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Personal Chef Industry

I have been looking for a way to get into the culinary field for some time, but have had many setbacks. I haven’t wanted to go to culinary school for many reasons (financial being a big one), but also because I come from a family of great cooks. My grandmother always said “why would you pay to learn how to cook...come over to my house!” I am Italian/Sicilian descent and everyone from my grandmother to my cousins are excellent cooks. I have been cooking since I was at least 12 and have thought about opening a restaurant, pizza place, Italian deli, starting a catering business, etc. in an effort to share my family’s recipes that have been passed down for years. I am only 23 years old though and do not have the money or resources for that right now. I have been researching becoming a personal chef for the past week or so and this seems like a great fit for me. I am very clean, organized, detail-oriented, and I loved to plan (also looked into wedding/party planning). I was a psychology major and business minor in college and do some marketing work on the side of my full-time job as an office manager at a law firm. As a result, I am fairly confident in my ability to run a business, except that I am quiet/shy, so selling myself (verbally) might be a bit difficult at first. I enjoy (usually prefer) working alone and love to cook. I especially know the importance of families eating together as I am the fifth of eight kids and we eat my mother’s home cooked meals together every night. I have been looking long and hard for the right career path for myself since I graduated from college in May 2006. I have always wanted to work for myself doing something that I love and an office job does not suit me at all. My family and friends have always pushed me to do something related to cooking, and I know it would be the most rewarding career for me.

Anyway, I am looking for some suggestions and advice from people who have been personal chefs for a while. I noticed that most of you are older, have left your previous jobs or are still working, but have not seen anyone my age. Just wondering why that might be? Do you think it would be an advantage or disadvantage to me that I am 23?

I also noticed from a previous post some concerns about working alone in other people’s homes. Being a young female, I (and I’m sure my parents, too) have concerns about safety issues, etc. Any thoughts?

I have been at my current job since I graduated high school 5+ years ago and am ready for a big change. The “job” search I began before I graduated college has not been successful. I know I need to follow my heart and my love of cooking. I have been doing a lot of research and started a rough business plan. I am sure my boss would be flexible with me if I decide to pursue being a personal chef. So, I am mainly just looking for words of encouragement to get myself started :-)

Thanks!

Joanna
Silver Spring, MD

Hi Joanna,

What a thoughtful post. Your questions are well-presented, and your maturity really shines through. I can't imagine your having any problems setting up and operating a business of your own, and with your college degree and your clear focus on the type of business you'd like to run, you are well ahead of lots of folks.
That coupled with the fact that you obviously will be getting a lot of moral support from your family will really serve you well.

I truly do not believe there is any particular age that is right or wrong when starting a business of your own. You already know that cooking for people is how you choose to show up in the world, and if you really enjoy organization and like to shop, cook and nurture, you have selected the career that can brng you emotional and financial rewards.

I think that if your employer really can be flexible so that you can work part time and set up your personal chef business part time that would be perfect. You might even wind up with some of your current colleagues as clients.
The beauty of this career is that you set up your personal chef business to reflect who you are and what you require from your business, so don't be afraid to be flexible.

Safety is most certainly a concern and we spend a good bit of time in our training materials and seminars addressing it along with many many other facets of the business so our members can set up and operate legitimate, successful, safe, businesses of their own.

Congratulations on your deecision to start your own business, Joanna. From your post you seem to be a competent, focused, articulate young person who loves to cook and realizes early on that owning and operating their own business can bring deep fulfillment and financial satisfaction.
Please be in touch if we can be of more help.

I notice you are from Silver Spring, MD. I grew up there and graduated from U MD. Are you by any chance a Terrapin as well?
Best wishes to you!
candy

Hi Joanna,

Sounds like you have all the skills you need to run your own business. The fact that you realize that your shyness could be a factor is good. A realistic view of yourself will only benefit you in the long run. So here is how you deal with your shyness - 1. You are passionate about food so hopefully with experience you will gain confidence and that will translate into an ability to "toot your own horn" when necessary. 2. You will need to cultivate your "cheerleaders" People who love you and your food. I bet you have a few of these people right now. People that just can't stop talking about how great your food is. With the right cheerleaders you don't have to worry about being outgoing.

As Candy said safety issues are a concern. Read all of the posts on the forums about this topic. Just knowing some warnings signs will help. Also, this is YOUR business. If you ever feel the least bit concerned just say you are all booked up right now. Maybe you will decide that you will only cook for families, the elderly and women. You can have a friend come with you on assessments and tell the client that you wanted them to meet your assistant because they help yo from time to time when you are really busy. There are lots of ways to deal with this. The APPCA can help you with each of your concerns. I can't tell you all the ways that the forums have helped me with my business and beyond.

Best of luck!
Sherry

Hi Joanna,

I am new to this field and am in the reasearching/recipe developing phase also.

One thing that I have found very helpful is networking. There are many networking groups in every city, check out your local chamber of commerce to see what they have on their calendar. Most are either free or there is a slight cost for a meal. The reason I bring that up is that it would give you a forum to practice speaking infront of or to people about your new business. Since you are passionate about cooking for others I bet you won't need much practice before you feel more comfortable, plus you would be getting the word out about what you do. I personally found a women's networking group and was immediately invited to a professional weekly networking group (they only allow 1 of each typeof business and their personal chef had just moved to Iowa)that has been wonderful. Then I was invited to a few seminars at some of the local chambers, all of which have been interesting and somewhat helpful. So you can see how taking 1 small step can help you in very many ways.

Good luck and Happy Cookin'
Chef Sharon Ann