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    How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business
    How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business
    How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business
    Ebook287 pages3 hours

    How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business

    By Carla Rowley

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    About this ebook

    According to the U.S. Department of Labor one of the fastest growing segments of the food service business is providing professional personal chef services. Personal chefs can expect to make between $100 and $400 a day every day. Until recently having a chef prepare food for you and your family was considered a luxury for only the wealthy. Today, many individuals and families have discovered that a personal chef service is an affordable, time saving, and healthy alternative to the stress and time constraints of working to put a wholesome, economical, and tasty meal on the table every night.

    A personal chef offers a professional service of meal preparation. A client's individual tastes drive the creation of their customized menu. These personalized meals are prepared either in the client s home or your catering kitchen and then packaged, labeled, possibly delivered, and stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Most services include complete grocery shopping, customized menu planning, and storage in oven/microwavable containers.

    Families in which both spouses work, singles and couples who work long, hard hours, seniors who would rather not or cannot cook anymore, gourmets who love to cook but who do not always have the time, and individuals that have medical conditions, such as wheat/gluten intolerance, milk or other sensitivities, diabetes, or high blood pressure, who require specialized meals will seek your services.

    This book will not teach you how to cook, although there are some sample menus. What you will learn is all the aspects of starting your business, pricing your products, marketing your business, and conducting your day-to-day business operations. This comprehensive new book will show you step-by-step how to set up, operate, and manage a financially successful personal chef business. The author has left no stone unturned in explaining the risky business of food service.

    You also will learn how to draw up a winning business plan, how to set up computer systems to save time and money, how to hire and keep a qualified staff, how to generate high profile public relations, and how to keep bringing customers back. In addition, you will become familiar with basic cost control systems, profitable menu planning, successful kitchen management, equipment layout and planning, food safety and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), low cost marketing ideas, and low and no cost ways to satisfy customers and build sales. The companion CD-ROM is not available for download with this electronic version of the book but it may be obtained separately by contacting Atlantic Publishing Group at sales@atlantic-pub.com.

    Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company president’s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.

    This Atlantic Publishing eBook was professionally written, edited, fact checked, proofed and designed. The print version of this book is 288 pages and you receive exactly the same content. Over the years our books have won dozens of book awards for content, cover design and interior design including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin award for excellence in publishing. We are proud of the high quality of our books and hope you will enjoy this eBook version.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtlantic Publishing Group Inc.
    Release dateSep 3, 2008
    ISBN9781601385123
    How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business

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      Book preview

      How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business - Carla Rowley

      How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business

      By Carla Rowley and Lee Rowley

      This Atlantic Publishing eBook was professionally written, edited, fact checked, proofed and designed. Over the years our books have won dozens of book awards for content, cover design and interior design including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin award for excellence in publishing. We are proud of the high quality of our books and hope you will enjoy this eBook version, which is the same content as the print version.

      How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business

      Copyright © 2008 by Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

      1210 SW 23rd Place • Ocala, Florida 34471 • 800-814-1132 • 352-622-1875–Fax

      Web site: www.atlantic-pub.com • E-mail: sales@atlantic-pub.com

      SAN Number: 268-1250

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be sent to Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 1210 SW 23rd Place, Ocala, Florida 34471.

      ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-141-5 ISBN-10: 1-60138-141-7

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Rowley, Carla, 1977-

      How to open & operate a financially successful personal chef business

      / by Carla Rowley and Lee Rowley.

      p. cm.

      Includes bibliographical references and index.

      ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-141-5 (alk. paper)

      ISBN-10: 1-60138-141-7 (alk. paper)

      1. Food service management. 2. Cooks. 3. Entrepreneurship. I.

      Rowley, Lee, 1973- II. Title.

      TX911.3.M27R69 2008

      647.95068--dc22

      2008028007

      LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

      The companion CD-ROM is not available for download with this electronic version of the book but it may be obtained separately by contacting Atlantic Publishing Group at sales@atlantic-pub.com

      A few years back we lost our beloved pet dog Bear, who was not only our best and dearest friend but also the Vice President of Sunshine here at Atlantic Publishing. He did not receive a salary but worked tirelessly 24 hours a day to please his parents.

