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Becoming A Private Chef – What To Expect
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Becoming a Private Chef – what to expect

  • Publish Date: Posted over 4 years ago
  • Author:by Collette Negre

​For most, becoming a Chef is driven by a love of food. But what if after years of honing your skills you fancy a role where your creativity can be truly shown, and where you have a level of personal interaction with the people you cook for that you’ve probably never experienced before?
As a Private Chef, you have the opportunity to build personal relationships not possible in other kitchens and you will be able to create new recipes that will let you grow professionally in every area.
Choosing a career as Private Chef can be very rewarding and exciting, however working in a private household is very different to other kitchen settings and you need to have a certain set of skills to be able to thrive in the role, including:

  • Organised: you will be in charge of the whole menu not just one course so being organised is key. There could be last minute menu or guest changes, so you have to be able to stay organised when things get really busy.

  • Responsibility: very often you might be working alone so the buck stops with you and it will be your sole responsibility to ensure everyone is fed both on time and extremely well.

  • Flexibility: you might be used to working odd hours as a Chef but working as a Private Chef requires total flexibility regarding hours, travelling, menus and short notice demands.

  • Methodical: again, your experience might be extensive, but you will need to be able to plan, prepare and control events where you will be doing everything. Ordering supplies, providing equipment and hiring support staff and of course cooking will come under your remit.

  • Creative: you will be expected to wow each time, so you will have to have limitless imagination and drive to create something new every time.

Whilst the demands of becoming a Private Chef are great so are the rewards. You will be given the opportunity to become an essential part of somebody’s or a family’s life and will experience many different lifestyles and often countries.
As well as the chance to experience new lifestyles and experiences Chefs in the private sector can also demand much higher salaries and benefits.

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