Private Chefs create menus, shop for groceries and prepare meals for multiple clients.
If you’re looking for a Private Chef to join your team, we’ve created a job description you can modify to fit your specific requirements. We also included tips to help you attract personable candidates who can help you build strong relationships with clients to encourage repeat business.
Please note that Private Chef and Personal Chef are often used interchangeably to describe the same position. The nuances between the positions are answered in the FAQ section down below.
Example of a Private Chef Job Description
[Company Name] is looking for an experienced Private Chef who can customize meals for our clients. Your duties include creating personalized menus, shopping for groceries and preparing meals that reheat well.
If you love interacting with people, are reliable and have at least two years of cooking experience, we encourage you to apply.
Salary: $[Salary range] per year
Schedule: Part-time (minimum of [Number] hours per week)
Perks and Benefits:
- Paid time off
- Life insurance
- Commuter benefits
- Retirement plan
- Health, dental and vision coverage
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Developing menus based on the client’s dietary needs
- Preparing meals for up to [Number] people
- Grocery shopping
- Cleaning the kitchen area before and after cooking
- Storing food properly
- Communicating regularly with clients
Skills & Experience:
- At least two years of cooking experience
- Knowledge of nutrition
- Excellent time and management skills
- Ability to select fresh produce, meat and fish
- Good communication skills
Education & Certifications:
- High school diploma or GED
- Food handler certification
Things You Need To Include in Your Private Chef Job Description
When writing job descriptions, it’s important to be comprehensive yet concise to manage applicants’ expectations.
For example, there are employers who require Private Chefs to follow their own menus and recipes. This is often done in order to help cut costs on ingredients or standardize the taste of each meal. For those who enjoy being creative and developing their own menus and recipes for each client, following an existing menu might not be satisfying.
It’s also worth mentioning other tasks they are expected to do, such as shopping for groceries and cleaning the kitchen area. Grocery shopping and cleaning require skills different from cooking.
Aside from the difference in the skill set required to carry out these tasks, it will also affect time management. Applicants need to know all the tasks involved in their job so they can plan their days effectively and ensure they’re able to carry out all their duties seamlessly.
To summarize, here are the important things you need to include under the duties of a Private Chef in your job description:
- Whether they’ll be creating or following your establishment’s menu
- If they’ll be responsible for grocery shopping
- If they’re amenable to offering cleanup services
Skills and experience requirements for Private Chefs
We’ve listed both the soft and hard skills every Private Chef should have:
Soft skills:
- Attention to detail: Each customer may have different dietary needs that Private Chefs need to remember carefully to ensure what they’re serving is safe and appropriate. This is especially crucial if they’re preparing meals for clients with food allergies.
- Organizational skills: Private Chefs manage multiple tasks within a set amount of time. Having organizational skills ensures they’ll be able to finish all their duties without working overtime.
- Communication skills: This is important to provide excellent customer service and build strong relationships with clients which can encourage customer loyalty.
Hard skills:
- Cooking skills: Private Chefs need to have good knife skills, an understanding of nutrition and expertise in different cooking methods.
- Knowledge of food safety practices: Familiarity with temperature control, hygiene practices and proper storage is important to protect your customers and your business.
- Menu development: This is especially helpful if they’ll be in charge of creating their own menus. However, even if they’re following your organization’s menu, it will still be helpful if they have knowledge of menu development so they can provide suggestions.
Education and certification requirements for Private Chefs
The majority of employers in the U.S. require the following:
- Food handler certificate
- High school diploma or GED
If you’re hiring for a senior care facility or clients with special health conditions, consider including the following certifications to filter applicants with in-depth knowledge of nutrition:
- Holistic Chef Certification
- Certified Culinary Medicine Professional
- Culinary Nutrition and Food Therapy Certification
Private Chef Salary Expectations
Private Chefs in the U.S. earn $68,493 per year. Wages for Private Chefs can vary greatly depending on the level of experience, location and specific employer requirements. If you’re hiring in a major U.S. city like the Big Apple, salaries can go up to $79,455 per year.
Annual mean wage
$70,128
Annual mean wage
$79,466
Annual mean wage
$71,727
Annual mean wage
$76,495
Similar Job Titles
Private Chef Job Description FAQs
Yes, they share the same list of responsibilities. Personal Chefs also create customized menus, prepare meals and provide nutritional guidance to clients. The only real difference is the fact that the term Private Chefs is sometimes used to refer to Chefs who live with their employer and are exclusively employed by them.
If they graduated from a reputable culinary school, then you can consider applicants with no professional experience. It’s important to note that since they have no actual hands-on experience, they might need to be coached or mentored to start off with, so be ready to budget accordingly.
Keep these tips in mind when writing a job description:
- Don’t use vague language
- Be reasonable with your required years of experience
- Be upfront with your salary information and employee benefits and perks
And, as already mentioned above, let the applicants know whether they’ll follow a menu or be expected to come up with one, as well as whether they’ll have to take care of grocery shopping and cleaning up after themselves.
