In the 1940s, a lot upper-middle-class families in the US had private cooks. By the early nineties, however, only about a thousand families in the United States still hired someone in this capacity. Today that number is about 100,000, and the title of the professional person in the kitchen is personal chef.

In the 1940s, a lot upper-middle-class families in the US had private cooks. By the early nineties, however, only about a thousand families in the United States still hired someone in this capacity. Today that number is about 100,000, and the title of the professional person in the kitchen is personal chef.

In 1992 there were just 15 schooled personal chefs in the United States recorded. Now there are thousands of practitioners, and a hundred new personal chefs are schooling every month. A lot of factors explain the growth of this service industry, among them is the growth in two-earner families, an elevated concern regarding a healthful diet, and, given the fact that a lot of Americans eat out 2 or 3 times a day and a yearning for something that comes close to a home-cooked meal.

About 46% of the typical person’s food budget is spent on food consumed outside of the home. Moreover, the Food Marketing Institute states that 22% of Americans frequently buy prepared food from supermarkets.

These are a few of the reasons, from the customer’s standpoint, why this industry is flourishing.

The perspective from the other side of the stove is that cooking for numerous private client calls for another kind of culinary creative thinking, and one that can pay well. A lot of previous restaurant chefs are thus gladly leaving behind the backbreaking 12-hour days typical in a restaurant, for which a chef could earn a top average wage of $30,000, to work at their own pace for 20 to 25 customers and earn $40,000 to $50,000 annually.

The typical customer looking for the services of a personal chef is 30 to 55 years old, married, and with a family income surpassing $80,000- In the US the typical personal chef is a married woman, 30 to 60 years old, having 15 years of professional cooking experience, according to the U.S. Personal Chef Association (USPCA).

Where to Begin

The USPCA gives a nationwide referral service for individuals who want to locate a personal chef. To be endorsed by this organization, the chef should have one full year’s experience cooking as a personal chef and should meet the association’s criteria for ethics, knowledge of health and safety issues, and business practices.

A personal chef hired by friends might be able to add you to her list of customers or to recommend a different chef. The local chapter of the American Culinary Federation, cooking schools, kitchenware stores, or gourmet clubs, are additional likely references of recommendations. A few food magazines carry ads offering the services of personal chefs, and there are also numerous placement services for personal chefs, primarily in California and New York. These can be chanced upon by looking in the Yellow Pages under Placement Services or Personal Chefs.

© 3/1/2011 Athena Goodlight on Factoidz

Athena

Freelance writer since 2007 Content Provider Musician Educator Homeschooling WAHM

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