How To Become A Private Chef: What It Is and Career Path

What is a private chef and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Patti Stobaugh

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a private chef. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.84 an hour? That's $51,657 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 15% and produce 23,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a private chef?

Patti Stobaugh

Owner, PattiCakes Bakery and Stoby's Restaurant

Being humble and willing to learn will take you far in your career, not just in the beginning. If you have the desire to open your own food service business, go to work for a business that has a great reputation. That will give you the opportunity to learn so much.

ScorePrivate ChefUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,657

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.2

Growth rate 15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 11.94%

Black or African American 10.08%

Hispanic or Latino 18.46%

Unknown 5.57%

White 53.09%

Gender

female 41.17%

male 58.83%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

9.2

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

0.2

Work life balance is

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a private chef

Explore private chef education requirements

Most common private chef degrees

Associate

47.8 %

Bachelor's

35.0 %

Diploma

7.4 %

Start to develop specific private chef skills

Skills	Percentages
Kitchen Equipment	19.93%
Culinary	13.10%
Cuisine	6.68%
Food Preparation	6.47%
Fine Dining	3.98%

Complete relevant private chef training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New private chefs learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a private chef based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real private chef resumes.

Gain additional private chef certifications

Private chef certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific private chef certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for private chefs include Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) and Certified Food Manager (CFM).

More About Certifications

Research private chef duties and responsibilities

Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Prepare innovative vegan and children's menus.
Provide demonstrations, caterings, and in-home cooking classes.
Shop for groceries on daily basis for each day's meals.

Prepare your private chef resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your private chef resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a private chef resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable private chef resume templates

Build a professional private chef resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your private chef resume.

Apply for private chef jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a private chef job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do private chefs rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Private chef reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

Design & creating food making customer happy cooking every area as line, prep, steam, broil, grill, creating comfort food desserts and catering. Ordering and managing a kitchen

Cons

Nothing to complain about love being a chef

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019