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Personal Chef Industry

Wow! Did you see it? Isn't it a great time to be a personal chef?

Just in case you didn't get to see it: http://www.extratv.com

whoa! was that cool or what? I just can't wait to go into this. I should be starting mid-June at the latest.

I have seen numerous articles lately on personal chefs and they only list the uspca as the source to find out info. Any reason why that is? I am still trying to decide which organization to join (apca is my first choice) but concerned that it does not get enough recognition.

Recognition, Schmecognition !! I personally don't think that has much to do with it. When you see the support and camraderie we have here, it's no question which association rocks. I'm talking FAMILY !! I would NEVER have been able to start setting up my business while keeping my sanity if it wasn't for this association and all of the great members !! (and non-members!!) You get such invaluable information from tips and recipes all the way down to just plain gossip after a not so smooth cheffing day. I don't know, call me biased, but I just know that this place has been a godsend and the root of all of my confidence !!

Sappily yours,


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Jennifer Amicucci
Your Kitchen Gourmet
Wappingers Falls, NY

Thanks, Jennifer. We decided early on that we didn't have to be the "Biggest, Foremost, Premier" anything, and we weren't going to spend millions of dollars on slick marketing, sales, and advertising projects to get our name out there. What we decided to do was to provide the best Personal Chef Training Program availabe for a fair price, and that is exactly what we have been doing for years. APCA was the first Personal Chef company on the Internet and we consciously chose to markiet only on the Internet. It has served us well, and by not spending millions on advertising we can hold our affordabe price stable. APCA gets lots of local press for the members in their cities, and that's what it's all about...for us anyway, supporting our membership in the cities in which they work so they can build their businesses.
Hope this answers your question, and thanks for being in touch. Candy

I think that you guys will find that any publicity is good publicity -- even an article in your local paper about a personal chef (who is NOT you) will help -- next time you say "I'm a personal chef" you might not have to explain it. And since people tend to read an article, but not act on it right away, if your brochure hits them sometime down the road -- believe me, the customer won't be saying, oh, but I want that person in the paper who belonged to that other association!

They probably won't remember who that other person was, or what the association's name is. When an APCA member gets press, it's good news for USPCA members, too. Our biggest barrier is getting people to understand what we do -- and NOT do. (If I get one more call/referral to do a wedding, I swear I'll scream...)

I think that belonging to an association lends you some credibility and demonstrates your professionalism -- but base your decision on the one that best suits your personal support, information and training needs.

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Meredith
Whisk For Hire
Kensington, MD

It seems I remember that you ran national television advertising some months ago. Did that go well for you?

Been lurking for a long time and I still don't understand why there is such competition among the associations. I have never seen anything like it.

Anyway, it is about getting the concept of personal chefs into the brains of the pulbic. It doesn't matter, does it, who spends the advertising $$$. "slick marketing, sales, and advertising projects" like it is a bad thing?

Hi Leslie. Thanks for "outing" yourself as a long term lurker on this forum...Supporting people like you is one of the reasons we maintain an Open Forum, and compile several years of archived messages - just so people will have a place to do research and find answers to their questions about this new, exciting industry. We have always maintained that press or media exposure for either association is good for the industry, and even mention the other association as as option in articles and interviews about us. As far as we are concerned there is plenty of room for both associations and anyone else who can make an actual, responsible contribution to the growth of the industry we have spent so much time and effort to build. We do not and have not EVER initiated a conversation or opinion on our competition, and will not do so. We have seen a lot of APCA bashing over the years, and have chosen to "rise above it", without comment, since the source of such posts are usually ill informed persons, or persons bent on harm. They usually lose interest and go away when we don't respond, and that's as it should be.
We have said over and over, and say once again: BOTH National Associations have value, both training programs are excellent road maps to starting your Personal Chef business. You must choose which association's philosophy and support system best supports your needs and then go for it. Candy

Thanks for your response to me Candy. I have read through every bit of the archives, not in one day, mind you!

Say, this is my 6th or 7th post. Why doesn't it say member under my name? This computer software stuff is way above my head.

quote:

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Originally posted by chefcandy:
Hi Leslie. Thanks for "outing" yourself as a long term lurker on this forum...Supporting people like you is one of the reasons we maintain an Open Forum, and compile several years of archived messages - just so people will have a place to do research and find answers to their questions about this new, exciting industry. We have always maintained that press or media exposure for either association is good for the industry, and even mention the other association as as option in articles and interviews about us. As far as we are concerned there is plenty of room for both associations and anyone else who can make an actual, responsible contribution to the growth of the industry we have spent so much time and effort to build. We do not and have not EVER initiated a conversation or opinion on our competition, and will not do so. We have seen a lot of APCA bashing over the years, and have chosen to "rise above it", without comment, since the source of such posts are usually ill informed persons, or persons bent on harm. They usually lose interest and go away when we don't respond, and that's as it should be.
We have said over and over, and say once again: BOTH National Associations have value, both training programs are excellent road maps to starting your Personal Chef business. You must choose which association's philosophy and support system best supports your needs and then go for it. Candy

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We have changed the member status to 25 posts for all posters on all forums. Those who have posted 25 or more messages will show as "Members". This does NOT indicate APCA member status. Only registered APCA members have access to the private forums.

Any one with less than 25 posts will show as "New Member." This includes those folks who use the Open Forum and are not APCA members.

Non-APCA members who use the Open Forum AND have more than 25 posts will show as "Member", but DO NOT have access to any private forums and are not registered APCA members.

Once again, we refer visitors to this Open
Forum to the Rules of the Forum which states that posters leave a valid email address.
Visitors who repeatedly register and post without a valid email address will run the risk of automatic deletion.

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Dennis T. Wallace
800-644-8389
webmaster@personalchef.com
4572 Delaware Street
San Diego, CA 92116