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According to the American Personal Chef Institute & Assn., there are about 9,000 Personal Chefs in the U.S. serving 72,000 clients -- families with two working parents, busy single professionals, people with restricted diets, and, increasingly, senior citizens who no longer can cook for themselves.
A Personal Chef is in charge of the kitchen and prepares specifically requested meals for their clients to enjoy later. They are responsible for all of the meal preparation, presentation and serving of the food, as well as stocking the kitchen and ordering groceries. They may be required to assist with or oversee special functions or events. A Personal Chef usually works among other household staff. Customarily, they work for several clients, either by working in the clients’ kitchens or by dropping off fully prepared meals during the week.
The first meeting with a new client usually involves discussing food likes and dislikes, allergies, and any special dietary requirements. The chef can provide a nutritional breakdown for each meal acquired by feeding the ingredients of a menu into a special computer program that then prints out a nutritional label.
Personal chemistry must exist between the personal chef and the client. There is little that can be done if a personal chef encounters discrimination or unreasonable demands on the job and these problems can be stopped before they start by paying attention to details during a trial period.
Each Personal Chef owns his or her own business, so making it unique is part of the business planning. A successful personal chef must market his or her service and manage it from a business standpoint as well as a foodservice perspective. Time management, excellent people skills, and the ability to adapt and work with the individual client's needs are all essential to a successful career.
Often Personal Chefs have culinary degrees from well-known institutions. A culinary school education, restaurant training, or professional seminars are desirable but not essential to be qualified in this field. References can be a powerful source for gaining new clients.
Salary for a Personal Chef is usually based on two factors: the amount of experience the candidate brings to the position and the duties and hours included in the job description. Personal Chefs usually earn between $25 and $50 per hour, plus benefits for full-time.
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