How to Become a Private Chef: the basic steps
Becoming a chef requires a lot of hard work, especially at a time when this career is growing in popularity, thanks to all the cooking shows on TV.
Enthusiasm is not enough: to become an expert chef you also need a lot of training. This is equally true if you’re aiming to become a private chef.
How to Become a Private chef
The system of training for private chefs is the same as for “normal” chefs. You can either study at a catering institute, or do a special course to become a chef. You then need to gain experience by working in restaurants. If possible, work at some well-known places to help make your résumé more attractive.
Once you’ve learned all the technical skills, you can then start to promote your services. First of all, you need a website, so that customers can get to know you and see what type of dishes you offer. Include some photos of your dishes, and bear in mind that nowadays you have to cater for different dietary requirements, so it’s important to offer some vegan and vegetarian options.
Another way to promote yourself is to organise an event, or to prepare a few meals for friends and relatives to advertise your services. But you’ll also need to make sure you put some money aside. This is because a private chef has to purchase all his own cooking implements and equipment in order to do his job.
You will also need to do the following to become a private chef:
- obtain authorisation to serve food and drink
- attend a food hygiene course run by the local health authority, to learn about all the health and hygiene standards applicable to the sector
- register at the local Chamber of Commerce
- register for VAT as a self-employed worker
Once you’ve overcome all these bureaucratic hurdles, you can start pursuing your career as a private chef.
