Best Personal Chefs 2022
Cooking & Catering
Cooking & Catering is the Arlington business of chef Rebecca Cole, who is "happiest at the farmer's market, in the kitchen, or on a picnic." Chef Rebecca received her culinary degree from the School of Hospitality and Restauranting in Barcelona, Spain. All private chef packages begin with a $300 service fee, which excludes the cost of fresh and specialty groceries.
A Capital Cook
A Capital Cook is a Washington company offering personal chef services, with meals prepared in customers' homes or delivered to clients every week. Services include weeknight dinners, dinner parties and special events, cooking lessons, and complete kitchen management. Lead chef Elaine Potwardoski has been cooking since the age of 10 and is a ServSafe food service manager.
Cozymeal
Founded in 2014, Cozymeal offers catering and chef services, from cooking classes to chef-crafted meal deliveries, for clients in Washington, D.C. Personal chefs are available to cook customized meals for different events, including date nights, birthdays, anniversaries, corporate dinner parties, and holiday celebrations. Customers can use Cozymeal's meal prep delivery services to have dinners made by local chefs and delivered to their doorstep. Additionally, its cooking classes allow home cooks to gain new culinary skills.
Tailored Taste
Tailored Taste is the Washington personal chef service company of Monica Thomas, a graduate of the Culinary Business Academy, member of the US Personal Chef Association, and ServSafe certified food handler. Personal chef plans begin at $325 plus the cost of groceries for five entrees per week, which serve a family of four for approximately one week.
Chef Jess
Chef Jess is a personal chef, speaker, and nutrition consultant committed to "making it simple to eat good and live great!" for clients in the metro DC area. Owner Jessica Swift, RD is a classically trained chef and registered dietitian with a degree in nutritional sciences. She has been featured in Redbook, Elle, and Essence magazines and has demonstrated her culinary skills on the Food Network and the Today Show. Meal plans include "tasty, metabolism-boosting meals" that are nutritionally sound and health focused.
Food is Love Personal Chef Services
Food is Love Personal Chef Services prepares foods for daily meals and private events of clients in Washington DC. Its team of chefs handles all preparation, cooking, and cleanup needs to minimize the stress in preparing for celebrations that serve flavorful foods. Clients can choose from its selection of menus, which include American, Caribbean, Indian, Latin, and Asian dishes. They can also create a customized three-course meal plan. Food is Love Personal Chef Services also offers cooking lessons for kids.
The Delicious Dish
The Delicious Dish is a personal chef service in greater Washington, DC designed to simplify meals and at-home entertaining for customers. Meal services are available for dinners, freezer-ready meals, healthy lunches, after-school snacks, senior meals, and special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and baptisms. The company's chef also offers plans that follow special diets, including paleo, clean eating, gluten free, vegetarian, diabetic, low fat, and more.
Palette Dome Cuisine
Palette Dome Cuisine is a boutique catering and personal chef service in Washington. The company specializes in fresh and modern Mediterranean cuisine, using organic ingredients and incorporating a range of spices and aromas. Services include turnkey event planning, catering for parties and other events, food delivery for small events, home cooking classes, and personal chef services.
The Grateful Table
The Grateful Table in Lanham provides busy individuals with meal planning, shopping, food preparation, tailor-made meals, and kitchen cleanup. The company is operated by a mother-daughter team of chefs who belong to the American Personal and Private Chef Association, carry liability insurance, and are ServSafe certified food handlers. The base price for private chef services is $375 and includes up to five meals of four servings each, but excludes the price of groceries and plastic or glass food containers.
Thyme Savor Personal Chef Service
Thyme Savor Personal Chef Service has been providing Fairfax and surrounding areas with customized meals since 2000. Plans include the "single and sick of carry out" for $160, which provides busy single people with five dinners and appropriate side dishes. The "Family of Four" for $375 offers five dinners with appropriate side dishes for four people. Prices include the cost of groceries.
Chef Bernard
Chef Bernard is the Bethesda company of Bernard Henry, a chef born and raised on a dairy farm in France. He was trained in classical French cuisine at the US school L'Academie de Cuisine and worked as the executive chef at Open Kitchen restaurant in Virginia. Chef Bernard belongs to the American Personal and Private Chef Association and provides weekly personal chef services with a minimum order size of three entrees and three side dishes per week.
Chiqui Chef
Chiqui Chef is the Arlington company of chef Anna, who began learning the trade at her family's New York Italian restaurant. She is currently a chef instructor at Sur La Table specializing in ethnic, Mediterranean, and Italian cuisines. Chef Anna is a member of the US Personal Chef Association and she is food safety certified and fully insured. Services include personal chef and meal plans, cooking lessons, and private party catering.
Expert Answers To Common Questions:
- Introduction
- How much does a personal chef cost?
- How do you become a personal chef?
- How do personal chefs charge?
- What is the difference between a caterer and a personal chef?
- Do personal chefs need a business license?
- Will a personal chef work for one night/meal?
- Do you need a license to operate as a personal chef?
- How do you become a certified personal chef?
- Does a personal chef live with you?
- Can you write off a personal chef as a tax deduction?
- Do personal chefs buy their own groceries?
- Do personal chefs charge mileage?
- Do personal chefs charge sales tax?
- Do personal chefs need insurance to operate?
- Do you pay for a personal chef before or after the meal?
- Do you tip personal chefs?
- Does a personal chef need a commercial kitchen?
- Q: Introduction
- A: Professional private chefs can prepare daily meals and snacks for the families that hire them, or they can provide catering services for multiple guests at public events. These professionals use fresh ingredients and expert skill to craft delicious, healthy meals for their guests, both in private homes and for large events. Before you hire a personal chef for yourself, your family, or a private event, it helps to know what they do, how they charge, and where to find the right chef for you.
