Some possible jobs within this career area are:
Your career goal will determine the type of certification you need. In fields related to the culinary arts, you could earn a:
- Certificate
- Associate’s Degree
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Master’s Degree
- PhD
Many careers in the culinary arts stem from entrepreneurship. In short, a lot of people who are successful in these careers start their own business. If you want to own a restaurant or be a chef, you’ll need to be a self-starter who can devote the time to grow a business. Beyond self-owned businesses, the culinary arts are related to luxury, or dispensable income items. People tend to eat in restaurants more when they have more money on hand, which means restaurant and food careers are more plentiful when the economy is good. The same is true for hospitality management and catering careers.
The time it takes to complete your degree or course of study depends on your career goal. You could get your Associate’s Degree and become a certified chef in two years, or you could continue school and get a four-year degree in business.
How to Become a Personal Chef
A personal chef prepares food for a list of clients according to their personal tastes, delivering a week of meals at a time. By packaging and storing the meals in a freezer, each client may enjoy custom meals daily while you are busy preparing food for your next group of customers.
To begin a personal chef career you must first become a chef. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) most chefs learn on the job while earning a four-year degree in culinary arts from a school that is accredited by the American Culinary Federation. Typical coursework for a chef includes extensive food preparation training as well as all aspects of the field such as menu planning, cost control, sanitation, and public health rules. Often focus is placed on hospitality management, and since you plan to run your own personal chef career you should also focus on the business aspects such as budgeting, accounting, and using business software.
The American Culinary Federation states that eight to 15 years of cooking experience is required to become a fully qualified chef; most chefs work their way up from a lower cooking position at the same time they are working towards their degree and certification.
Personal Chef Salaries
The American Personal & Private Chef Association states that personal chef salaries fluctuate greatly depending on the area and clientele being served; personal chefs salaries of those associated with the organization range between $200 and $500 per day. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the top ten percent of all chefs earn a median income of $70,960, and Payscale.com lists the following personal chef salary ranges according to years of experience:
- 1-4 years $16,462 - $66,910
- 5-9 years $18,290 - $81,771
- 10-19 years $26,819 - $80,087
- 20 years or more $35,364 - $120,243
(Salary data retrieved 5/24/11)
To get the training you need to become a personal chef, find a program now!