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Personal Chef Industry

I'm still concerned about not having a formal culinary education and being a personal chef. It seems that everything I have seen and read about being a PC is geared to the culinary arts graduate. Please let me know if I am wasting my time starting a PC business.

I'm not sure exactly what you've been reading, but I don't believe it was this forum. Having a culinary background may give you a little of a headstart in some cases, but most of the successful pc's that I know are serious cooks without formal culinary degrees. Many have taken part time culinary programs or individual classes to help hone their skills, but not taken the time and expense of attending a full time culinary program.

I attended the Mid Atlantic Chapter APCA meeting on Sunday...there were 16 people present and I may be wrong but I only know that two of the 16 were culinary gradulates...but all the rest are successful in different stages of their business. Anywhere from just starting to several years.

The key to success in this business is dedication, people skills and being a serious cook that wants to satisfy clients. All the rest is dressing.

Good luck.

A formal education in any field is always a good starting place. That being said, there have been many folks, who made a career by being determined, dedication, learning from experience, & guidance from others. There are several renowned chefs who never went to culinary school.

For this industry..passion is one key & as Jim stated, dedication, public relation skills & being serious about what you are doing, are a few more. But let's not forget about the business side. It won't matter that one knows how to cook well, is dedicated/ passionate or how much formal training they may have, if they do not learn the business side.

I personally, do not have formal culinary education. I began cooking when I was very young, & was fortunate to have worked in restaurants (in a lot of different capacities) where I gained more experience & knowledge in the culinary field. My own business is doing quite well, & I love what I do. But I did not get there by myself. I joined APCA so that I could learn more about this industry, but most importantly, for training on not only how to get my business up & running, but how to maintain it.

That is why so many careers offer "training"...even in this industry. One will need to know about the ins & outs of this business...it is not just about cooking, getting a website, etc. It's not even about initially setting up a business, but how to maintain it properly. It is so easy for a business to fail, only b/c of lack of knowledge & lack of proper maintenance of the business side, which yes, starts with a business plan & marketing the business, but certainly does not stop there. It has been said, that some people are more afraid of succeeding vs afraid of failing. This is where support is needed (family, friends, a career related organization, & groups such as BNI etc).



My suggestion to anyone who wants to get into this industry & become successful; is to check out the associations available, choosing the one that best fits their needs, & go through the training provided. If you feel that you need to hone or enhance some skills, then a few of them even offer hands on training (APCA is one of the organizations that offers this (find out more on the home page). The cooking school & seminars are designed to jumpstart one's business. It will not only provide one with knowledge, & confidence, but it will surely motivate them as well.

Good luck, & if you have other concerns, then by all means, give Chef Candy or Chef Patt a call. Or you can email me at: chef4unow@yahoo.com

Hi Concerned,

Good question, I'm glad you asked it.

One of the wonderful things about the personal chef industry is that no two personal chef businesses should look alike. Each business actually reflects the level of expetise of the owner and that owner's personal requirements.

What that means is that if you are are a trained chef and want to provide Fine Dining for weekly clients 3 days each week, so be it.
On the other hand if you are a self taught home cook and you want to provide healthy, delicious family style meals to busy families bi-weekly 4 days a week, you can have it your way too.

There are at least 6 or 7 different types of personal chef clients to choose from if you wish to specialize, and we're proud that we represent chefs of all different levels to serve those hungry, time pressed clients. There are clients out there for all of us. That's what APCA does best. We help you determine what level of service you wish to offer and to whom.

Don't ever be afraid to follow your dream. Just do it responsibly. Do your research, make a plan and go for it. Otherwise you just die by inches knowing that what you are doing gives you no joy.
Candy