# How about a Personal Chef Forum?



## kraftchef (Jun 2, 2005)

Kraftchef from Miami USA

We should start a new forum targeted for professional personal chefs...


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Hi Kraftchef, and welcome to Chef Talk. We have some personal chefs here; I think they hang out in the catering and other professional chefs' forums. I'm not sure we have the critical mass of P.C.s to have a forum yet, but we're working on it! 

In the mean time, take a look at all the good stuff this board has to offer, and don't miss the articles and reviews at the main Chef Talk site.

Dig in!
Mezzaluna


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## hcmalon77 (May 13, 2005)

:chef: It would benefit  a lot of people if we had a forum like that....it would mean a lot to the personal chef world if we had some if not a little bit of support from the professional chef world. It might just be me but, I would be honored; whether it be negative or positive to hear the opinions of chefs out there that know what they are talking about...I admire you and I mean that. There is no "brown on my nose" seriously.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Since this discussion is continuing, I'm moving it to the Professional Catering forum where it now belongs.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Mezz- there have been a whole lot of PC threads in the past 3 years or so, is there a way for the newbies to access that incredible info.

And PCers those of us that PC or have PC'd view catering as a comparable venue.


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## rodffc (Jun 16, 2005)

The Personal Chef Business is not an easy beast to tend to at times and I know often I need support with various aspects of this specialized and very eclectic work. The world of private chef work requires often times "the chef" know how to create an evening, event, flavor, concept for intimate dinners to large celebrations and though this may be foreign to many, to many of us it is something as normal as showing up to a kitchen of sorts; it's just another kitchen with another set of standards which would be nice to talk about on here. ChefTalk - consider Private Chef TALK as an option for a Forum. There is a huge difference between catering and personal chef work. In personal chef work we have to identify with the family we work for and their dietary needs and consider motivating health (if we are at all ethical and truly concerned about the families we work for) above the fantasy of buffets for kings and queens three meals a day seven days a week. 
If anyone needs assistance in California or New York with servicing private clients, please feel free to contact me. I am available to consult to formulate great parties and special events, as well as developing a range of recipes and concepts in healthy cuisine for your family. My experience is notable with various well known "money" internationally. I am also looking for good chefs'''' to highlight on a new web site called Fusion Concepts whom specialize in working with private clients and have the ability to incorporate sound nutritional concepts in their cooking.
I have a lot to learn and am always hungry to help (no pun intended) so if you need assistance and know how to smile and keep it real, you got me for the right price and with the right ingredients to add to my life.
Great Cooking to you ALLLLLLLLL! Enjoy! Smell the ROSES while your at it!
Love and Light Rod
[email protected]


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## ara gureghian (Nov 22, 2004)

I would really second the "Personal Chef" aspect also... I have been doing it for 18 years now... I stopped these past 9 months and I am re-establishing a new clientele in Atlanta now, versus Naples, Florida... Yes... I had it made there... but... geographically that area bored me to death!...
This is kind of fun to re-start... of course it is a small world with specially Internet access and I am trying not to make the same mistakes that I did years ago!!! After 39 years in the business the beauty of it all is still... learning and learning and amazingly... making mistakes!!! 
I totally agree that Personal Cheffing is so different from Catering... I actually always made deals with Caterers... as they dislike doing dinners for 12 or so...
I have them turn me on to them and in return I turn them on to the Big Parties that I am not geared for... one should not be greedy but enjoy the mental satisfaction of their Craft...
As a Personal Chef the initial meeting with the clients... generally the wife as the husbands could not care less besides picking the wines off their wine cellars... a macho task they think... is the "blast"... I just love exploring their tatse, picking their brains and having this sixth sense as to what would make them "tick"... sometimes such meetings last up to 2 to 3 hours!!!
Besides writing in Magazines 
www.PersonalChefAra.com
I have never advertised... it has always been word of mouth... specially Cocktail parties for 60 to 80... one can always pick up new clients as within 15mn's they will flock the kitchen and want to know what the helll they are eating... I love to create new flavors and new presentations...
I have a big task ahead of me here, north of Atlanta, now. 
Since I have a big house I have decided to do all my prep here... I have a big kitchen, the latest "gadgets" and all the dicing, slicing, baking, "vehicle" preparations (shells/molds...) will be done here... my vehicle backs up to the Ktchen... will load and the final cooking... the smells... will be done at the Client's house...
I need to re-vamp my website with new pictures... remove some Rx's... add some new ones that I have been working on... paint the inside of this house as I am thinking... and this would be new also... to actually invite... the clients HERE for a tasting if it was desirable... the whole house is 70's style... it is just hysterical... fun... colorful to say the least... they could also in parallel visit the 4 wineries that are just a few minutes away from here!!!
Finally "MARKETING".... many multi million dollar homes around the Lake here... this will be the challenge to get my name out... to book my first dinners...
I am thinking to re-start first of November... but then again that might be too late as the Holiday Season functions are booked way ahead of time... will see... this is a big city and North of it where I live I can only hear constantly... wish we had some good food around here...
Well... soon... they will have good food... in their home!
If I can help any other Personal Chefs out there... please send the questions in... it is ample time to pass the "torch" and share some of this knowledge... such as charging also as I noticed many PC's charge as 300% mark up on the food cost equation... I dont... client pays face value for the food and very simply I charge my Daily fee on another bill... it is clean that way and I don't have to worry about food cost analyzis...
Anyhow...
Be well...
Ara


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## ara gureghian (Nov 22, 2004)

As the thread dies???


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Technically when you prep/cook out of your home you need a commercial kitchen. It's OK to do in a client's home for their consumption. 

I've PC'd and charged cost plus the same as you Ara. The biggest kick I got was walking into a stranger's home and after 2-3 hours getting a key, and a signed blank check to purchase groceries.
60-80 guests is a catering gig.

Most new clients sign up in Jan/Feb after the holidays. It'd be a hard start up in the Fall with travel and parties making home meals less attractive.

I'm not getting a clear sense of what you'd like to do.....and it maybe that you can/want to do several things. PC, cater, teach/mentor.....twisting the vision to work for you and your needs.
Right now I'm running a farmer's market, contracting venders to move indoors for the fall/early winter...the remaining 3 weeks have 2 events that are eating up time it ends up mainly doing PR and coordinating/doing cooking demos. I PC 2x a month for a priest....it's fun to just walk in and cook for a morning, essentially whatever I feel like making to fill his fridge/freezer. I also cater, several hundred is preferable but I also cook for smaller parties. Then there's culinary stage direction, I organize food stages making sure that chefs have pertinent info/support....it's another use of cooking skills.
Each aspect of my business uses a different set of grey cells, I get bored when I'm just doing one thing over any length of time.


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## Maciej (6 mo ago)

Stworzenie forum to świetny pomysł na dzielenie się doświadczeniami, chętnie podzielę się swoją wiedzą i porozmawiam z osobami, które znają się na temat.


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