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Private Chef Jobs

A growing number of individuals, couples and families from all walks of life are hiring private chefs in order to free up more time in their busy schedules. This type of professional service enables you to enjoy great food, tailored to meet your needs, in the comfort of your own home.

We all know the importance of a healthy, balanced diet, but sometimes there simply isn’t enough time in the day to make sure that all of our meals are as healthy and nutritious as they ought to be.

What Exactly Does A Private Chef Do?

A private chef will plan menus and take care of food shopping, then prepare and cook meals tailored to meet the individual needs of the employer and their family. Other duties could include providing private cooking lessons or creating menus and catering for celebratory meals, parties and events.

Whether you choose to employ a private chef on a full time, part time or temporary basis, this type of professional service can offer you access to a huge variety of advantages.

Meal Planning

Efficient meal planning is a huge obstacle for many busy people. The trouble is that unless you plan correctly, it is impossible to make sure that you shop well and bring home the correct ingredients to create healthy balanced meals that all members of the household will enjoy.

Poor organisation in this area, generally leads to inconsistent meals, excessive waste and a diet that is generally below par.

A private chef takes all of the hassle out of your meal planning by either creating a menu for you completely independently based on your guidelines and preferences, or by creating a menu based on your regular suggestions. It is easy to underestimate the amount of time that goes into meal planning, particularly when meals need to be catered to meet any special dietary needs.

Shopping

How much time do you spend food shopping each week? Aside from the regular food shop, there are usually several other short trips to factor in, (when you realise you have forgotten a key ingredient or suddenly realise you need something). Having hired a private chef you will have already recovered a few hours a week on your meal planning and food shopping alone!

Consistent Meals

Arriving home to the aroma of a delicious meal and a sparkling clean kitchen is wonderful and of course, it avoids all of the meal skipping and fast food that can be associated with busy households.
With a private chef in your home, you can eat great meals regularly, stabilise your metabolism and give your family all the benefits associated with healthy eating.

Broaden your taste buds

Depending on how much free rein you give your chef, you may find yourself being introduced to foods or combinations of food that you have never experienced before. Perhaps you will find that you begin to like certain foods thanks to the way they have been professionally cooked and presented by your chef!

Dietary Requirements

Whether you need to avoid certain foods for medical reasons, or you are following a certain type of diet out of choice, a private chef can take the headache out of special diets and ensure you are eating a balanced amount of everything you need to maintain good health. Regardless of the complexity of your dietary needs, you can depend on your chef to take excellent care of you!

Cost Effective

As surprising as it may sound, hiring a private chef can make excellent sense financially, particularly when you consider that you cannot put a price on good health and wellbeing. You will find yourself eating well, without falling back on fast alternatives and you will waste far less.

Add Extra Hours To Your Week

When you hire a private chef, you will suddenly have a lot more time in your life to apply to anything you choose. Therefore, whether you need to create more hours in your week for work or play, perhaps your own private chef is the perfect answer!

Five Characteristics Of An Excellent Private Chef

Providing that which is a most basic need and a highest pleasure is a noble profession indeed! As a private chef you will aspire to excellence in a busy and varied role. You will develop a relationship with the household employing you and hope to establish an outstanding reputation for elegantly delivering delectable dining experiences for all manner of functions. To pull off such a feat it is important to establish several self-disciplines from day one. With these key concepts in mind you are sure to succeed:

 

Communication and Observation

Your goal is to satisfy and delight your clients so establishing their needs and desires is crucial. Communicate in a timely manner to keep track of the dining schedule ahead of you and keep an accurate, detailed calendar and notes on everything from preferences of dishes, likes and dislikes, intolerances, allergies and special dietary requirements. Observe how the food you prepare is received and constantly adjust and hone preferences while keeping your menu innovative and exciting.

 

Etiquette and Manner

Once you have an idea of what’s on the menu, turn your attention to making sure your professionalism shines whether interacting with your employer, their friends, family, colleagues or associates. Working within the home of a client is an intimate experience that requires trust and boundaries. Ensure your presence is a positive one by cultivating a friendly but unobtrusive manner and being intuitive as to the needs of your employer. They may wish to be quite involved in what goes on in the kitchen or may wish for this area to be completely lifted from their focus as they spend their energy elsewhere. Adjust your tone to the formality of the environment around you and tune in to when your presence is appreciated and when it is best to discreetly merge into the background. With a breadth of services to fulfil, from casual home dining to formal events and social occasions, ensure your knowledge of serving etiquettes is up to date and on point.

 

Flexible and Diligent

As a private chef you will experience a varied working schedule. You may find that the plans of your clients change; sometimes they might be away, they may require your services late at night or need you to throw something together at short notice. Make meeting these needs easy by staying organised and stocked, and respectfully maintaining the space and equipment you use. Diligently maintain your budgets and record preferred suppliers to avoid hunting to source what you need. Develop strong strategies for ingredient purchasing, preparation, hygiene and clean down. This routine will be paramount as you strive to manifest the freshest, most vibrant culinary creations.

 

Finger On The Pulse

Your clients may well enjoy dining at a range of interesting restaurants and, with your dedication; they can revel in their home dining experience being just as thrilling. Stay abreast of current dining fashions and techniques. In this way, your kitchen adventures will be just as stimulating as their dining ones as you learn new skills and add to your range of specialities. As each client is different you will have to strike a responsive balance between reliably serving exactly what they want and facilitating any new experiences. This is the mark of a true professional.

 

Outside Of The Box

Your clients should feel secure in your style of food preparation, but you can also use a little creativity to increase the value of your position in their household. Perhaps your client may wish to learn unusual cooking techniques – lessons from an outstanding private chef within the home can be an exhilarating experience! This can also serve as a fantastic tool to teach children about ingredients, nutrition and cultures from around the world. Your clients may be interested in developing a kitchen garden or raising poultry. A private chef can contribute greatly to steering such projects to maximise the usefulness of such a resource. As you cultivate that prized quality of intuition you will develop a sense of what type of role you should play and will discover the scope of what you can offer. Striving to be open to new ideas will make your job so much more rewarding and leave your employers grateful for how much richer their lives are thanks to their fantastic private chef!