How to Become a Personal Chef

A personal chef is someone who prepares custom meals for select clients. They could work for individuals, families, or even companies, and they may prepare the food in their own kitchen or in their client’s kitchen on a per-project basis.

The meals personal chefs prepare can vary drastically, ranging anywhere from a single omelet for a child to multicourse meals for 50 wedding guests. They usually work on their own and are in charge of everything from cooking and serving to cleaning and handling payments.

What does a personal chef do?

In addition to cooking, personal chefs have the following duties and responsibilities:

• Create custom meal plans based on client needs and preferences
• Use nutrition knowledge to craft healthy dishes
• Keep track of clients’ allergies and dietary needs
• Go grocery shopping
• Stock food for upcoming meals
• Organize and label ingredients
• Abide by food safety standards
• Prepare and package meals for future consumption
• Serve meals
• Maintain a schedule with multiple clients
• Clean up and sanitize kitchen and dining areas
• Apply feedback from customers
• Collect and process payments
• Advertise personal cooking services and seek out clients

Personal chefs also sometimes provide optional add-on services for clients. For example, we spoke to professional personal chef Katie Simmons, who told us she offers several additional services as part of her business model.

“Offering cooking classes, small group catering, private dinners, nutrition help, and other services helps in two ways,” she said. “First, you have more options for revenue. Second, it allows you to find what you like most and what you want to focus on the most.” There are plenty of routes to go down, and the choice is up to you.

Required skills

To be a good personal chef, you’ll need to have the following skills:

• Culinary skills: Cooking well and being able to customize meals according to your client’s dietary needs and food preferences is extremely important.
• Business skills: Knowing how to land clients and run your business is crucial to your success as a personal chef.
• Interpersonal skills: You should be able to communicate effectively and be friendly with your clients, vendors, and team (if you have one).
• Organization and time-management skills: Chef work involves juggling a multitude of tasks, so you need to be organized and efficient when it comes to how you use your time so your work stays on schedule and food doesn’t get cold.
• Decision-making skills: As a personal chef, you’re in charge of everything. This means you need to be able to make quick and thoughtful decisions, ranging from where to purchase ingredients to which plates to use for each dish.

High levels of stamina and physical fitness are also essential. Personal chef work involves plenty of lifting and carrying ingredients, standing for hours on end, and cleaning kitchen spaces after cooking.

Simmons told us that being self-motived is also essential since “you’re often working on your own as a personal chef” and you need to maintain top-level service to meet your clients’ expectations.

Personal chef vs. private chef

Some people make a distinction between being a personal chef and being a private chef. Both involve cooking or preparing custom meals for someone else, but there are a few key differences you should understand before diving into a chef side hustle:

• Personal chef: Prepares meals for various clients and sets their own schedule. A personal chef may spend one day at one client’s house preparing and packaging meals to last them a whole week and then spend the next day doing the same thing for another client. Personal chefs are self-employed and often get paid on a daily or per-meal basis.
• Private chef: Works full-time for a single client, staying in the client’s home during the work day to prepare fresh meals on-demand as needed. Private chefs are salaried employees that get fixed wages.

Private chefs are what you might think of when you picture a home chef or live-in chef for celebrities or high-earning families. Personal chefs, on the other hand, provide more of a private catering service, often working with multiple clients and setting their own rates and schedules.

A private chef job is more of a full-time career option, and these positions often require advanced culinary skills or experience in fine dining. Personal cheffing, on the other hand, is better suited to a side hustle.

To become a professional personal chef, you’ll need to hone your cooking skills, legally set up your business, and find your first clients. We’ll walk you through how to get your first gig as a personal chef, even if you have no professional experience.

1. Learn cooking basics

You don’t have to go to culinary school to become a personal chef, but getting some form of training is a must if you want to compete in the industry. A good way to learn from experienced chefs without a culinary arts education is to sign up for cooking classes.

Be sure you’re not only mastering the basics of cooking but also learning about nutrition. You should develop the skills required to create a variety of different dishes according to each client’s tastes.

Professional culinary associations

Consider joining professional associations for personal chefs to advance your cooking knowledge and skills. Below are a few prominent personal chef associations you should check out:

• United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA)
• International Food Service Executives Association (IFSEA)
• Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals (ANFP)
• American Culinary Federation (ACF)

These organizations offer access to a wealth of valuable tools and resources, from educational materials and online webinars to business tutoring sessions and certification courses.

Are personal chef certifications worthwhile?

According to Simmons, certifications for personal chefs have “very little value.” Being certified is not required for personal chefs, and it’s not something most clients will be looking for. “I think having your state/county sanitation license is important on a professional level. However, at the end of the day, clients just care about delicious food and personalized service,” she said.

