Working as a private chef

[mgm9128]

So, I should first ask her what kind of salary she is willing to offer me, and if it is below $50k, I should pass?

 

[CouttsClient]

Originally Posted by mgm9128

So, I should first ask her what kind of salary she is willing to offer me, and if it is below $50k, I should pass?
That is what I said.

 

[mgm9128]

Alright, I'll call her and see what happens.

Still contemplating whether this is something I really want to do right now or not. I've got a few other opportunities, at the moment, but this one is very attractive to me.

 

[itsstillmatt]

You guys are hysterical. 50k for a cook with no experience? Kyle hasn't made that in two years. LO ******* L.

 

[mgm9128]

I'd be willing to take whatever she gives me.

And I do have experience, just not in a professional kitchen. Which, I don't think really matters for something like this.

 

[rachister]

Originally Posted by mgm9128

I offered to let her taste my food, and I still have to call her to let her know if I'm interested or not. So, maybe she will then ask to test my cooking out before officially hiring me.

She's never tasted your food? The only example of your work she has is some pictures on a phone? And no professional experience?

You must be an amazing salesman.

 

[SField]

omg.....

Ok first of all, the life of a real private chef can be miserable. The types of people that employ them tend to be extremely demanding and annoying. Unless she has incredibly specific dietary restrictions, there's no reason why you'd need one in NYC of all places, especially with considerable means. The people I know, and grew up with, that had private chefs, like a measure of control in their life and a sort of entourage that makes them the most tiresome people on the planet.

That being said, this could be an interesting experience for you. You cook for her several times a week and live there indefinitely rent free. You can do other things with your time when you're not "working." It could be an interesting experience, and honestly I think that stomping in there and demanding 50k is a great way to make it very awkward. Yes, you probably could make more than the $100 a day you're thinking now. But do you really need that? You aren't looking for a career, and going in there with those types of demands raises expectations that believe you me, you do not want to have to meet.

Also check out her kitchen because I've seen many, many 5mill+ kitchens in manhattan that are pretty god awful. Electric stoves with ****** ovens, no space and a really, really excessively nice fridge.

If you do this, do it for nothing other than the interesting experience it may provide which one day you can reflect on as "that time I was a private chef for some rich cougar that lived in the Carlyle." It's going to be awkward and weird so take it for what it is. If I were you I'd keep it informal.

PS one day she's going to ask you to cook for 30 of her friends and you'll have maybe 3 hours notice, I guarantee it.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by rachister

She's never tasted your food? The only example of your work she has is some pictures on a phone? And no professional experience? You must be an amazing salesman.
You've never met anyone with a private chef, have you? They're buying the idea of having one. I'd say that 20% of them are strict vegan, halal, kosher or vegetarians. The other 80% are so full of **** that they should be on a pump, and are hiring you for the idea of having a private chef because they already have a Birkin bag in all the colors so they'll need something new to show their like minded friends.

 

[bawlin]

I don't know what other prospects you have going for you, but if you're earning $50k/year under the table and you get to live for free, just grind it out for a year and come out the other side with a mid-5 figure bank account.

 

[CouttsClient]

Originally Posted by iammatt

You guys are hysterical. 50k for a cook with no experience? Kyle hasn't made that in two years. LO ******* L.
My experience tells me that he should expect that as a minimum for someone hiring a chef to live-in. Frankly, at that level I'm not sure why anyone would want him in their kitchen. Around $80k you start getting some interesting prospects I don't expect the OP to follow any of my advice because as he said he's willing to do anything for $25k per year. Wait until he gets asked to do what private chefs do: "Hey, _____...I've got about 20 friends coming over in a couple of hours. Please put some dinner together and call _________ to find out which things/allergies they need you to be mindful of. Thank you. Oh and _______ had to cancel tea at their place tomorrow so will you please prepare a champagne tea with some interesting sandwiches? Do something unusual. Also, keep it gluten-free and without any cucumbers or tomatoes or anything GREEN"

 

[mgm9128]

Originally Posted by SField

Also check out her kitchen because I've seen many, many 5mill+ kitchens in manhattan that are pretty god awful. Electric stoves with ****** ovens, no space and a really, really excessively nice fridge.

