Every Personal Chef operates a little differently, which means there are a lot of decisions to make when it comes to hiring one at your home. Some Chefs only prepare vegan cuisine while others serve traditional meat and potatoes. Then, there are the chefs like me that specialize in culinary medicine.
Whatever your goals may be, it is important to find a chef who is the perfect match for you. After all, the best part of having a Personal Chef is that you can get a little personal. So where do you start when you’re ready to take the next step in hiring a personal chef?
My 5 Questions to Ask a Personal Chef
- Where (and How Often) Do You Cook?
Most personal chefs do the cooking in their clients’ homes. This way, the chef is completely focused on you and your family, and not busy making dishes for other people simultaneously. If you have a very specific diet, this also helps to ensure that no “off limit” foods get added in accidentally.
A Private Chef may cook in your home every day, but a Personal Chef will cook in your home once or twice per week. At The Holistic Chef, we usually prepare 3 to 4 days worth of meals and a few snacks on our cook day. If you need more food, we can cook for you 2 days a week, so you have enough to last all week long.
- Do you customize the menus?
If you’re hiring a Personal Chef to cook just for you, my guess is you’ll want them to take your likes, dislikes and dietary restrictions into consideration. This is especially true if you’re recovering from an illness or receiving medical treatment, such as chemotherapy.
The clients who come to us want healing foods and a menu plan that works for their body and individual needs. Be sure to ask this question, as not all chefs are prepared to customize each meal for each client.
- Do you offer nutritional consulting or other services?
In addition to dinner, maybe you need healthy breakfasts, nut-free snacks or green juices. Or perhaps you need help navigating your symptoms and food allergies.
Our services extend beyond cooking. We can support you in creating a personalized roadmap to health. We can teach you how to read food labels, clean your pantry and figure out what foods work best for you. Plus, if you want extra meals, snacks or juices, we can help!
- Can I give input into your menus?
Ask your Chef how they come up with their weekly menus and if you can give feedback before your weekly cook day. Ask if they have a regular habit of sharing the menu that week before they shop and arrive at your house. That way you can see what they have planned and make any substitutions.
Personal Chefs get to know your tastes and preferences and you can trust them to create flavorful menus for you, especially once they have been with you for a few months. It should also be ok to give them small changes for some things, for example if you just had salmon over the weekend and they have a similar salmon dish planned for that week.
- What is the cost?
If you’re used to going out to dinner, you probably know that restaurant costs are astronomical. If you opt for organic or high-end cuisine, the price only goes up.
Our meals come out to about $40-$45/serving, but what you get in return is priceless (because you can’t put a dollar amount on your health). You get our honest commitment to helping you feel better in your body. I don’t know any restaurant offering that! And you will always know what went into your meals.
Benefits of Hiring a Personal Chef
Whether your goal is to lose weight, recover from surgery or get healthy food on the table (without the stress), you are looking for someone to help you get those results.
Having a Personal Chef means you now have a partner in making sure how you eat, supports your health goals. For example, we help people reduce inflammation, clear up congestion, boost energy, mindfully heal and eat their greens—without having to lift a finger!
Ready to eat better? Visit the The Holistic Chef Services page to learn more about my chef services or contact me if you have additional questions.
Or if you do not live in my area, let me know if you are in another part of the country and I will post your request to the alumni page for my culinary school,
You can also search for personal chefs in your state at Hire-A-Chef.com, the directory listing of the USPCA (United States Personal Chef Association).
It’s great that you talked about how there are a lot of decision to make when it comes to hiring a personal chef. My boss is coming over to our house next weekend and I wish to impress him. My wife and I aren’t that good at cooking so we should probably hire a personal chef.