Must Know Tips for Hiring a Part Time Chef

Hong Kong

Published on May 19, 2016

Open your home to taste, flavours, and relaxation…

Coming home after a busy, stressful day to find your larder fully stocked, your kitchen bright and clean and a delicious, nutritious and michelin star-worthy meal ready for you to tuck into. Does that sound like a great, but unrealistic dream to you?

Keep reading – as this scenario is a lot closer to reality than you might think. All you need is a Part Time, Private chef for you and your family. By keeping the hours of work part time, it can be much more affordable than you probably assume, and it will open up a whole new world of taste, flavours and relaxation in your own home.

Here are our top tips to find the right Part time chef for your family.

Lifestyle

First and foremost, have a think about your weekly schedule and when you normally tend to be away. Does this vary a lot? Not to worry! A part time chef will fit in brilliantly with your busy, high pressured lifestyle. The right part time chef will improve your quality of life by taking away the daily stress of planning and organising dinner, as well as providing you and your family with high quality meals.

Part time chefs are generally very flexible and will work around your schedule. Your chef will get to know you and your family’s routine, allowing them to plan and schedule meals and food shopping so you don’t have to. The better you can define your schedule and expectations, the easier finding the right part time chef will be.

A part time chef is… well, part time. This means they won’t be around for every meal of every day and you will be doing some of your own cooking. But, a good personal chef will help you plan for those times making your life much easier. If you’re always on the go, look for a chef that can help you with pre-prepared meals and a weekly to-go meal plan so you can completely remove the stress of meal planning from your life even when your chef isn’t there to cook for you.

Diet/ health requirements

Although delicious meals might be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a private chef, having a healthy diet is one of the most practical. If, like most, you’re interested in following a healthier lifestyle, a personal chef might just be exactly what you need.

Your busy and stressful lifestyle does not leave much time for healthy meal planning. A private chef can help you plan the right food, drinks, and nutritious snacks you need to keep you on the right track. Simply removing the stress of what to eat and where to get it will make eating healthy much easier.

Don’t be discouraged if you require vegan, gluten free, or other specialty meals. Personal chefs come with many specialties and most are very flexible. Before you start your hiring process make sure you write down any special dietary needs of your family so you can be sure to advertise this in your job description. 

It’s a good idea to explore the different types of chefs that exist before you start your search. You might just find one you didn’t know you needed!

Hosting/events

Parties and events is where your part time chef will really shine, and it is at these moments that you will be extra thankful for having their expertise. Stressing and worrying about the organization of dinner parties will be a thing of the past! 

You can make sure to book your part time chef especially for those days in the run up to the event or dinner party, so the chef can come up with proposals for themes, select food, and match beverages. When a professional you trust is in charge, you can enjoy the process instead of stressing over it. Take your time scheduling the event, sampling appetisers, main courses and desserts, and get advice from your chef on what types of food and drinks will work best for your event.

A great personal chef will go above and beyond the planning and execution, but you have to know what to look for when you’re hiring. For example, a more social personal chef with all his knowledge of fine food and dining can serve as an educator for your guests. He/she can introduce the food before it is served, accompanying the food and beverages with interesting stories about how it was created and why it was chosen.

If you host events regularly, add this attribute to the top of your list so you make sure to hire a personal chef with experience in this area. Hiring a chef for just one event is also a great way to see how well you two work together before bringing them on as a long term part time chef.

 

We do understand that finding the right personal, part time chef for your family can be a  lengthy process but it does pay off to take your time in the selection procedures. The perfect match can change your, and your family’s life, completely – for the better!

If you still have questions or would like any advice, then please do drop us a line, we are always happy to help or give impartial advice. We have a wide range of excellent Private Chefs on our books too, so if all this information has made you hungry for your own part time personal chef, let us know and we would be delighted to find the perfect chef who will fit in seamlessly with your lifestyle and family.

4 comments

  1. Rachel Whitehurst says:

    Hi I am Rachel I am a busy A&E nurse and I need some help with lunches and evening meals our recipes are a bit limited and not as healthy as I would like and we need mixed cuisines could you advise us on a part time cook and the rates of pay

    • LucyChallenger says:

      Hi Rachel, thank you for your message. Our full time Chef salary rates can be seen here. A part time Chef starts at around £18 an hour and goes upwards of that. It depends on the level and style of cooking you require. Many of our clients use part time Chef’s to help create healthy and varied meals for their busy family lives! Do give us a buzz on +44(0)203 858 0233 and we can chat through all the options.

  2. Autumn Swan says:

    I like how you mentioned the importance of knowing feedback from previous clients and their experience in chef service so you would know how good they are in the industry.

    We are looking for a chef that we can hire for my sister’s graduation party; I’m glad I came across this article and read some tips when looking for an event chef.

    I will share this with my mom and see how it can help us when and where to go when looking for a chef to hire for the event.

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