Culinary Nutrition Careers Spotlight:
Personal Chef

Becoming a personal chef requires much more than knowing how to cook well. A deep knowledge of culinary nutrition science is also a must. Clients often hire personal chefs because they have specific nutritional needs or wants. Understanding your client's needs and adhering to them is essential, both for you as a chef and often for your client and their health.

Here is a guide to some of the things that a personal chef needs to know about nutrition.

Personal Chefs Must Accomodate for Allergies

One of the most basic yet important areas of knowledge for a personal chef is allergens. Many clients have diets limited by their allergies. Knowing how to prepare as wide a variety of dishes as possible without common allergens will go a long way to furthering your career as a personal chef. It will make your job much easier to know, right from the beginning, the sorts of dishes you can prepare for your client, rather than having to learn entirely new recipes after finding out their allergy. Additionally, you will need to know everything that your client might be allergic to; their health is literally in your hands, so do your research about food allergies both common and uncommon.

Personal Chefs often work for Ill and Recovering Clients

People who hire personal chefs sometimes do so because they are recovering from illness. Strengthening their immune systems and bodies is essential, but it can be a difficult task for someone who is already dealing with the stress of significant illness. That's where you can help.

You will need to know the right foods to prepare for each patient's needs. A patient who is recovering from cancer treatment, for example, will have a different set of nutritional requirements to recover than someone who has digestive health issues. If you become the personal chef for someone going through or recovering from illness, you will take on a significant role in their lives; knowing how to help them requires a deep base of knowledge that a culinary nutrition education can provide.

Personal Chefs can Help their Clients Eat Well So They Can Get Fit

When you think of becoming personal chef, cooking for someone who is trying to get fit might be the first thing that comes to mind. But a personal chef's role in their client's fitness routine is remarkably varied. For starters, your job will change drastically depending on the demands of your client.

Do they want to build muscle or lose weight? Are they active in any sports? Are they significantly overweight or underweight? Maybe they're happy with the shape they're in, but they have a strict diet they want to maintain. Fitness nutrition involves much more than just counting calories. You need to consider your client's daily physical activity, overall health and metabolism, and any specific nutrition requirements or requests they might have.

If you're the primary decision-maker for your client's menu, you will need a deep knowledge of nutritional science so you can easily set a menu that best serves your client's needs. Likewise, if your client has strict guidelines for what they want to eat, knowing how to make as many recipes as possible within those guidelines will make them happier and you a better, more valuable chef.

Bouta take my talents 2 ECPI to be a chef....

— Bill Bellamy (@Skeemin_CWeasel) January 10, 2012

How a Degree in Culinary Nutrition could help you Achieve your Dreams

Being a personal chef is a difficult job, but it's a rewarding one. You get to have a one-on-one relationship with your clients, working in their homes instead of the frenzy of a restaurant kitchen. To succeed, you need to be more than a chef; you need to be an expert on nutritional science. An Associate of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts and Applied Nutrition could set you on your way to becoming a personal chef. Contact ECPI University today for more information.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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Gainful Employment Information – Culinary Nutrition - Associate’s

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