      Bear was a rescue dog who turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (well, maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

      We wanted you to know a portion of the profits of this book will be donated in Bear’s memory to local animal shelters, parks, conservation organizations, and other individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of assistance.

      – Douglas and Sherri Brown

      PS: We have since adopted two more rescue dogs: first Scout, and the following year, Ginger. They were both mixed golden retrievers who needed a home.

      Want to help animals and the world? Here are a dozen easy suggestions you and your family can implement today:

      •  Adopt and rescue a pet from a local shelter.

      •  Support local and no-kill animal shelters.

      •  Plant a tree to honor someone you love.

      •  Be a developer — put up some birdhouses.

      •  Buy live, potted Christmas trees and replant them.

      •  Make sure you spend time with your animals each day.

      •  Save natural resources by recycling and buying recycled products.

      •  Drink tap water, or filter your own water at home.

      •  Whenever possible, limit your use of or do not use pesticides.

      •  If you eat seafood, make sustainable choices.

      •  Support your local farmers market.

      •  Get outside. Visit a park, volunteer, walk your dog, or ride your bike.

      Five years ago, Atlantic Publishing signed the Green Press Initiative. These guidelines promote environmentally friendly practices, such as using recycled stock and vegetable-based inks, avoiding waste, choosing energy-efficient resources, and promoting a no-pulping policy. We now use 100-percent recycled stock on all our books. The results: in one year, switching to post-consumer recycled stock saved 24 mature trees, 5,000 gallons of water, the equivalent of the total energy used for one home in a year, and the equivalent of the greenhouse gases from one car driven for a year.

      Table of Contents

      Foreword

      Introduction

      Chapter 1: What is a Personal Chef?

      Chapter 2: What Education is Required to Become a Personal Chef?

      Chapter 3: Developing a Business Plan

      Chapter 4: Setting Up a Business Budget

      Chapter 5: What Equipment Does a Personal Chef Need?

      Chapter 6: Where Should I Set Up My Business?

      Chapter 7: Hiring and Training Employees

      Chapter 8: Catering to the Dietary Needs of Your Clients

      Chapter 9: Learning to Cater to Your Client’s Personal Preferences

      Chapter 10: Customer Service and Satisfaction

      Chapter 11: What Should You Charge?

      Chapter 12: Preparing for the Financial Responsibilities of Being Self-Employed

      Chapter 13: Marketing Your Personal Chef Services

      Chapter 14: Software and Web Services to Help You Run Your Personal Chef Business

      Chapter 15: Case Studies

      Bibliography

      Dedication & Biography

      Glossary

      More Books

      Foreword

      By Deborah J. DuBost

      In today’s environment, where families are fast-forwarding through life with busy careers and a plentitude of after-school activities, more and more people are choosing to hire personal or private chefs to fulfill the need for a home cooked meal. While just a decade ago, services like this were typically used by only the wealthy, today, many everyday families are deciding to hire personal chefs to cook nutritional, well-balanced meals. As the temptation to grab dinner from a fast-food restaurant on the way home from work or from picking up kids from soccer practice increases, so does the guilt for not providing your family with a meal that serves their best interests. For these families-on-the-go, the services of a personal chef can be invaluable and can provide a tasty, but also healthy, alternative to fast-food or prepackaged, frozen meals.

      With the need for these services increasing, deciding to open a personal or private chef business can not only be a rewarding personal experience, but a smart business investment as well. Becoming a personal or private chef allows you to take part in an activity that you enjoy – cooking – and also to escape the typical restaurant environment that most chefs are accustom to. Opening your own business allows you the freedom to express your own creativity and to show off your expertise with a specific style of cooking. As an owner, you can operate the business to align with your own personal and creative vision.