- Q: How much does a personal chef cost?
- A: The price you pay for a private chef is affected by many factors, such as location, size of the meal being prepared, and the arrangements you have made for their service. In urban areas with generally high costs, you can expect to pay between $300 and $450 for a meal service for up to 12 guests. Groceries, the cost of facilities, and other expenses can add significantly to this cost.
- Q: How do you become a personal chef?
- A: While there are no strict educational requirements for becoming a personal chef, many people who choose this career follow a fairly standard course of classwork and professional experience. Many personal chefs have a high school diploma, plus an associate's degree or professional certificate in culinary arts. Some chefs choose to pursue a bachelor's degree in the subject or to expand into a business degree if they intend to run their own catering service.
- Q: How do personal chefs charge?
- A: Personal chefs are free to charge their clients in any way that works for them. Some personal chefs are part of a family's private staff and are usually paid wages as a member of the household help. Some work independently and charge by the hour or by the job. Some charge a flat rate per event, though there is often an additional cost for extra guests.
- Q: What is the difference between a caterer and a personal chef?
- A: Though their roles at events can be similar, caterers differ from personal chefs in that they generally manage independent businesses with many clients, rather than acting as single-client contractors. Caterers are also typically hired for one-off events, rather than retained for regular service like personal chefs.
- Q: Do personal chefs need a business license?
- A: Though the rules for running a business vary from state to state, personal chefs who work as independent contractors generally do not need professional licensure. A personal chef who owns a small business might be required to pay a business tax or other state or local licensing fee, but this is basically the same as any other small business. Personal chefs employed by a household are generally considered employees and do not need to pay for a business license.
- Q: Will a personal chef work for one night/meal?
- A: Personal chefs are generally free to work out any business arrangement that suits them and their clients. In some cases, a personal chef will work for many years for a single family, but others offer their services on an as-needed basis and can be engaged for single events.
- Q: Do you need a license to operate as a personal chef?
- A: Personal chefs who work for a private client generally do not need a license to operate because they are considered private service employees and work at the pleasure of their employer. Personal chefs who use their clients' kitchens and other facilities may or may not need a license, depending on the laws in the state where they work. As a rule, personal chefs who work as caterers or who operate their own kitchens in brick-and-mortar facilities, do need to submit to health and safety inspections, and they may be required to get an operating license like any other restaurant facility.
- Q: How do you become a certified personal chef?
- A: While no specific requirements are in place for private chefs who work for a single client, personal chefs who offer their services to the public may find it useful to hold accreditation through the American Culinary Federation (ACF). The ACF requires its members to spend at least three years working as an entry-level culinarian, plus at least one year as a full-time personal chef.
- Q: Does a personal chef live with you?
- A: Some personal chefs live in or near the residence of their employer. These chefs are generally employed by the household of their client and may live and work with other members of the family's staff, such as a butler, a valet, and personal assistants. Many personal chefs choose to live on their own, but they may be required to be on call or available for travel on short notice.
- Q: Can you write off a personal chef as a tax deduction?
- A: Personal chef services may be tax deductible under some circumstances. The IRS requires meals claimed as a business expense to qualify as "ordinary and necessary" operating expenses for business purposes, and they must be paid for by the entity, which can be the business or the owner of the business, that intends to deduct the cost. Every person and business has a unique tax situation, however, so it is important to consult with a knowledgeable tax professional before claiming any deduction you aren't sure about.
- Q: Do personal chefs buy their own groceries?
- A: Personal chefs commonly shop for ingredients for the meals they prepare. The cost of buying fresh food may be a normal part of the household budget for private chefs, or it may be added to the overall cost of catering for per-event services.
- Q: Do personal chefs charge mileage?
- A: Payment arrangements vary between chefs and among different clients. While some personal chefs are paid wages as part of the household staff, others can charge clients by the job, by the hour, or a flat rate with various add-on expenses. Mileage may be included in the cost of catering an event, or it may be an additional fee that is charged to the invoice.
- Q: Do personal chefs charge sales tax?
- A: In states where sales tax is part of the culinary business, many personal chefs do have to charge extra for their services. In some states, notably California, Georgia, New York, Illinois, and Maine, personal chefs are taxed as "caterers" if they personally purchased the groceries for the meals they've prepared.
- Q: Do personal chefs need insurance to operate?
- A: Some states require all businesses to carry insurance up to a state minimum, but some other states require this specifically for food-based businesses. Regardless of the specifics of state law, many personal chefs do invest in a $1 million general liability policy for their company.
- Q: Do you pay for a personal chef before or after the meal?
- A: Each personal chef is free to negotiate a payment plan that suits both them and their clients. Your personal chef could, for instance, collect a regular wage as a household employee, bill for services after an event, or require payment in full prior to the event. Many personal chefs charge a deposit in advance of an event they are catering, and then, they invoice for the unpaid remainder after.
- Q: Do you tip personal chefs?
- A: While there is no strong custom of tipping personal chefs, a gratuity is often appreciated as a token of appreciation and esteem. Most etiquette guidelines encourage a minimum tip of 10% of the total bill, with more for exceptional quality and service.
- Q: Does a personal chef need a commercial kitchen?
- A: While it can be very helpful for a personal chef to have access to a professional kitchen, this is not always necessary. Many private chefs work in the home kitchen of their employer, with some meals being prepared in the smaller kitchen of the family yacht or other setting. Some personal chefs may use the facilities of a private club, rent kitchen facilities at a public community center, or make other arrangements for events at remote locations.