She has a Viking flat-top, which is what I use at home right now, and a Viking refrigerator. The kind that has the fridge on top and freezer on bottom, so you have a lot more room. It's a nice sized kitchen. Not as spacious as some, but still nothing that will be problematic.

If you do this, do it for nothing other than the interesting experience it may provide which one day you can reflect on as "that time I was a private chef for some rich cougar that lived in the Carlyle." It's going to be awkward and weird so take it for what it is. If I were you I'd keep it informal.

That's exactly how I'm looking at it: as an experience. That's why I don't want to seem like I'm looking for a lot of money. More money would be nice, but that isn't really the whole point of why I'd be doing it.

PS one day she's going to ask you to cook for 30 of her friends and you'll have maybe 3 hours notice, I guarantee it.

Now that would be an experience.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by mgm9128

Now that would be an experience.

I suggest you practice... cooking for one and executing that same level for 30 is different. Your repertoire is going to expand pretty quickly my friend. Luckily you probably won't have her looking over your shoulder for buying because you're going to bin a lot of **** at first.

 

[mgm9128]

Originally Posted by bawlin

I don't know what other prospects you have going for you, but if you're earning $50k/year under the table and you get to live for free, just grind it out for a year and come out the other side with a mid-5 figure bank account.
My only other real prospect, at the moment, is to work retail in an art gallery on the Upper East Side, as well. It would be custom framing, and I'd be dealing with the Whitney Museum and Sotheby's, along with individual clients. I could make my own hours and schedule, and I'd be making 16/hr. plus commission. But, I would have to commute each day from Connecticut (which isn't that bad), I wouldn't be living in Manhattan (which I'd like to experience), it's not something I'm deeply interested in (which cooking is), and I'd still have to deal with my mother at home. So, I'm sort of leaning in the other direction, a this point. But, I know that both of these will only be temporary positions, which I also have to explain to the woman on the 30th floor of The Carlyle.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by mgm9128

My only other real prospect, at the moment, is to work retail in an art gallery on the Upper East Side, as well. It would be custom framing, and I'd be dealing with the Whitney Museum and Sotheby's, along with individual clients. I could make my own hours and schedule, and I'd be making 16/hr. plus commission. But, I would have to commute each day from Connecticut (which isn't that bad), I wouldn't be living in Manhattan (which I'd like to experience), it's not something I'm deeply interested in (which cooking is), and I'd still have to deal with my mother at home. So, I'm sort of leaning in the other direction, a this point. But, I know that both of these will only be temporary positions, which I also have to explain to the woman on the 30th floor of The Carlyle.
Well you say you can make your own hours... why don't you do both? If you do name any terms, tell her you'll need 72hrs notice for any party larger than 2.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by iammatt

You guys are hysterical. 50k for a cook with no experience? Kyle hasn't made that in two years. LO ******* L.
I've been working for two years out of culinary school, and 11 years cooking in my life. I can honestly say, without hyperbole, that in the three years I've been a true "professional," classically trained and experienced in the restaurant industry, if you added my salary for both years together, I still would not have made 50k. Granted, not all that time was cooking, but being on the wine staff at Trotter's isn't exactly going to make someone rich, either. And part of that time was as a sous chef. That said, personal cheffing is an entirely different lifestyle and set of demands, and 50k isn't unreasonable for that. I mean, for someone with no experience whatsoever it's pretty unreasonable, but for someone like me, 35-45k, possibly more, would be pretty well accepted. I would never do it, though, because I like to go home and ***** about my customers. That's no fun if your only customer sleeps down the hall from you. Anyway, mgm, if you have no experience, want to get out of your mother's house, and can at least cook a steak correctly (which we've seen you can), then go for it. It will just be some life experience. It will never really translate to a restaurant job, or becoming a chef. And don't be surprised if it ends up blowing up in your face and your boss is some insane ***** and you end up living with Mom again in 6 months.