With that said, if you do decide to get a personal chef certification, here are a few basic options you can pursue:

• Certified Personal Chef (CPC) certification
• Certified Food Manager (CFM) certification
• Certified Dietary Manager, Certified Food Protection Professional (CDM, CFPP) certification
• Food Safety Manager Certification

You could also get certified in a particular type of cooking to make yourself stand out, such as gluten-free or plant-based cooking or baking. Just make sure to check the requirements for these certifications; some require you to have a certain amount of cheffing experience or complete an exam.

2. Get kitchen experience

Working in a kitchen and getting hands-on experience is the only way to make the transition from aspiring chef to professional chef. The reality is that even though there are no formal eligibility requirements for being a personal chef, you’ll struggle to find clients willing to hire you unless you have some kind of track record in the culinary arts, dining, or catering industries.

Starting a personal chef business is a popular side hustle option among cooks who already work in a kitchen and want another gig to supplement their income. If you’re starting completely from scratch, your first step needs to be gaining real cooking experience.

Consider starting by applying for a culinary apprenticeship to receive on-the-job training from a professional chef. These programs often last 2–3 years, but you’ll typically receive a salary while you work.

Another option is to get a job as a cook for a restaurant, catering company, or other food establishment so you can learn the ins and outs of working in a kitchen. For example, Simmons worked at a major health food store for 2.5 years before she started seeking out her own clients.

3. Decide what type of cooking you’ll do

To attract business, you need to know who your target customer base is. To find your target market, think about your brand identity and overarching business goals.

What type of meals do you want to cook? How many people do you want to cook for? Do you want to do simple meals for small families or feasts for corporate events?

Here are a few different types of personal chef jobs you can take on:

• Event personal chef
• Vacation personal chef
• Specialized cuisine personal chef
• Celebrity personal chef
• Nutritional personal chef
• Vegetarian or vegan personal chef
• Pastry personal chef

Once you hone in on a niche, you’ll know how to advertise yourself and where to start looking for clients.

4. Create a sample menu

Part of establishing your style and the types of services you’ll offer as a personal chef is putting together a sample menu that you can show people who are thinking about hiring you. “This is the first thing potential clients will ask for,” Simmons told us.

When crafting your menu, Simmons recommends choosing 10–15 of your favorite dishes and incorporating a broad range of flavors. “Include meat, fish, and vegetarian options,” she added. By ensuring there’s plenty of variety in your menu items, you minimize the risk of losing potential business from people with specific dietary needs or preferences.

5. Legally set up your business

As a personal chef, you need to handle the business side of things in addition to preparing meals. To begin with, research the laws in your state and local jurisdiction to ensure you understand all the legal requirements for starting a personal chef or catering business.

You should then take the following steps (as required):

• Obtain the required licenses or permits: Depending on the type of cooking you’re doing and where you live, you might need to get a business license, a food service permit, or some other type of permission to work.
• Choose a business structure: Many personal chefs operate a sole proprietorship, but you can also choose to form a limited liability company (LLC), which offers you more protection in terms of your finances and personal liability.
• Choose a business name: If you plan to operate your personal chef business under a name other than your own name, you may need to check that it’s not already in use and then trademark it.
• Get insured: Regular business insurance or liability insurance typically doesn’t cover the risks involved in running a culinary business. For this reason, you’ll probably need to get personal chef insurance or catering business insurance.

You’ll also need to understand your responsibilities for filing taxes where you’re operating your business. This may include self-employment tax, retail sales tax, or business and occupation tax.

Tracking your business expenses

Bookkeeping is perhaps a personal chef’s least favorite part of the job, but it’s incredibly important. You need to establish a system for keeping track of what you spend on groceries and cooking supplies so you can bill your customers appropriately.

To make this process easier, Simmons uses budgeting software and invoices to track expenses and bill clients. Alternatively, you can hire a bookkeeping assistant or accountant later down the line once your business has expanded.

You should also outline a budget for your business. Be sure to include both small and large expenses, from the cost of new cooking equipment to the amount of money you spend on transportation.

6. Set your rates

One of the first things potential clients will ask you is how much you charge for your personal cheffing services. When setting your rates, give thought to key factors like the type of cooking you want to do and where you live.

For instance, personal chefs in New York City can charge more than their counterparts in Burlington. Similarly, you can charge more if you specialize in fine dining or catering to certain dietary restrictions than if you’re doing simple home-cooked meals. To ensure you’re getting the pricing right, do some research online to find out how much similar personal chefs are charging in your area.

You should also factor in whether you’re including the cost of ingredients. Simmons told us that most personal chefs keep the cost of ingredients separate from their service costs, and she recommends new personal chefs do the same. “This will help protect you against rising inflation and clients with expensive tastes,” she added.

7. Advertise your services

Once you’re ready to start working, you’ll need to market your personal chef business. Since you’ll be self-employed, you’ll need to put in a lot of legwork to land clients and start your personal chef career.

Actively advertising your services and reaching out to potential clients is especially crucial for budding personal chefs since job openings in this industry aren’t always advertised on traditional job platforms.

