You're ready to make the jump and hire a Personal Chef to cook in your home. This is awesome, and how exciting for you! But before you commit to a contract or service agreement, you want to make sure you cover your bases and ask the right questions because having a professional chef who comes to your home is a very intimate experience, and hiring a qualified chef is key.
Jump to:
- Personal Chef vs Private Chef. What are the key differences
- Why hire a Personal Chef over a Private Chef
- Why hire a Private Chef over a Personal Chef
- Best ways to find a Personal Chef for hire
- How much does a Personal Chef cost
- Are groceries included in a typical Personal Chef service
- Questions to ask before you hire a Personal Chef
- Bonus questions for specific situations
- Hire a Personal Chef (Los Angeles)
Personal Chef vs Private Chef. What are the key differences
Main difference: A Personal Chef is a self-employed business owner and has multiple clients whereas a Private Chef is an employee and cooks exclusively for you. You might think both terms are interchangeable but, in fact, they have some major differences.
Despite working as a Los Angeles Personal Chef for over 5 years, my husband still slips and refers to me as a Private Chef sometimes. So don't feel bad if you don't know what sets them apart from each other. Below, I break down the main differences between the two.
Main Differences between a Personal Chef and a Private Chef
| Personal Chef | Private Chef |
| Has multiple clients | Cooks exclusively for a single client, or family |
| Is self-employed | Is a salaried employee |
| Cooks at regular intervals (usually weekly), and leaves instructions for clients to heat/freeze meals | Cooks fresh meals, usually 2-3 meals a day |
| Usually sets their own hours | Works around the schedule of the employer |
| Deals with all aspects of running a culinary business as a solo entrepreneur, usually doesn't co-ordinate with the client's staff | May work in a team environment alongside house staff like a housekeeper or personal assistants |
| Doesn't usually travel with a client | Sometimes travels with employer |
Why hire a Personal Chef over a Private Chef
There are many great reasons why it might be more advantageous for you to hire a Personal Chef over a Private one and I break them down below.
Easier to discontinue service
If it somehow doesn't work out between you and the Personal Chef, it'll be easier to discontinue service than with a Private Chef since a Personal Chef is not an employee.
Bear in mind though that most Personal Chefs either have a service agreement or a contract, so read the fine print before hiring someone to make ensure you're not committing more than you're comfortable with.
They bring their own kitchen tools and equipment
Some Personal Chefs bring their own kitchen tools and pieces of equipment, so if your kitchen is not fully equipped or you just moved into a new home, this might be ideal for you. Be sure to check with the chef though as it varies from chef to chef.
They're only in the house the day they cook
If you value your alone time, you might prefer a Personal Chef over a Private Chef because the former will be in your home for only a few hours the day they cook in your home, whereas a Private Chef would usually be there all day, every day.
Ideal if you don't need fresh meals every day
If you are just starting your journey working with a professional chef, you might want to test if the service is for you first. Perhaps you don't need freshly prepared meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day.
In this situation, a Personal Chef is a great option because they prepare several days worth of meals that are packaged, labeled, dated, and usually with heating instructions included.
You'll still reap the benefit of having fresh meals made from scratch, customized just for you, but without having to lend out your kitchen every day.
Why hire a Private Chef over a Personal Chef
Hiring your very own Private Chef has some wonderful advantages over a Personal Chef and it doesn't stop at just 3 freshly prepared meals a day.
Dishes prepared à la minute
Let's face it, who doesn't like food made to order, or right when the mood strikes? Fresh is almost always best. Similarly, there are many clients who prefer to have their meals prepared à la minute, or don't find much enjoyment with reheated food or leftovers.
Be it because of personal preference or the potential loss in nutritional value if not eaten right away, nothing beats a meal that someone cooks especially for you and places right in front of you. Pure bliss!
They are part of your staff
It is always nice to have a staff member who knows you so well that he or she can anticipate your needs and exceed your expectations without you even saying a word.
Of course, a Professional Personal Chef can and will do that as well, but a Private Chef is in your home several times a week and they'll get to know your habits, expectations, and what makes you happy even more intimately.
This feeling of familiarity can make all the difference for you or your family.
Bring a Professional Chef when you travel
Be it for pleasure or business, you might have a need for a professional chef when you travel, especially for longer stretches.
This scenario is more common with clients with health issues like serious allergies or illnesses that require the meticulous preparation of nourishing meals.
