Personal Chef

Sous is an innovative in-home personal chef marketplace that was launched in 2024 in Chicago. It connects talented chefs with clients seeking weekly meal prep services and private dining experiences, delivering culinary excellence right in the comfort of clients’ homes. As a platform, Sous empowers chefs by allowing them to set their own prices, work flexible hours, and curate their own menus tailored to each client’s preferences and dietary needs. The company’s primary goal is to uplift chefs by helping them break free from the traditional, often low-paying restaurant environment and instead embrace entrepreneurship to earn more while enjoying a better work-life balance.

Sous’s app is an all-in-one service designed to facilitate seamless interactions between chefs and clients. It allows chefs to receive orders for various services such as weekly meal prep, family-style dinners, and elegant plated dinners for special occasions. Chefs can send personalized proposals with custom menus or select from a broad catalog of pre-made templates. They can also showcase their culinary style and personal brand through profile pages that highlight their experience, unique menus, and positive customer reviews. The platform further supports communication with customers through integrated chat features, enabling chefs to manage orders efficiently and collect payments securely.

For clients, Sous aims to bring the luxury of having a personal chef directly into their homes. The service is designed to help people eat better, reduce the stress of meal planning and preparation, and enjoy high-quality meals that match their ideal diet, whatever that might be. Whether it’s creating custom menus for weekly meal prep or executing family-style dinners and plated meals for private events, Sous chefs deliver exceptional hospitality and culinary craftsmanship. The platform promotes a seamless and professional experience for both chefs and clients, ensuring satisfaction through personalized food service and outstanding customer care.

The role Sous offers is perfect for professional chefs who possess strong culinary skills, excellent hospitality, and a personable demeanor. Chefs with high-end culinary experience and a passion for creating bespoke menus will thrive in this role. Interaction with clients is a significant aspect of the job, so chefs must enjoy customer engagement, be open to feedback, and maintain a professional appearance at all times, as this position is highly customer-facing. Confidence in front of the camera is also important because the app emphasizes short-form video content to promote chefs’ unique skills and personalities.

Chefs working with Sous are expected to be well-organized as they will manage relationships and orders with multiple clients, juggling weekly meal preparation as well as private event catering. Weekly meal prep services involve designing custom menus with client input, doing grocery shopping, cooking in the client’s home, stocking their fridge with meals for the week, and leaving the kitchen spotless. For private events, chefs perform similar tasks but execute family-style or plated dinners instead of stocking a fridge.

Typical hourly rates for new chefs are approximately $35-45 per hour, but since chefs set their own prices, there is potential to earn more with experience and reputation. This independent contractor model affords chefs considerable flexibility and control over their culinary careers, enabling them to build their own brand within a supportive and innovative environment. Sous is not only about food—it is about transforming the way chefs work and how customers enjoy home-cooked meals, aiming to elevate everyday dining into a personalized, stress-free, and enjoyable experience.