Here are a few ways to market your personal chef services:

• Create a website: According to Simmons, creating a website should be the first step you take. “Google, Yelp, and search platforms are big, which is why having a good website is critical,” she told us. At minimum, your website should include your specialty, a brief introduction to your personal and professional background, photos of dishes you’ve created, and your contact information.
• Establish your social media presence: Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are great tools you can use to post photos of your signature dishes or videos of yourself cooking, attract attention from local foodies, and expand your professional network. However, set your rates early. “People often go on social media looking for something quick and cheap,” Simmons warns.
• Use an employment website: General job-hunting websites like Indeed and ZipRecruiter and culinary-specific sites like Culinary Agents and iHireChefs sometimes post job openings for personal chefs.
• Spread the word: Let your family and friends know that you’re looking for clients. Even if they personally don’t need your services, they may recommend you to people they know.

Keep a few recipes and menus in your back pocket that you can pull out on the fly to demonstrate your culinary style and capabilities. Make it clear that while you have a few signature dishes, you also have the flexibility to create custom meals.

To get your personal chef business off the ground and turn it into a dependable side hustle, you’ll need to put in a bit of work in the beginning. To tell you exactly what you need to know, we asked Simmons about how she started her career and what tips she has for beginner personal chefs. Here are her words of wisdom.

Tell everyone about your services

Simmons stressed the importance of putting yourself out there as soon as you’re ready. “Tell everyone,” she said. This includes friends, family, coworkers, and people in your social media network. “Your first client is often someone you know.”

For example, Simmons found her first two clients through word-of-mouth. The first was a coworker at her gym, and the second was a friend of a friend.

“Both were busy moms who wanted healthy dinners for their families but didn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen,” she said. “The clientele is the same: busy families who want healthy food.” The trick is finding people in your life who would most benefit from a personal cooking service.

Invest in professional photos of your dishes

One key tip Simmons has for starting your personal chef career is to get professional-quality photos of dishes you’ve created. “People want to see you and see your food,” she said. “It’s worth investing in a session with a photographer (or at least buy some high-quality lights) to really make your food shine,” she added.

If you can’t afford a professional photographer, ask around to see if you have any friends who are hobby photographers or who are thinking of starting their own photography side hustle. This way, you can both help each other out. Once you have some decent photos, post them on your website and social media pages.

Offer a referral bonus

To get word out about your personal cheffing services beyond your own social circle, Simmons recommends offering a referral bonus to clients who promote your business. “Busy moms often know other busy moms, and offering a one-time $50 credit can go far in helping you land a client you’ll have for years,” she said.

To get referrals, you need to build trust. This is key when you’re working as a personal chef because you’re tasked not only with adhering to special dietary restrictions or requests but also often working in the privacy of your clients’ homes. Much like the case with other domestic jobs like babysitting or running a cleaning business, references are everything for personal chef work.

For this reason, it’s important to take each job you do very seriously and check in with your clients to ensure that they’re satisfied with your services. If they have any criticisms or feedback for you, take it with grace and apply it going forward. If they praise your work, you can ask them if they’d be willing to write you a testimonial that you can post on your website and social media pages to increase your credibility.

Consider hiring a part-time assistant

There’s a limit to the number of clients you’ll be able to take on at a given time when you’re just one person. If you want to really expand your client base, hiring someone to work for you can help you achieve that goal.

Simmons says that hiring a part-time assistant has really helped her business grow. “She helps me with the prep and delivery, allowing us to service more clients.” On average, Simmons says she now juggles around 10–13 clients per week.

Being a personal chef is a good side hustle for culinary artists and experienced chefs who love to create new dishes and want to have full autonomy over the meals they prepare.

Going the self-employed route offers you more opportunities to flex your creativity in the kitchen and can drastically increase your income. It also affords you the flexibility to set your own working hours, decide how many clients you want to take on per week, and negotiate high pay rates.

With that said, as a personal chef, you’ll have to take on more responsibility than you would working in a restaurant. You’ll also have to be okay with your days being filled with less-fun business tasks like marketing, admin work, and bookkeeping.

Simmons told us that the most challenging parts of the job include the physical demands from being on your feet all day (e.g., cooking, cleaning, and doing heavy lifting) along with the unpredictability that comes with running your own business.

“It can be unpredictable when clients schedules change or you lose business without notice,” she added. “Also, it’s tough taking time off.” But none of this stops her from enjoying her career.

How much do personal chefs make?

According to Salary.com, personal chefs earn an average of $32 per hour, with most earning somewhere in the range of $24–$42 per hour. 1 Salaried private chefs earn a little less, at $21.88 per hour on average. 2

However, personal chefs often set their rates based on the number and type of meals being prepared rather than charging by the hour. For example, according to Care.com, personal chefs typically charge around $200–$300 per week for five meals for a family of four, not including the cost of groceries. 3

The key factors that affect exactly how much you can earn as a personal chef include your location, work experience, and reputation. You can expect to earn more as your reputation builds and improves than when you’re just starting out.