What Does it Take to Be a Private Cook?

Occupation Description Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.

A Day in the Life of a Private Cook

• Specialize in preparing fancy dishes or food for special diets.
• Serve meals and snacks to employing families and their guests.
• Cool, package, label, and freeze foods for later consumption and provide instructions for reheating.
• Travel with employers to vacation homes to provide meal preparation at those locations.
• Prepare meals in private homes according to employers’ recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family and possibly for other household staff.
• Direct the operation and organization of kitchens and all food-related activities, including the presentation and serving of food.

Skills Needed to be a Private Cook

Below is a list of the skills most Private Cooks say are important on the job.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.

Management of Material Resources: Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Related Job Titles for this Occupation:

• Cook
• Household Cook
• Holiday Food Prepper
• Personal Chef
• Private Chef

Job Demand for Private Cooks

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 25,000 jobs in the United States for Private Cook. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.2% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,300 new jobs for Private Cook by 2026. The BLS estimates 3,700 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Private Cook are Nevada, Oregon, and Florida. Watch out if you plan on working in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, or North Dakota. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Average Private Cooks Salary

Private Cooks make between $25,610 and $62,600 a year.

Private Cooks who work in California, make the highest salaries.

How much do Private Cooks make in each U.S. state?

State	Annual Mean Salary
California	$40,080

What Tools & Technology do Private Cooks Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Private Cooks may use on a daily basis:

• Web browser software
• Email software
• Intuit QuickBooks
• YouTube
• WordPress
• Work scheduling software

How do I Become a Private Cook?

Education needed to be a Private Cook:

What work experience do I need to become a Private Cook?

Private Cooks Sector

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

References:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• College Factual
• O*NET Online

Image Credit: U.S. Army Europe Images via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

More about our data sources and methodologies.