Life as a private chef may surprise you. The private chefs you see on Instagram seem to have it all. They always seem to be traveling with Rihanna or Marc Jacobs, cooking up some delicious and healthy fare while they see the world. However, there is more to being a private chef than getting along with celebrities and making good food. There’s a lot of dedication, patience, and marketing that goes into it!
It’s More Than Just Cooking
Being a great cook is, of course, the core requirement of pursuing a career as a private chef. However, most private chefs wear many hats such as that of the food stylist, photographer, marketer, and writer. It isn’t just getting the food on the plate—it’s also getting the food in front of your audience!
You Have to Handle the Shopping
Private chefs are often shoppers as well. After all, every dish begins with procuring the best ingredients. Before they head into the kitchen to cook a meal, private chefs have to plan the menu, come up with a list of ingredients, and purchase them. And all of this is done bearing in mind each client’s dietary needs and preferences!
Aside from making grocery shopping a little bit more complicated, the need to customize meals means you may be purchasing many ingredients. So if there’s one skill you should work on, it’s your arm strength!!
There’s Room for Experimentation
A key part of being a chef is creating meals that you think will entice your clients. You might think this means sticking to the things you know they love, but it’s actually the contrary that’s true. Since meals should be special, there’s plenty of room for experimentation. Being a private chef lets you indulge your creative juices and formulate new meals to introduce to your clients. Being a chef will require you to be more explorative with meals—perfect for people who love testing new things out!
Not Every Meal is Perfect
Even with decades of experience in the industry, mistakes and mishaps will occur. In fact, they’ll happen every day! You may run out of an important ingredient, encounter issues with cooking equipment, or set the oven just a little bit too hot. What’s important is always having a plan B and knowing that things happen—you just have to roll with it. Nothing can beat a prepared chef with alternative plans if something wrong occurs.
Conclusion
Practice plays a vital role in perfecting your dishes. Being consistent with learning opens up discoveries and lets you become better each time.
Food Fire + Knives serves as a premier network to private chefs and local chefs. It is always our mission to support local chefs to boost their creativity and excel in this industry. If you want to know more about life as a private chef or explore private chef jobs, we can definitely help. Showcase your ability and be one of us.
