A personal chef is a professional in the culinary arts that is employed by an individual or a private client. They normally are considered highly skilled and efficient in every aspect of food preparation. These chefs are usually hired to adhere to the personal preferences of the client. Their place of employment is normally the kitchen in the home of the individual who has employed them.
A private chef is also a culinary professional, but this type of chef is exclussively employed by a single client. Private chefs, in most cases, live in the home of the employer. These chefs prepare meals on the daily for everyone in the household including both the family and the staff. When these chefs are hired, they have usually been previously employed by a hotel or restaurant.
The hiring process for a personal chef can be a bit extensive. The process differs according to the employer just as the services of the chef will differ according to the employer. The process routinely begins with an interview. The interview will establish the chef's ability, determine if the chef is able to handle the needs of the client and also determine the repor between the chef and the employer. Next, there is normally a food tasting that requires the applicant to cook a meal of choice for the employer to taste. To be hired, the meal will of course have to meet the approval of the potential employer. Once those two main things are done, anything that folows depends solely on the employer. In some cases there are background checks, a check of references and/or drug screenings all depending on the employer.
The job duties of a personal chef include several different task. The chef can be hired to cater to an employer's day to day needs or for a specific dinner or special event. When hired for the day to day, the chef will ususally come to the employer's home a couple of times a week and prepare meals that will be packaged for the employer to eat whenever they are ready. The packaged meals are from a menu that has been agreed upon by the chef and the employer. The meals are either packaged in containers or vacuum sealed bags. The vacuum sealed bags are considered the best choice for keeping the favor in the food alive.
When hired for a special event or a specific dinner, the menu is planned out with chef as well. The chef is responsible to show up for the event and prepare the food on site. They should also have a wait staff available to help with serving the meal. Most of the chefs that are hired for these types of events are usually employed by a restuarant and cater these events in their spare time.
The cost to employ a chef differs in accordance to several different factors. These factors include exactly how often the chef will be preparing food and for how many they will be preparing the food for. What meal is being prepared is also factored in depending on the chef. Overall cost include the chef's fee in addition to the cost of groceries.
Weekly packaged meal preparation with chefs normally cost within the range of anywhere from $200 to $400. This price range covers the amount associated with a standard family of four. This price range does not include the cost of the groceries for the meals. Private dinners for larger groups tend to cost just a bit more.
There are a few factors that go into the chef's fee. The more experienced a chef is, the higher one can expect to pay for the chef's services. Depending on the chef, there can be additional consultation fees for meal planning. There can be delievery fees if the food is not prepared in the client's home.
Other things to factor in when determining the cost of a chef include any discounts that may be available. Some chefs offer a discount depending on whether or not the client will provide a refferal. There may also be decreased price depending on whether the chef is hired through a company or privately.