Discussion Forums
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Personal Chef Industry

Hello - I would like opinions on the pros and cons of formal culinary education. Do you really need full-blown chef school to be a personal chef? Do most personal chefs have formal chef school education, or are most just accomplished cooks who have learned the skills themselves?

If formal culinary education is advisable, where are the best places to go? In particular, are there schools that are specifically geared to personal chefs, and/or are shorter than the usual 18 months to 2 years. I have looked at Cook Street in Denver and that seems like a very viable option, but I'm just wondering what else is out there.

Diane - There are a whole lot of very successful personal chefs out there that have gone to culinary school, and probably just as many who are just as successful and have not gone to culinary school.

In the years I've been teaching the business aspects of personal cheffing through the seminars that APCA sponsors, I have totally given up on trying to predict sho will or will not be successful at this business. I have come to the conclusiion that it really depends on the individual...not the professional training that one has.

The ability to sell ones self, prepare quality food, work alone and maintain ones sanity is the key to success. Improved cooking skills may make it easier, but then improved computer skills will also make the web site and marketing easier and more effective.

The desire to run a successful independent business is key. If you really want it we can help you achieve it.

Jim Davis

Diane,

I am self-taught. The following is not meant to diminish the hard work of those who have gone to culinary school and paid their dues because frankly, I am in awe of the chefs who have done exactly that. However, I am currently cooking for a couple who used to have a CIA-trained chef in the large east-coast city they used to live in. Believe me, I shrunk about two feet when they told me this at our initial meeting.

I was completely honest with them, informed them of my experience and what I felt my "style" was and they had no problem with it. I do a monthly cookdate for them and we're going on our sixth and they are quite happy. Just throw your heart and soul into your cooking and you WILL be a success!

Diane,

As a former accomplished "home cook" and now a graduate of Cook Street in Denver, I can tell you that I am still an accomplished "home cook" that now has the techniques and skills acquired through a culinary education. My education has provided several things for me personally:

1) It has made me more efficient
2) It has given me a confidence I didn't have before
3) It gives me credibility
4) It gives me another referral network

The only con that I can say for a formal culinary education is that it is pricey. I personally don't feel that is a negative - more a consideration than anything else.

Is it necessary to embark on such an undertaking to be a successful personal chef? Absolutely not! You can be the best darn cook on the planet and have zero business sense. If that's the case, the education gains you nothing towards building a business. Of course, that's where the APCA steps in. With our association you learn how to do business as a personal chef (the assumption is that you already know how to cook - regardless of how you got your skills).

As Jim mentioned, there are many successful PC's with no culinary training and probably an equal number of not-so-successful PC's with the big bucks background! If you really want it you have to "work it".......we've all been there and are willing to help out.

Good luck,

Karis Vail Schmidt

Thanks for your responses.

I definitely would join APCA if I pursue this business, and I understand that success depends as much or more on the business aspects.

I really just wanted to get a feel for whether I really need a formal culinary education or not. I assume so, if you want to pursue ACF certification?

Hi Diane
Your question is a good one.
Here's something to consider while making up your mind about whether or not to enter the industry.
There are many different levels of service available to different clients.

If you are a self-taught passionate cook you might want to target potential clients who are looking for the type of meals you are comfortable preparing.
On the other hand, many of our former Executive Chefs from restaurants and hotels are offering "fine dining" service to clients.
Every personal chef business is different.

That's part of the beauty of this new career.
NO TWO CLIENTS are alike, and NO TWO personal chef businesses should be either.
Each personal chef business should reflect 2 very important things:
1) The level of expertise of the owner, and
2) The personal requirements of the owner.

If you are looking to polish your skills you might want to contact the local culinary school to see if they offer individual classes that you can take. If so, you might want to sign up for a class on knife skills, a class on sauces and soups, and a class on meats. These three will serve you well, and help you from a standpoint of both confidence and efficiency.

If you love to cook, that's how you show up in the world, and you have EVERY RIGHT to pursue a career cooking for clients who are time-ressed and hungry and want meals prepared from fresh ingredients instead of eating food that comes out of jars, cans and boxes.
Follow your heart.
Candy

If you want to pursue ACF certification, you would need some type of formal culinary education -- or have to be a very dedicated home-schooler! But ACF certification also requires you to have several years experience as a personal chef. It's a journey you can choose to embark on, once you get your business up and running, but I'd recommend concentrating on that before working on certification.

One of the best things about being a personal chef is that you can adjust your schedule to fit your lifestyle. So, you can be running your business and still make time for education -- whether it be immersing yourself in a particular cuisine, taking a knife skills or sauces course, or embarking on a full-fledged culinary program. All depends on your current skill set (and more importantly, how confident you feel) and what your goals are.