What's for Dinner?

by Rachael Bender

Imagine coming home from work to a house filled with delicious smells and finding tonight's dinner menu laid out on your sparkling kitchen counter. No, tonight's dinner isn't from Pizza Hut, McDonalds or some inedible creation of your overworked husband or darling children. You're having Flounder Florentine and all you have to do is heat the meal in the oven. This is a fresh, custom-made dinner prepared for you by your personal chef.

Busy families across the country are discovering that personal chefs are no longer just for the rich and famous. Prices range from $8 - $20 per person per meal depending on where you live and the types of meals you have prepared. Many families find that hiring a personal chef is more affordable and convenient than frequent dinners out. Their restaurant-quality dinners are prepared just the way they like them (they can even include mom's secret ingredients) and they can be ready whenever they're ready for dinner whether it's 5 p.m. or 9 p.m.

Personal chefs typically spend a day in your home preparing up to two weeks worth of meals. After preparing the dinners, the entrees and side dishes are put in either the refrigerator or freezer and the menu and reheating instructions are left on the kitchen counter.

Personal chefs work to design custom menus that take into account dietary considerations such as low-salt, low-fat, vegetarian or even that you love Aunt Edna's meatloaf. Your chef will even work around your finicky kids to create dishes like chicken parmigiana or macaroni and cheese with vegetables.

A big reason personal chefs have become so popular is that executives are working longer hours. According to American Demographics, married couples log in 26 percent more time on the job now than couples did 30 years ago.

Debbie Campos, a New York personal chef, says that her clients find the best benefit of the service is that it saves time. Campos estimates that clients gain an extra 10 - 15 hours a week of free time between food shopping, cooking and clean up.

"Many working mothers want their kids to eat healthy dinners, but are just too tired to make nutritious meals," Campos said.

After having her second child, Amy Walker, a project manager at Hewitt Associates, started to realize that her family's eating habits needed to improve. So, Walker hired personal chef Carlin Breinig.

Before hiring a personal chef Walker says, "We were eating lots of fast food. I thought maybe this is a way to get healthy meals once in a while."

Walker has found that having a personal chef has created less stress in her life and improved her health. "She's saved our lives," Walker says.

The number of personal chefs has skyrocketed in the last decade. David MacKay, president of the United States Personal Chef Association, says the association started with 15 members in 1991. They now have more than 5,000 members and have expanded to six different countries. In fact, Entrepreneur Magazine has designated the personal chef industry as one of the 12 fastest-growing businesses.

Ready to hire a personal chef? MacKay suggests asking the following questions when interviewing a personal chef:

• What can you tell me about your cooking background?
• Are you a member of any national organization such as the United States Personal Chef Association?
• Are you a member of the Better Business Bureau?
• Are you a Certified Personal Chef or working on your certification?
• Can I see references from your current or past clients?
• Can I see sample menus?

Find a Personal Chef at Hireachef.com

Rachael Bender is the co-founder of BlueSuitMom.com and the mother of one.