If only for just a minute, allow yourself to daydream. Imagine returning home from a busy day at work. Upon entering the house, you and your kids are embraced by the aromas of a simmering dinner. The table is set, the candles are lit, crusty bread and a fresh salad invite you to sit at the table. The kids run to the bathroom to wash their hands for dinner. Your spouse arrives as you drop your keys on the credenza. You sit and pour yourself a glass of wine. There is someone in the kitchen smiling and washing pots and pans. That someone tells you to start on the salad, the main course is coming out of the oven in five minutes. That someone is your personal chef and the good news is, the mentioned scenario needn’t be reserved for the daydream file.
Let me explain, a personal chef is often as affordable as a meal eaten out. The personal chef industry has been exploding with an estimated 6000 personal chefs in the US alone serving upwards of 60,000 clients. As the industry expands, the result behooves the consumer and personal chefs are becoming more affordable.
A personal chef is as affordable as a meal eaten out in a restaurant if one takes the following into consideration: drive time, wait time, the cost of the meal and tip.
Personal chefs are no doubt appealing as people aim to spend more time with their family while eating healthy fresh food.
Every household has different needs and there are personal chefs out there to meet a variety of requests. Do you require a personal chef once a month or three times a week? Do you have special dietary requirements that make eating in a restaurant a hassle? Personal chefs will work with you depending on your budget and overall needs. Almost all personal chefs offer a break from grocery shopping, cooking and clean up. There are a few options however: A personal chef may come to your kitchen and cook or some personal chefs will drop off food already made with heating instructions.
When interviewing a potential personal chef, keep in mind that certification and liability insurance lends credibility as do references. The United States Personal Chef Association offers a federally registered trademark of certification: The Certified Personal Chef (CPC) which is an industry endorsement of professional expertise.
According to a poll taken in August 2003 by Widmeyer Research & Polling of Washington, DC, More than 4 in 5 Americans (83%) wish they had more time to spend with family. So breathe a sigh of relief because you needn’t eat another uninspired restaurant meal when you simply do not feel like cooking after a long day at work. You can sit at your dining table, relax, spend time with your family while anticipating a quality home cooked meal.