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How to become a personal
chef
By
Leah Gliniewicz • Bankrate.com
The personal-chef industry is 17 years
old and growing fast. And you don't necessarily have to have professional
culinary experience to join it, just a love of cooking.
"It's amazing how many people are pursuing this as
a second career because they're passionate about cooking, and they've
already established themselves in one career and want a creative
outlet," says Candy Wallace. She is the owner and executive director
of the
American Personal Chef Association in San Diego, whose accreditation
is recognized by the American Culinary Federation.
Barbara Evans is an Ohio Department of Transportation
employee turned certified personal chef with the United
States Personal Chef Association.
"I think one of the aspects of the job that appealed
to me so much is listening to people's stories about food," Evans
says. But one of the challenges is cooking for clients who don't
like to cook and have, say, only one working stove burner. A chef
may be the first person to use some of the appliances in this
kitchen.
"One of the interesting things about the industry
-- and it growing so fast -- is it's become a wonderful alternative
to institutional cooking," Wallace says. Chefs who work in restaurants
and hotels often have demanding schedules with long hours on nights,
weekends, and holidays. And the personal chef salary is comparable.
Lara Kierstead, owner of A Chef in Your Kitchen Inc.
in Salt Lake City, used a USPCA starter kit to launch her personal
chef business. After working at four- and five-star resorts for
several years as a kitchen supervisor, she's back to her first love
-- cooking.
"It's very new to Salt Lake City. The name of my business
really gets my foot in the door," Kierstead says.
Personal chefs typically start out with established
recipes from an association and develop their own only after they
have been in the field for three to four years.
David MacKay, executive director and founder of the
USPCA in Albuquerque, N.M., says that the organization trained 15
chefs in 1992, but now they're training 100 a month. The group has
a database of 700 recipes, three training facilities, course-approved
classes being taught at three culinary schools and a self-study
course.
Prices for the USPCA classes range from $393 to $3,995.
The APCA offers access to 250 recipes with a two-day, hands-on training
seminar for $950, and two self-study courses: a written version
for $650 and a videotaped version for $795. Both associations include
a one-year membership and access to a network of association members.
"I love the fact that I'm cooking again," Kierstead
says. "What's been different is learning to run a business. I really
enjoy learning, plus having a flexible schedule. I get to be very
creative."
Amy C. Fleitas contributed to this story.
--Updated:July 25, 2002
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