Personal Cheffing... how to start?

[JessicaSophia]

Four years after graduating from culinary school, I am getting burned out on food writing and I'm seriously considering going through with a dream I've had for awhile of becoming a personal chef. I've thought about this on and off for a few years now, and I feel like I finally need to act on it.

Now, I'm still paying off my rather sizable loan from culinary school, and I really don't want to invest any more money into education. But I'm finding myself drawn by the promises of the educational programs at the two personal chef organizations (The U.S. Personal Chef Association and the American Personal and Private Chef Association). I would love to become a member of one of these groups, but I don't like the idea that you have to either take one of their (expensive) courses, or spend nearly as much to become a member. After all, I know I can cook, and I've been running my own profitable freelance writing business for 7 years, so being an entrepreneur doesn't faze me.

However, I'd love to hear from personal chefs about whether it really would behoove me to join one of these groups and if so, which one is better and more reputable. The director of the American Personal Chef Association just published a textbook on becoming a personal chef, which I've ordered, and which hopefully will give me some of the specific business knowledge (i.e. how to charge clients, how to develop a business plan, specifics on how to prepare meals for freezing and reheating), but I'm concerned about starting off my business without being affiliated with a greater organization.

Advice? Feedback?

[ruthcooks]

I recommend the APPCA. I was a member for several years, back when it was just APCA.

Have you checked out their Visitors Forum on the website? Lots of information there.

I can't see buying the videos as an extra: it's like buying a book and then having someone read it to you. One of their greatest advantages is the Member's Forum, where ideas are exchanged freely. Seminars and the yearly "summit" are great for people who need morale boosting, and for networking.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you have. And please do call Candy Wallace, she is very accessible to anyone interested in the personal chef business.

Edited to add: No, you don't really need the backing of an organization to start, but you'd better really enjoy re-inventing the wheel! Just a tip on where to buy the best/cheapest liability insurance can save you thousands.

Edited April 9, 2007 by ruthcooks (log)

[Abra]

Before I closed my business I was a member of the Personal Chefs Network for 6 years. Without saying anything about the other two organizations, let me say that PCN has a LOT of members who used to belong to one of the other groups.

Yes, it helps a lot to be a member of an association, even if it's just for the first year. Personal cheffing isn't like any other sort of cooking, and so much work has been done already that as Ruth says, unless you're a wheel-inventing type, you can save yourself a lot of trouble by joining.