Blog

There is a common misconception that only affluent people book personal chefs, which is not true. Let’s clear that first. There is a difference between a personal and a private chef.

A personal chef is a culinary professional hired by one or more clients, to prepare in-home meals or a drop off service. A personal chef is not hired full-time and provide services as and when requested. These clients are generally families, working professionals and senior citizens. A private chef, on the other hand, works for only one specific family preparing their daily meals and is hired full-time. Clients who employ private chefs are generally very affluent — for example, executives of companies, movie stars and professional football players. A private chef can cost upwards of $60,000 and does not including the cost of ingredients and groceries.

What factors determine the cost of a personal chef?

1. Servings: The general logic is, more food equals more money. Personal chefs have generally been charging on an hourly rate. This is often not the best outcome for the customer because if a chef is slow, the price can shoot up. Look for chefs who charge flat rates.
2. Location: The cost of groceries is going to be higher in Toronto, Ontario than in Calgary, Alberta. It only makes sense that you’ll find cheaper rates in Alberta than in Toronto. One possible solution is to ask the chef to get non-organic and cheaper groceries instead. Even if you ask to get the cheapest groceries, we guarantee this is still going to be fresher than what a lot of meal kits and takeouts use.
3. Experience: An experienced chef will often charge a higher rate than someone breaking into the industry. This can often lead to an unnecessary bargaining of rates. One possible solution is to use an online managed marketplace where you can be assured of the quality of a chef and also lower rates.
4. Frequency: Personal chefs tend to work on a monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly schedule. The more frequently you ask the chef to come in, the more it’s going to cost you. Having monthly dates set up will cost you a lot less than visits once or twice a week. But, more visits also mean fresher meals.

What is included in the price of a Personal Chef?

1. Shopping for groceries: Hitting up a supermarket to get groceries isn’t the most fun of activities. A personal chef will shop for groceries. The best part is that they often know the best places to get the freshest ingredients at the lowest prices.
2. Prepping: Part of cooking really is the prepping of ingredients (vegetables, fruit, meat or grains) which includes among other things — washing, peeling, cutting, shredding or any such action needed to make good proportions. This often takes a substantial amount of time for the average person.
3. Cooking: This is when the ingredients finally get cooked to make a delicious, beautiful and nutritious meal. Don’t worry about staying out of the house while the work’s being done. Personal chefs are ready for and often enjoy having their clients come in and chat as they finish up their meals.
4. Cleaning: Let’s face it. No one enjoys washing and cleaning dirty utensils. A personal chef will save you from the frustration of cleaning up once the meals have been cooked, wipe down any messes and more often than not leave your kitchen looking better than when they arrived. Now that’s a perk I think we can all get behind!

You can expect to pay between $100-$400 for meal preparation for every 12 servings of food depending on what you want on the menu and groceries are extra. The national average is $250.

At Getchefnow, we understand the value of your time. And we want you to do more with it. We make it easy and affordable to hire your own personal chef.

First, we ensure that the cost for 12 portions is kept at a flat rate of $120.

Second, we take care of sorting through the hundreds of chefs and handpicking only the ones who have the skill and personality to match. So you are guaranteed to have a top notch professional chef coming to you instead of having to interview dozens of chef resumes.

Third, we have a set menu of popular items that you can choose from. There is also a “Surprise Me” option where a chef comes and creates a dish with whatever ingredients you already have. This is like an episode of MasterChef where you are in the judge’s seat. And if you know exactly what you want to eat, there is also a “Build My Own” option where you can specify exactly what you want.

Whether you are looking to book a chef for making meals for the family; or hosting a fancy cocktail party for 30 or more with an in-home, personal chef; or planning a fun, interactive cooking experience with a group friends and family — a personal chef service is sure to delight you!

Let’s eat better, classier and tastier!