The growth of the private chef industry has sprouted through social media, bringing their daily lives to light. Private chefs have not always been looked upon as they are now, but with recent transformation in the cooking industry, private chefs have been given more of a spotlight and are more appreciated for their work. The mental and physical wear and tear that it takes to be a professional chef in a restaurant setting is not directly carried over to the private chef world in the same ways. Being a private chef comes with more than meets the eye, and is a production entirely tailored to the client.
Cooking is an art of its own, harmonizing technique with creativity. Private chefs have a blurred line between professionalism and flexibility. This involves a structured timeline with set meals that can change in an instant, while also acting as a creative outlet for the chef themself. It can be a very personal matter to get to understand how and what someone likes to eat and be able to accommodate it. Many private chefs end up developing their own recipes that are specific for who they are cooking for. Some private chefs have even gone as far as creating their own cookbooks or blogs to share their loved recipes with their online audience.
A top favorite recipe of mine is the Green Garlic Ginger Chicken and Rice soup (aka swamp soup) that I got from a former private chef, Meredith Hayden. One of the many reasons some private chefs have been given a platform is for having a distinct style of cooking.
Chef Bae, for instance, is an LA-based celebrity private chef known for her “innovative ingredient swaps and unique flavor combinations.” Chef Bae is also the creator of the Chef Bae Crack Cookies 2.0, one of my most-loved cookie recipes that uses wholesome ingredients.
Once private chefs find dishes their clients love, they can curate dishes to remake while also staying clear of certain flavors and profiles. It is no secret that “the kitchen sees and feels everything,” as Khristianne Uy says in a Vogue article; talking about how private chefs have a “front row seat” to a family’s life. Even just looking into someone’s pantry and fridge can tell you a lot about them as a person. Private chefs are given freedom within boundaries to experiment with, going through many revisions to get a recipe exactly to the liking of the client. This takes time and patience to hear feedback and move forward with the commentary received.
This dynamic varies from a restaurant since the chef and customer work together to create a customized palate that is just right for them. Chefs wear many different hats — from bringing flavors to life in the kitchen to collaborating with their clients and team to creating community around food. Many gatherings are centered around food, bringing people together and creating conversation. Private chefs not only prepare the food, they also orchestrate the scene with the presentation and tablescape. Private chefs utilize their resourcefulness and often hold the role of being the leader of every part of the kitchen. It takes confidence and skill to run a kitchen, but the secret ingredient to many private chef’s work is ingenuity. Private chefs are constantly adapting to different timelines, food preferences, and ingredients on the daily. The harmony that private chefs can bridge between their work and private lives is unique to who they are working for and their personal lives.
The hustle of being a private chef involves much more than just being in the kitchen cooking. Many private chefs also do the grocery shopping, as they will often need very specific ingredients for their dishes. Meredith Hayden, a private chef that spent years working in the Hamptons, not only gets produce from farmers markets for her clients, but she also harvests vegetables and fruit from their home garden. This adds gardening to her array of expertise which also includes “speed and efficiency in…churning out breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and dessert for 12.” Private chefs may also expand their services to include event catering and cooking classes, as Chef Bae offers.
The online view private chefs display has expanded the field while also developing an entertainment aspect. Although some private chefs’ jobs can entail getting to work with celebrities in lavish destinations with a high pay grade, other details lie in the shadows. It is a laborious job to cook for hours on end while having to maintain a bubbly personality for the clients at the same time. While some work full time, it is most common for private chefs to only work for certain clients during specific parts of the year. When working full time for a client, this can also mean sacrificing personal moments with their own friends and family, leading to a large amount of loneliness. Private chefs are constantly juggling their own lives with the lives of their clients. Their hours can be unpredictable, as “many chefs said clients expect them to show up on little notice.” With personal time stripped away unpredictably, private chefs lean into the charming disarray of their lives. The level of expertise is at no lack for private chefs; the role of creating a meal for their client and guests to enjoy is testimony to their mastery.
When it comes to cooking in our own homes, it doesn’t take a culinary degree to create a delicious meal. Whether for a friend, family member, or colleague, cooking can be a way of expressing your care for them. The kitchen is a place to experiment with new flavor profiles and get in touch with the food you are eating. Cooking is a way of expressing love to yourself and company. You don’t have to be good at it to start. Instead of being limited by what you haven’t tried yet, allow each new thing you make to teach you something new. As the creative force behind our own lives, we have the ability to curate our days to our liking, making adjustments along the way.