Working as a Private Dining Chef for The Chef Tree
A private dining chef is someone who is a trained cook, who prepares at-home meals for their clients. Private dining chefs are usually employed by one family or one household; they will customize a meal plan according to the client’s dietary needs and preferences, shop for the items, prepare the meal, and also clean up the kitchen after they’re done. This saves their clients the time and effort needed to cook their own food, which can be very valuable to people that are extremely busy. This type of dining has recently become very popular as people look to the luxury of having someone cook for them in their own homes.
A private chef might plan and execute a special event—an anniversary dinner, for example, or a birthday party for as many guests as will fit at a family’s dining room table.
Being a private chef requires a high level of responsibility. As you are the only person who is in charge of everything that is happening in the kitchen, you do not have much space for mistakes.
As a private chef, you have an opportunity to build personal relations with the customer. You cook for a specific person, with specific preferences and, as a result, your work is 100% personalised.
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What skills do you need to be a private dining chef?
A private dining chef’s responsibilities include meal planning, shopping for ingredients, cooking, and cleaning up after the meals are made. Some private dining chefs work in a client’s home to cook a week’s worth of meals, and are responsible for safe packaging, accurate labelling, and convenient storage of prepared items in their clients’ refrigerators or freezers.
On special occasions, a personal chef may manage a team of cooks and act as a caterer. As a caterer, the personal chef and hired assistants may prepare foods that will be served to guests at a dinner party. This could be for a formal sit-down dinner, or for a buffet-style event.
Private dining chefs work closely with their clients. They have to take into consideration their clients’ preferences when customising a meal plan. It is important to follow these preferences carefully in order to ensure client satisfaction. A chef must also have nutritional knowledge, as often a client needs to follow strict dietary guidelines or has food allergies. There are also some chefs that specialise in certain types of cooking, such as paleo, vegetarian, or raw food diets.
Duties of a private chef:
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creating a customised meal plan
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shopping for groceries (at markets, grocery stores, etc)
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shopping for speciality items (organic, gluten-free, nut-free, etc)
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putting food away and storing it properly
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stocking the pantry with the client’s favourite items
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being diligent with food-handling skills
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providing easy-to-read preparation instructions for clients
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cleaning up and sanitizing
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keeping up with nutritional information
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listening and understanding client needs
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improving culinary techniques
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word-of-mouth marketing from satisfied clients
What experience do you need to work as a private dining chef?
Ideally, you would have gained a lot of experience preparing food in a professional kitchen environment. It would be incredibly beneficial if you had the experience of every station in a professional kitchen; from prep to pudding.
You will be preparing whole menus for clients so it makes sense that you will have gained some experience in doing this in a professional environment.
As a private dining chef, you do not get the luxury of having a sous chef prepare your wares. Nor do you have the benefit of a kitchen porter to clean your pots and pans. Everything is on you and you alone. Your client may want a dish you have never prepared before so you need the skills and experience to be able to rustle this up to a very good standard. At these times you’ll find a good friend on Google!
What type of food do you cook as a private dining chef?
The answer to this is quite simply anything and everything! You may have clients who are happy for you to dictate their dining plans. Conversely, you will have clients who have a clear idea, and more than likely, exacting standards, that they want you to meet.
You get to go to different venues, you’re not stuck in the same job endlessly, not boring. You don’t have to go back when you don’t like somewhere and there is a variety of jobs.
Working for The Chef Tree is completely different from being a full-time chef. You choose the hours you want to do, fill in your portal, and everything is arranged around that.
What does The Chef Tree Pay for a Private Dining Chef?
Our rates are dependent on your experience but a CDP can expect to earn £14 p.h, a sous chef, £16 p.h, a Head chef, £18 p.h and an Executive chef or weekend care home chef, £20 p.h.
What are the benefits of working for TCT?
When you join The Chef Tree you will be entitled to the following amazing benefits;
Competitive rates of pay. Our current rate for a cook is £16ph.
Our Monthly Bonus Scheme - Complete 166 hours per month (just under 38.5 hours per week) and you will receive £100 bonus. This will be paid monthly.
Our Refer a Chef scheme – If you refer a chef to us you will receive £150 when the chef completes 5 shifts. The chef you refer will receive £75 on completion of 5 shifts.
Access to our online benefit partners, Pirkx - a benefit scheme for courses, health, wellbeing, shopping and more! For more information visit www.pirkx.com
Where can you work as a Private Dining Chef?
I like working for The Chef Tree because of the freedom and the flexibility
You get to go to different venues, you’re not stuck in the same job endlessly, not boring. You don’t have to go back when you don’t like somewhere and there is a variety of jobs.
Working for The Chef Tree is completely different from being a full-time chef
You choose the hours you want to do, fill in your portal, and everything is
arranged around that
Registration is quick and easy!
If you’re looking for a new chef job and want to start right now then we can help!
Complete the form and we’ll call you right back.
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Call us: 071 8604 611