How to Choose a Private Chef (Eight Honest Questions)

Hiring a private chef is more intimate than hiring a caterer. They're cooking in your kitchen, with your knives, while your guests are in the next room. Trust matters.

Ask: how many of your bookings are repeat clients? A healthy private chef business is at least 60% repeat or referral. If it's all new business, ask why.

Ask: what's your insurance? You want a chef carrying general liability and a food-handler's certificate at minimum.

Ask: how do you handle dietary restrictions? A good answer is specific: separate cutting boards, separate prep windows, a written allergen log.

And ask to see the menu in writing two weeks before the event. A chef who works from a 'we'll surprise you' philosophy at $200 a head is a chef who will improvise when something goes wrong.