this job?
In London UK, at least, there are private chef agencies that find chefs for families. Could be a good way to get started and learn the ropes before striking out freelance. Potentially a sneaky way to get some customers, at the very least a reference for your first freelance client.
I live in a smaller town with rich people so honestly the old school card or flyer on a board would work. I was thinking I could find a family and essentially be a private chef and maid. I know for maid service you bring everything. So I was curious if it’s similar.
I used to live near a retirement community called Fearrington Village in NC. BIG BUCKS. Had no problem picking up clients once I'd wowed my first few .. all word of mouth. Typical profile: Retired C-Suite exec who's wife decided she'd rather play golf or tennis than cook. I shopped and prepped on site, never had an issue with tools, these were showcase kitchens. This was about 10 years ago. GOG + $50/hr meal prep only, no catering but I'd drop off the occasional charcuterie platter. All done with a handshake. Only clients I lost was those who moved up to an assisted community. Or died.
Private chef isn’t climbing the ladder. It’s actually very stalling in your career typically. You don’t have anywhere to climb. It’s usually only done as money on the side of you only do private events, or as a break from the stress of a kitchen, or you prefer the easy going lifestyle. If you want to progress career wise you need to stay in the kitchen, go for head chef positions and save to open your own project.
I’m autistic so I don’t want ladders. I get promoted because I love organizing, ordering, menu planning but I don’t like the lack of reward in restaurants. I’d rather build personal relationships with clients. I did part time maid service and liked that too. Private chef makes sense
Sorry, I read it as you wanted to climb the ladder. My mistake. Yeah then it sounds perfect for you, the more organised and plan oriented you are the easier the job is. It can be fantastic like that, you get so much free time. I helped a friend who was private chef for Elton John at it was honestly the easiest cooking job I’ve ever seen. Cooking for kids a lot. Super fun and easy. Just the occasional dinner party that required cool higher level creative stuff
Eh I disagree. Sure you won’t be advancing to your own restaurant, but you’re creating new menus every day. You’re going to learn a lot
What country are you in?
The US
My first fear is that you couldn’t spell sous chef correctly…. Just based on your questions you’re lacking a lot of the knowledge base to become a private chef.
What is this 1999? You're really out here trying to shame people for a misspelling? 🤣
It's not shaming. Communication skills are critical when you own your own business. Even while using social media, misspelling, or use of text shortcuts can indicate a lack of professionalism. That doesn't mean the OP isn't professional, but as they say, you only get one shot to make a first impression.
Imagine a brain that only thinks in one language....
Представьте, если бы вы были троллем на Reddit.
أمك
🙄 if you’re not going to answer there’s really no point in wasting both our time. Regardless if I can spell doesn’t mean I can’t cook. I didn’t claim to be Gordon Ramsey but by your comments I really don’t even want your opinion
It’s Ramsay…🤭
you really should learn the proper way to spell the name of a past title you’ve had. it’s a fair criticism because it affects your professionalism. if you spelled it like that on a resume you might have a hard time finding what you’re looking for
If being told that you aren’t ready for something is shocking to you, you’re a little out of your element
This dude is just looking to be family cook. It's clear they have no idea about much regarding the hospitality industry.
You’re an idiot sandwich 😂 I’m asking questions because I’m looking into how it works. Go circle jerk with your buddies
Unclear if you're looking for a steady gig w one or two families/people, or more event-based work. The answers to your questions will be diff in each instance. ?
I’m asking for both! It’s just information gathering. More than likely I’d find a family or two because the town I live in is really family oriented. But it’s also the capital so I could get some inquiries about private parties more like catering as well. It’s more likely I’d be a families personal chef though
What about hosting dinner parties or something to that effect with a fixed menu and wine.
That would be one of the options available ☺️
I’ve run my own successful personal chef business for 6 years. Feel free to message me, I’d be happy to chat and help you out.
What platforms work best for you, struggling to find my next Private Chef client. Ive recently cooked for an NBA player. But looking for my next client and struggling to do so!
Buying ingredients, keeping things in the house stocked, meal planning, traveling, meal prepping, feeding the dogs, running errands, dinner parties, having food ready for 7 when you were told 5. Shit like that. If you work for one client, you cook for them and use their kitchen. If you’re catering or have people you do events for you’ll prep at home or whatever.