      Not only does becoming a personal or private chef give you personal freedom, but it may also give you the financial freedom that you always imagined for yourself and was never available as a chef in a restaurant. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, providing professional personal chef services is one of the fastest growing segments of the food service business. Personal chefs can expect to make between $100 and $400 a day.

      How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business: With Companion CD-ROM is a complete guide for anyone thinking of starting down the path of entrepreneurship. The book provides detailed, easy to read information on what it takes to become a personal or private chef, what type of education is typically required, and basic business operation information, such as writing a business plan, setting up a budget for your new business, and the different options on locations for operating your business. The book even contains a CD-ROM which has a fully customizable sample business plan and all the forms and checklists located throughout the book. Authors Carla and Lee Rowley also offer specific catering information such as selecting menus that fit the health, nutrition, and religious needs of your clients, the importance of learning your clients’ food preferences, and specific customer service advice.

      As a personal caterer myself, I can attest that this book is a must-have for all experienced chefs looking to start their own personal chef business. My company, Let’s Party and Catering, offers personal chef services right in the client’s home. During our sessions, we educate our clients on the nutritional aspects of the meal and, at the end of preparation, we pack all of the extra food into freezable containers for the client’s enjoyment at a later time. Our Private Chef services are set for group dinners of two or more, and can also be set as a Culinary Class for the attendees; where the recipes are provided and prepared by the guests. This book is a great introduction into not only the world of a personal chef, but also into opening a successful, financially stable new business. Opening any new business is a huge undertaking, but with your own creative motivation and How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business you are sure to have all the inspiration and information that you need to start your business off on the right path. Good luck with your business endeavors and happy cooking!

      Deborah J. DuBost

      Owner/Executive Chef, Let’s Party & Catering

      www.LetsPartyandCatering.com

      letsparty_catering@hotmail.com

      386-216-7651

      Born in Washington, D.C., Deborah DuBost moved to Merritt Island, Florida in 1965. DuBost worked at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom under the guidance of Executive Chef Klaus Friesendorf at Top of the World Restaurant as his Prep & Sous Chef. DuBost graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. After graduation, DuBost made her way back to Florida when she was hired by Southern Bell Telephone Company. In 1998, DuBost retired from AT&T Communications. With her love of the culinary arts always in the back of her mind, she graduated from Johnson & Wales’ College of Culinary Arts. Let’s Party and Catering opened in 2003 and today, five years later, DuBost feels as if she has learned many lessons along the path of entrepreneurship and has gained some of the best customers around.

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      Do you enjoy cooking and baking, and consider these activities an escape from the everyday world? Do you spend every possible minute in the kitchen, creating delicious treats for your family and guests? Do you delight in each compliment and each recipe request you receive from people who have tasted your unique creations?

      If you can answer yes to these questions, you have probably thought at one time or another about turning your love for cooking into a full-time career. If you are like many people, though, the prospect of transitioning into a career in cooking might seem daunting. How would you get clients? How would you come up with the money to start your business? What types of food would you make, and whom would you serve?

      Unfortunately, too many talented people face these questions and, lacking the resources or support to find the answers, never let themselves explore the prospect of a career in the culinary arts.

      This book might be just the resource and the support you have been hoping for.

      If you are passionate about cooking, and have always wanted to cook for a living, the information contained in this book could prove to be some of the most valuable information you will ever read. Within these pages, you will learn how to plan a personal chef business and begin taking the steps to achieve the career you have always dreamed of.

      A career as a personal chef can be a perfect solution for people who love to cook, but who are not excited about any of the traditional careers available to people in the culinary arts.

      Many chefs who are not aware of the emerging personal chef opportunities that have become available in recent years feel that they are limited to the constraints of cooking in a restaurant owned by someone else. Although working in this type of environment might pay the bills, it can sometimes limit your creativity and leave you feeling unchallenged. Working for a restaurateur also significantly limits a chef’s income – unless you are willing to move each time a more lucrative opportunity becomes available at another restaurant, your income is limited to what the owner is willing to pay you.