A Private Chef can pay special attention to ingredients that could contain allergens, or elements that could potentially send you to the emergency room, or simply leave you not feeling your best.
Best ways to find a Personal Chef for hire
- Hire a Chef. Hire a Chef is a large directory of Personal Chefs across the nation. You can search by location, cuisine, or diet. The chefs are members of the USPCA (United States Personal Chef Association).
- APPCA (American Personal and Private Chef Association). Similarly, they have a large directory of chefs for hire across the nation. You can only search by location. The chefs are members of the APPCA.
- Private Chefs, Inc. While this is an elite Private Chef agency, they can also help you find Personal Chefs. All the Chefs have 8 years of professional chef experience or more. They have chefs worldwide, including the United States.
- Chef Agencies. I recommend finding chef-specific agencies in your area.
How much does a Personal Chef cost
As you might have already guessed, Personal Chef pricing varies greatly, depending primarily on location, how many meals the chef will be making per cook day, and your specific dietary and culinary needs.
But to give you a ballpark figure on Personal Chef cost, we first need to look at your location. Naturally, prices are higher in metropolitan cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Washington D.C.
Especially with higher-than-normal inflation, the cost of goods and services have increased quite dramatically. Consequently, for a smaller-size service of 2 types of main courses and 2 sides, you can expect to pay at least $400. Each usually come in 4 servings but your Personal Chef adjusts the size as per your needs.
Main factors that contribute to Personal Chef pricing
Outside of your location, these are the primary factors that will affect how much a Personal Chef will charge you per service:
1. Portion or Serving Size
Most Personal Chef will prepare 4 servings per main course, side, appetizer, etc. Anything above 4 servings usually incurs an additional fee for the extra time they take to prepare.
The same thing could apply for portion sizes. A child will not require the same portion per serving as a professional athlete for instance. If you require a larger-than-usual size for your meals, it might cost extra.
2. Special Diets (including Kosher and Halal)
Special diets like Kosher, Halal, or those that deal with life-treatening allergies and health conditions where it is critical for a client to avoid certain foods, will usually incur an extra fee.
If you are on a specific diet that goes beyond gluten-free or dairy-free, the Personal Chef will usually take more time to work on your meals. The more intricate the specifications are, the more time your Personal Chef will need for research and fine tune the recipes just for you.
If you have a Personal Chef who test the dishes for you prior to your cook day, that person is serious about making sure everything turns out right for your customized dish.
In the case of a Kosher kitchen for instance, meats and dairy cannot touch, so your Personal Chef will have to work in two different kitchens, and the workload can almost double.
3. Vegan or Vegetarian
A vegetable-heavy diet will require more food prepping than just cooking meat proteins. Extra time peeling and chopping several types of vegetables can add up and some chefs might charge you extra.
Are groceries included in a typical Personal Chef service
For most Personal Chef service, the cost of groceries are not included and will be added to your Personal Chef fee.
Questions to ask before you hire a Personal Chef
When it comes to weekly Chef-prepared meals, or a special dinner at home, hiring a Personal Chef can be a lifesaver. This is especially important if you care about what you put in your body, and don't have the time or desire to cook, or possess the knowledge on how to maximize the nutritional potential of each meal.
A Professional Chef will take care of everything for you and your family. But first, it is imperative that you are on the same page and take the preliminary steps to ensure that the chef you're considering hiring is qualified and insured.
You might be asking yourself how to go about maximizing your chances of finding the right chef for hire. Or how to assess his or her work before hiring? Ask the potential candidate these eight questions:
1. Are they ServSafe Certified (safety first!)
I cannot stress enough how important it is for a Personal Chef to be ServSafe Certified. A ServSafe certification ensures that your chef is familiar with five very important areas:
- Basic Food Safety
- Personal Hygiene
- Cross-Contamination & Allergens
- Time and Temperature
- Cleaning and Sanitation
This is especially important if you have a sensitive digestive system. E.g.: People who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or those with a vulnerable immune system like toddlers and older people.
A ServSafe Certification looks like this and requires renewals every 5 years:
2. Does your Personal Chef for hire have liability insurance
An equally important question to ask your chef is if he or she is insured. You want to make sure that they can replace something if they break something valuable.
Nourishing Cookery, my Personal Chef business, is covered by a general liability insurance. This includes a $1,000,000 General Liability coverage per occurrence. This includes property damage and bodily injury.
