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The Secret Life of a Personal Chef

Working as a chef in a busy restaurant can be extremely demanding! This is typically a frantic and fast-paced environment where you are required to prepare dozens of meals in a very short time span. While this can be enjoyable for a while, some chefs find the work hours and conditions become exhausting.

Thankfully, there are plenty of career options available for chefs who are seeking alternative avenues for their career and one of those options is to find work as a person chef. A personal chef is hired to prepare meals in their client’s home, based on their personal preferences and dietary requirements.

Responsibilities will typically include creating a customised menu for the client, shopping for groceries, preparing meals and keeping the kitchen clean. This occupation has its own pros and cons, just like any other!

What Are The Pros Of Working As A Personal Chef?

The opportunity to build a relationship with your client
Personal chefs tend to develop a strong rapport with their clients and gain a deep understanding of the foods that they enjoy most. Over time, you will develop a unique menu of dishes that incorporate your client’s food preferences and dietary requirements. The process of developing dishes that your clients enjoy can be very rewarding for a chef. This is a stark contrast with working in a restaurant, where you rarely have any personal interaction with customers.

Working independently

When you work in a restaurant kitchen, you will usually be a part of a team. That team includes various chefs, servers, administrative staff, and managers. Unless you are the head chef or restaurant owner, you will be told which meals to prepare each day.

When working as a personal chef, you gain a great deal of independence and autonomy. You will have complete control over the kitchen and the food preparation techniques that you use. A personal chef usually has a great deal of freedom when it comes to menu selection.

Experience the client’s enjoyment of the meals you prepare

Chefs who work in a restaurant environment rarely get an opportunity to see the look of enjoyment on a customer’s face when they first taste their meal, because they are usually too busy preparing the next meal for the next person through the door! When you work as a personal chef, you are able to interact with your clients and have the opportunity to discuss the meal with them. There is something deeply satisfying about preparing delicious meals and witnessing the enjoyment, they bring to your client, their family and friends!

Indulge your creativity

Clients will frequently ask their personal chef to create new dishes using the ingredients they enjoy most. This can be a great opportunity for a chef to create new and exciting dishes. You have a unique opportunity to develop your skills as a chef through immediate feedback from your client.

Greater flexibility
Personal chefs have complete control over the services they offer. You could choose to work for a single client on retainer or to work for multiple clients. Some personal chefs offer a service that is inclusive of the shopping and cleaning of the kitchen, and others stick to the cooking alone.

The opportunity to travel

Many personal chefs have the opportunity to travel with their work. They may be asked to travel to cook special meals for clients in special locations and personal chefs will often travel with their clients to prepare their meals for them whilst on holiday.

What Cons Are Associated With This Role?

Some clients have very restricted diets

When working for a client who has a medical condition or unusual dietary requirements, you may be asked to cook the same type of meal repeatedly and the ingredients you are able to use may be limited. This can be a downside for some chefs as it can become a little repetitive and dull.

Some clients can be very demanding

You may encounter some clients who have very precise and demanding requirements for their meals. Of course, a personal chef always has the freedom to seek new employment if their current client becomes exceptionally demanding!

It might not be as exciting as working in a restaurant

Restaurants tend to be action-packed places with a lot going on. Some private chefs work in very quiet and isolated locations where the only people they see are other staff and the clients. This may or may not suit you.

Working as a private chef can be a very rewarding and interesting career path. If you are unsure about whether this type of role would be a good fit for you, you could always take on some temporary or part time work to test the water and see how you like preparing meals for a single client!

July 21, 2016

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