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Private Cook

What Does it Take to Be a Private Cook?

Job Description: Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.

A Day in the Life of a Private Cook

  • Travel with employers to vacation homes to provide meal preparation at those locations.
  • Keep records pertaining to menus, finances, and other business-related issues.
  • Serve meals and snacks to employing families and their guests.
  • Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.
  • Create and explore new cuisines.
  • Direct the operation and organization of kitchens and all food-related activities, including the presentation and serving of food.

Things a Private Cook Should Know How to Do

When polled, Private Cooks say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

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.

Types of Private Cook Jobs

  • Household Cook
  • Personal Chef
  • Culinary Worker
  • Holiday Food Prepper
  • Cook

Job Outlook 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. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 3,700 job openings in this field each year.

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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.

Salary for a Private Cook

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

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

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Private Cooks in different U.S. states.

State Annual Mean Salary
California $40,080

Tools & Technologies Used by Private Cooks

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 to Become a Private Cook

Education needed to be a Private Cook:

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How Long Does it Take to Become a Private Cook?

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Who Employs Private Cooks?

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Private Cooks work in the following industries:

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References:

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

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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