When hiring a personal chef there are many things for you to consider before going ahead. First of all, you need to ensure that they are capable of meeting your dietary and schedule related requirements, but you also need to make sure that they’re the right fit for your family. Take your time and consider these questions before going ahead – some of them are questions to ask yourself, others for you to ask your personal chef. Below you will find everything that you’ll need to bear in mind before making the final decision.
1 – What exactly is it that you require? Agree on a varied menu and allow your personal chef to handle any grocery shopping on your behalf. This should invariably save you time and money as you won’t have to worry about going to the supermarket where you’ll likely fall prey to unnecessary impulse buying.
2 – How flexible are they? You should find common ground and find an appropriate time for your personal chef that is convenient for both parties.
3 – How many meals per week will you require? Are you looking for a personal chef to handle breakfast, lunch and dinner every day? There are many things to consider, but make sure that the personal chef you are looking to hire is able to meet your requirements and exceed expectations.
4 – Would you like your chef to cook enough so that there are leftovers for you to eat over the weekends? Or would you rather consider having takeaways as a treat. This is something that you can agree upon with your personal chef and figure out as you go.
5 – Which days will you require their assistance the most? Some people only want a personal chef for a couple days during the week when their schedules are particularly full. This can include your children’s extracurricular activities which take up more of your time when traveling to-and-fro various appointments.
6 – How will your needs vary throughout the year and will your personal chef be flexible enough to change their schedule to suit yours?
7 – Do you or any of your family members have any dietary requirements? Gluten free, diabetes or anyone who is a particularly fussy eater – your personal chef will need to be made aware of these and have the means and the knowhow to accommodate them.
8 – Do you regularly host big family get togethers or special occasions / dinner parties? Plan these well in advance and give your personal chef enough notice so that they can prepare accordingly and request any help that they may need on the day.
9 – How well will your personal chef cater to children? Will you require separate meals some evenings if your children don’t have as adventurous an appetite as yourselves?
10 – How open are you to exploring new cuisine? Some people like to give their personal chefs creative freedom to whip up and try new dishes once in a while. Again, this is something that you can arrange once a week or fortnightly to experiment.
11 – Does your religion require that you avoid eating certain meats? This is definitely something that your personal chef should be made aware of. The same applies to kosher foods, halal meats and any special holiday requirements where certain foods are to be abstained from.
12 – What budget do you have available in terms of a personal chef’s services and how much are you willing to spend on grocery shopping etc. Most personal chef’s will be able to get great discounts from certain wholesale providers so explore those avenues first and make sure that you will be able to afford their services. Perhaps consider hiring them for part of the week and cooking for yourself on days where you have more free time.
