Personal chefs gain popularity in Colorado

By Mary Jeneverre Schultz

Private chefs cater to celebrities and musicians, who are watching their diets, especially during road trips and special appearances. Often significantly more expensive, hiring a private chef may feel out of reach for the everyday family.

However, there is a new kind of chef growing in popularity – the personal chef. Celebrating a monumental birthday, wedding or milestone anniversary is a good reason to hire a personal chef to create an intimate meal for friends and family at home.

Enlisting a personal chef for meals cooked at home used to be for famous and rich people. However, the pandemic has thrusted the idea of cooking at home to engage with personal chefs. For chefs, who have been laid off or are switching a career focus, providing in-home meals is becoming a lucrative entrepreneurial option.

“As Americans started to ‘nest’ more around 2018 (shifting to large screen TVs at home and streaming services), we saw an uptick in home dining,” said Lawrence J. Lynch, President of the United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA). “The pandemic obviously accelerated that as people saw a financially reasonable alternative to restaurant dining, restaurants weren’t open, they had access to more disposable income, and they wanted to create new social experiences at home. It didn’t eliminate restaurants but became a staple companion as it went from novel to normal.”

Between 5,000 to 6,000 personal chefs are working nationally, an estimate according to USPCA. Private chefs are trending to a new normal. For some, it could be just more than a special memory, while others might require it for their busy households.

“It depends on where you are in a life cycle. For some, it can simply be a small dinner party,” said Lynch. “For a busy family, it might be the need for meals at home to prepare lunch for school children, for families with special needs whether children require special diets, for senior parents, who have their own set of needs—a personal chef can work with a family to ensure continuity and access to a healthy and safe food system at home.”

Pricing depends on size of party, number of courses and dietary restrictions, according to Lynch. “Chefs work one on one thekoreanbbqchef.com with their clients and customers to find a price point that works for the individual and the chef,” he said. For example, an intimate five-course dinner, paired with alcoholic drinks for ten might average $250 per person.

Check out these Colorado chefs!

Time, money, and health are three considerations for a chef:

TIME: the chef shops, prepares, cooks, and cleans.

MONEY: when the chef does the shopping, it eliminates impulse buying and they can select fresh food alternatives.

HEALTH: for individuals with strict diets that could include low sodium, vegan only and/or allergies, a chef can design a meal to meet these restrictions.

In addition, engagement with a chef provides a great experience. In a restaurant setting, diners hardly get to the meet the chefs. “A personal chef in your home is an opportunity to engage this expert in food and culinary technique among other topics,” Lynch said.

For diners who are interested in contracting with personal chefs, check out chef associations. USPCA require their chefs to be certified in food safety and food handling. In addition, the association provides insurances to the private chefs coming to the house.

This month’s cover story highlights local Asian American chefs in Colorado.