Thankfully, I have not had to claim anything but it brings peace of mind to my clients and myself to know that I'm covered should a special circumstance arise.
3. Personal Chef meal prep service option
Some Personal Chefs offer a delivery service in addition to, or instead of, an in-home cooking experience. If you would like to enjoy Chef-prepared customized meals, but want the convenience of more flexibility in terms of scheduling, then a Personal Chef meal prep service might be more what you're looking for. A lot of chefs offer this service, especially during and post the COVID pandemic.
A Note of WARNING: By law, no person, chef or otherwise, can cook from their own homes and deliver in exchange for money. This is not considered safe because their home kitchens will unlikely be fit for this kind of service.
The only exception to this is if they are cooking from home under the Cottage Food Law, which restricts production to non-refrigerated food items.
Be sure that if you hire a chef with the option to deliver your food, they are cooking from an inspected commercial kitchen.
4. What type of food or cuisine do they specialize in
Check with the chef what kind of food they specialize in so that you know you are a good flavor-profile match. I would question it if they tell you that they can handle every cuisine under the sun. I would prompt them to give me a general idea of the main cuisines they excel the most at.
5. Are they proficient in dietary/ allergic/ religious restrictions
If you are on a strict diet due to health or religious reasons, it is imperative to ensure that the chef you're considering hiring is well-versed in said diet.
Of course, most chefs can learn about any diet or religious restrictions, but it's so much better if they are already an expert in those fields and are comfortable with your specific diet.
6. Before you hire a Personal Chef, find out if there's a trial period
It's always a good idea to ask a potential chef if they have a trial period, even if you feel like you are the perfect fit. A trial period can be just 1 cook day. I personally have a three cook day trial period for all new clients.
The three main reasons it's a good idea to ask your chef for a trial period:
- During the trial period, you are not fully committed to each other just yet. This means that it'll be easier to discontinue service should you feel like the Personal Chef is not a good fit.
- The trial period will show you exactly how the service goes in practice. Maybe you'll find that it wasn't for you after all.
- Great time for the chef to fine tune their menu proposals and cooking to your taste. I call it the "getting-to-know-each-other" period, and I always encourage my new clients to provide as much detailed feedback as possible so that I can tweak the dishes and Personal Chef service to their liking. Remember, the chef is there to help you on your journey and most chefs would want nothing more than ensuring 100% customer satisfaction!
7. What is the deadline to reschedule or cancel a service
This is of crucial importance because you want some flexibility, and you need to know how strict the Personal Chef you're considering is with rescheduling a service or canceling one.
Most Personal Chefs will have a late re-scheduling or late cancellation fee because, in most cases, they might not be able to replace your canceled cook day at the last minute, which results in loss of income.
The cancellation fee could be 100% of the Personal Chef service fee for the day, so you need to make sure that you know what the deadlines are.
8. Are they part of a Personal Chef Organization
It is not essential for them to be part of a Professional Personal Chef organization like USPCA or APPCA to be qualified to cook in your home. But it's always a bonus to know that they took the time to connect with professionals in the field and are continually furthering their education.
Bonus questions for specific situations
1. Do they have experience with kid’s menus
If you have children, especially if they are sometimes a bit picky, you need to ask your chef how much experience he or she has with kid's menu items. Most chefs will be able to accommodate that easily but you should still double check just in case.
2. Do they have a temporary replacement if they go on vacation
This is important if you are highly dependent on home-prepared meals for one reason or another. Whether it's because you don't have time to cook or you don't feel good after eating food out or consuming delivered food from restaurants, etc., it's always a great idea to see if the Personal Chef you're considering for hire can send a reliable replacement.
Hire a Personal Chef (Los Angeles)
Having your very own professional cook is very exciting and I hope this article helped you with the process of hiring a Personal Chef to cook in your home. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or send me an email at eliette @ nourishingcookery.com, and I'll be happy to help out.
If you're in Southern California and are looking for a Personal Chef in Los Angeles, I do have availability in 2024. You can learn more about my personal style here. I look forward to connecting with you.
Where would you like to go next? Maybe you're feeling adventurous and would like to make dinner tonight! If so, check out my chef-tested simplified recipes. If you would like to work with me 1-on-1, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Good luck on your Personal Chef search journey.
Eliette.
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