      Another option pursued by many chefs is to open their own restaurant. Although this is a dream shared by many people in the culinary arts, opening a restaurant takes a huge financial investment and often requires taking out enormous loans to finance the restaurant space, pay your staff members, purchase ingredients and supplies, and market the restaurant to local diners. Furthermore, new restaurants often take several years before a profit is even made. Because of these challenges, many chefs are left deterred by the prospect of undertaking such a large financial investment that will take so long to show any financial return.

      A private chef works for one client exclusively, to meet their tastes and needs. Because a private chef is limited to one customer or organization and is employed exclusively for that person or organization, he or she is limited to the needs of that client. A private chef might prepare and serve up to three meals a day for the client. Although it can provide long-term job stability, it is easy for a private chef to become bored in this career; once a private chef knows how to cater to the needs of his or her client, he or she can feel that this career lacks the challenges necessary to maintain his or her passion for food.

      A personal chef works with various families and organizations and has no exclusive contract limiting his or her services to just one client or organization. Starting a personal chef business provides an option that offers an opportunity for a chef to open a business with a significantly lower financial investment than opening a restaurant and affords the chef the ability to be creative and constantly challenged.

      In today’s busy society, the need for personal chefs is growing day by day. The career, social, and family demands placed upon people today have created a unique need for the expert services of personal chefs who can take care of the often time-consuming task of preparing and serving meals. Busy families that want to have nutritional meals but do not have time to cook, elderly people with specific dietary needs who find it increasingly difficult to cook for themselves, and individuals and families that entertain and host dinner parties often, but do not have the time to cook for large groups, are all potential clients for personal chefs. This book addresses the unique needs of all types of customers, including the difficult customer, and how to cater to their personal needs.

      As you might have guessed, it takes more than just the ability to cook to be successful as a personal chef. Although cooking nutritional and tasty meals is imperative to success as a personal chef, there are many business aspects that must also be explored and carefully planned for. As with any business, there are many mistakes that a new businessperson can make; these mistakes can cost you thousands of dollars in lost profit and can ultimately cost you your success in the culinary field. The purpose of this book is to give you the tools to troubleshoot potential business pitfalls and be prepared to make your business profitable and successful.

      In the following pages, you will learn what a personal chef is, what a personal chef does, and what valuable business tools you will need for success. You need not have a degree in business to learn how to operate and run a personal chef business. However, as with any business venture, it is important to develop the business savvy necessary to reach your potential customers, make wise business and financial decisions, keep your customers happy, and generate repeat business.

      In the following chapters, we will take a journey through every aspect of a personal chef business. You will learn, in detail, what kinds of tasks a personal chef undertakes and what kinds of different settings a personal chef works in. You will also learn how to build a business plan, undertake any necessary education, procure the equipment and supplies necessary to create and package meals for your clients, work with your customers to identify their needs, account for their dietary preferences and restrictions, and above all, keep them happy. You will also learn various marketing techniques that you can use to reach your ideal customers.

      Grab a pen and paper because you might want to take notes as you read through this book and learn the secrets to success as a personal chef. Make yourself comfortable and prepare to dive into the life of a personal chef.

      Table of Contents

      Chapter 1: What is a Personal Chef?

      Before we begin exploring how to open and run a successful personal chef business, let us explore why people would choose to use a personal chef to prepare meals and examine what a personal chef is and does in more detail.

      In this chapter, you will learn about the activities of a personal chef and understand why this service is essential for many families today. You will also learn about the importance of specializing in certain cuisines or diets and identify some of the personal and professional traits that can help make you a successful personal chef. This will help you make sure that a career as a personal chef is right for you and help you prepare to enter the world of personal chef service.

      The Growing Need for Personal Chefs

      The popularity of using personal chefs to provide ready-to-eat meals has increased dramatically as families have become busier and have begun taking on obligations that were unheard of a few decades ago.

      In today’s society, it is not uncommon for both spouses to balance career and family, in addition to social obligations and other tasks. Working adults find it more difficult than ever to

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