A private chef can be amenable to strict dietary demands, requests for fresh baby food and on the fly dinner parties, but a personal chef really can’t fill that role. Personal chefs typically only have one dedicated workday to devote to a family. Some work part-time, while others only cook a certain style of food. Janet Senger, a personal chef in Orange County, Calif., said she once had a client ask her to make ten separate meals in an eight-hour period, a task akin to an extended Iron Chef battle on the Food Network. Senger declined, citing her limit of seven meals in one day.

The most common service in the personal chef industry is a weekly service that includes the preparation of five dinners for a family of four. A personal chef may also offer catering, cooking instruction and even weight management packages. Before you hire a personal chef you’ll want to work out the basics of weekly menus. For instance, do you need kid-friendly meals or separate entrees for the adults? Do you have any dietary restrictions? Do you want a chef with a wide culinary palate to prepare Thai, Indian, and Mexican food or are you simply looking for more traditional comfort food?

Finding a Chef: recruiting agencies, culinary schools, and the web

Recruiting agencies that specialize in household personnel, such as Starkey International Institute, do much of the prep work for you, like pre-screening applicants, but there are also specialized agencies, like Private Chefs, Inc., a Beverly Hills-based elite private chef agency. If you don’t want to go through an agency, try contacting a culinary school, a great place to find a well-trained chef. In New York, the French Culinary Institute and the Institute for Culinary Education both have professional-level culinary training programs. Depending on the city, Craigslist can also be a good resource. Finally, word of mouth is an excellent way to meet good applicants, either through friends or through members of your household staff.

A long interview with the applicant is as important as the cooking audition. The kitchen is almost always the hub of the house so it’s vital that his or her personality mesh well with your family, especially if you have children. Much like hiring a nanny, be sure to call references and run a background check.

The hunt for a personal chef will likely begin on the web, since most personal chefs run their own businesses. The three major industry associations, the American Personal and Private Chef Association, U.S. Personal Chef Association, and Personal Chefs Network are good resources and each have “Find a Chef” links.

When hiring a personal chef, it’s good, though not necessary, to consider applicants who are members of one of the aforementioned associations. These associations keep their members up-to-date on local industry trends, offer training seminars and educational materials, and in some cases provide liability insurance. All personal chefs should have a certification of safe food handling, such as the ServeSafe Food Protection Manager Certification, which is nationally recognized and accredited.

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