Can You Juggle? There's a booming business out there just waiting for great cooks who multi-task, work neatly and efficiently and really prefer to carry the whole show themselves. You know who you are. You're done with your mise before everybody else, and started on the prep list or ordering for tomorrow. You always keep your station spotless and organized, and can come up with a new menu--pulled from your repertoire--at the drop of a hat. You like people and helping them make menu choices. You can work on your own without instruction, and actually prefer it that way. You may even have training in nutrition and be able to help with special requirements. Maybe you should join the ranks of the personal chef industry. The United States Personal chefs Association (USPCA), was born in 1995, and had about 500 chefs in their ranks. In 2001, they've got over 5,000 members, and they're growing fast. There was a time when being a personal chef meant living in the home of the employer, sometimes travelling with them and caring for the family as if they were your own. It was a self-sacrificing way of working, but the pay was good, and there was a good chance you were set for a long time. The new personal chef is a little different. The new personal chef offers a service to families who don't have time to cook, are trying to diet but don't have the knowledge to create an appropriate menu, or have other special needs that can be a challenge to fill with take-out and restaurant cuisine. They may prepare meals for a family where everybody works and they want a good meal to come home to, or a single person who wants something other than take out every night. How it works: The client and the chef get together in person or by phone once a week or so and determine the menu. The chef should come prepared with a list of ideas, and able to adjust to the family's preferences and dietary needs. Once the menu is set, they arrange for a day for the chef to create the meals in the client's home, or to deliver prepared meals. They often barely see their clients, but leave a week's worth of dinners in the freezer. What do you need to get started? Try to find out what the client's goals are in advance. Are there any food allergies in the family? Diabetes or other medical conditions? Do they want to lose or gain weight? Size of the family Any children? Favorite dishes Foods they dislike? Create a list of menu items, arranged by ingredients or requirements for every menu item in advance. Then it's simple to pull what you need together for a shopping list. You'll need to decide if you are prepping at the client's home, or you have a legally certified kitchen to do prep in. Regulations will varies from city to city, so check local regulations. Some chefs separate the equipment used for cooking at home and what they will need to take to the client's home. These items are often kept in air tight storage containers, clean and ready to go. You should have liability insurance before you take your first client. --Janet Fouts Where can you find a job? Depends on where you are. Some just place an ad in the local paper. Take a look at job sites, like Hire a chef who specialise in locating personal chefs. Here's a list of web-sites to get you started: American Personal Chef Association Personal Chefs Network Canadian Personal Chefs Association United States Personal Chef Institute Personal Chef Directory

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