Our fabulous private Chef, Gianne, shares her industry insights and how she first became a private chef. A fascinating industry to work within, the world of private cheffing is a challenging but rewarding one.
Read on to learn more about Gianne!
Full Name:
Gianne Fanti
Age:
44
Location:
London
Profession:
Private Chef
Why did you decide to enter your profession?
My food memories as a child helped me on my path to become a chef. I was born in Brazil and had grandparents from Italy and Portugal and at early age I’ve learned how to roll meatballs. I made them for spaghetti on Sunday dinners and how learnt to cook polenta. Those experiences gave me a good multicultural food background and inspiration.
Did you have a background/education with cooking or hospitality?
I did a few short courses but basically I’ve learned everything I know by working in kitchens. I self-taught myself through my experiments!
What were the challenges you faced at the start of your career?
Dealing with very stressful kitchen environment in busy restaurants.
Tell us a little about your first position and what it taught you?
My culinary beginnings started in London in 2003. It was in that period that I started to learn how to practice my skills as a chef and I gained lots of experience. I also spent two years traveling around Great Britain, working in various kitchens. From restaurants, pubs and hotels in Scotland to busy restaurants in London in both front of the house and in the kitchen. All of those experiences also taught me a lot about how to understand people’s needs.
Since then, give us some insight into your favourite jobs and what made them so special?
Working as a Private Chef and having my own experimental pop-up kitchen and supper club in East Village, a community where I live in East London is by far what I enjoyed most, mainly because I managed to express my vision of modern healthy food cuisine and it is where I started putting my culinary experiments into practice.
What has been the most challenging situation you have faced in your professional career to date and how did you overcome it?
The most challenging situation I have faced in the past was to find the right place to express myself. Being a Private Chef gave me the opportunity and freedom to use my own personal signature.
What do you most love about your job?
First of all to make people have a real pleasure and experience with my food and allow myself to enjoy the power of being creative with the ‘art of cooking’.
What are your top tips for interview techniques?
Being honest and show a bit of your knowledge, these will boost your confidence.
What would be your advice to new candidates starting out in the profession?
Be attentive to the client’s needs as each person has different requirements and it is fundamental to be discreet and respectful when working in private environments.
Why do you prefer being a Private Chef over, for example an office job?!
By being a Private Chef I am more flexible with my time as always I have the opportunity to meet great people.
Lastly what are your dreams and hopes for the future?
My real dream is to have my own Cafe/Restaurant with my own creations and I hope to always be able to have nice clients as Private Chef that enjoys my food.
Are you looking to hire a personal chef?
Polo & Tweed work with clients around the world, helping find full time, part time and temporary Chefs. Are you interested in hiring or booking Gianne or your own personal chef? Please do get in touch with us here and one of our experienced recruitment consultants will be delighted to assist.
Are you looking to for a new private Chef job?
If you are looking for a new job in the private Chef world – we’d love you to register with us – simply click here and register. You can then apply for any jobs of interest.