Private Chef vs Personal Chef

Private chefs are employed part time or full time by a single family or person. A private chef works in the employer's kitchen, preparing as many meals throughout each day as required. A private chef typically will plate and serve the meals as well. A private chef requires a great degree of discretion and utmost professionalism, as one will be aware of the family’s personal space. It would be expected for a private chef to accommodate additional guests and occasional dinner parties, with proper advance notice. A private chef will often travel with their employer to vacation homes.

A personal chef takes on multiple clients, often preparing portioned containers of packaged meals from the clients’ kitchens (often when they are not at home). Of course, this depends on the client’s comfort level and what makes sense for their specific needs. Delivering prepared meals on specified days is an option for clients looking to hire a personal chef, but would prefer the meal prep not be in their home. Meals are packaged & stocked neatly in the client’s fridge or freezer, with instructions for reheating supplied. There may be little or no interaction with the client. It’s very common for personal chefs to leave an invoice on a client’s counter for the meal prep they’ve provided or delivered. Communication and menu approval or confirmation is typically done via email, and it’s common for payments to be issued electronically using an app such as Venmo.