Is anyone here a personal chef? If so,

K

kendall

Well-known member
What did you do when you first began marketing?

I'm beginning the business in Oklahoma City, which is a whole different animal then Dallas, Chicago, NYC, etc. We don't have a large population of people making over $100,000 a year. I'm just trying to think of innovative marketing plans other than the usual, which I will employ, but I think picking peoples brains in a situation like this is helpful.

When I applied for a job as a food writer for a state magazine, someone here gave me the idea of putting my resume in menu form, (which I didn't get.) But the sample articles got me a job writing internet articles. and I'm now using the resume for my personal chef business.

 
I'm not, but I have 3 chefs renting space from me that are.............

For them, they rely pretty much exclusively by word of mouth. However, I would target the demographic that you are looking for by tracking where they work. Large law/accounting/engineering/architectural firms would be where I would start. For something really creative, once you've narrowed down some good prospects, I would drop by some sort of sampler plate at their reception (call them first to give them the heads up) along with a one-pager ad and a few business cards. Ask if they would mind putting in their staff room.

there's my two cents, for what it's worth smileys/smile.gif

good luck!

 
Love the resume-menu - what a great idea....

I don't know if this would be of interest to your clientele but in the past I toyed with the idea of offering gourmet-ish "frozen meals" (I would make the dish and put it in containers that could be frozen). (I have 3 freezers - can you see why it appealed to me:) Customers would buy them and cook them as needed.

Also - to email menus ahead of time for 'dinners' that I would prepare (one or two entrees)on certain days and take orders for them. Customers can pick them up fresh (or I guess have them delivered).

Just thinking out loud here:)

 
I am in the same boat as you Kendall.

The Farmer's Market will be ending in October and I will need to find a different venue to sell from. If you can get into a FM around where you live, you will come into contact with a lot of people. I have a few very regular customers that I am certain will carry on after the market. I come up with my menu and email it to them, and they place their orders to pick up at the market.
Another good place to look for customers are schools, especially elementary schools. There are a lot of households where both parents work and they don't have time to cook and they end up spending a fortune in fast food. I am placing an ad in the directory at my grandkids school for a mere $10-25 dollars.
In San Diego, I had a group of soccer moms that I cooked for twice a week. They all lived in the same area so delivery was easy. I supplied a main dish and vegetable to serve a family of four. I made everything from scratch so it was inexpensive to make and kept my costs down.
Samples are the best way to drum up business. When I don't sample my salsa for instance, I will sell very little. When I aggressively sample, I usually sell out. So taking around a sample plate to businesses is a great idea.
Let me know how it goes. I am having a hard time visualizing what a menu resume would be like.
Here is a sample of the menu I email out to my customers. Good luck!

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w243/dawnie2u/food%20pictures/MenuSept4.jpg

 
re: health regulations

Hi Kendall:

You would need to check with health regultions in your area re: making food anywhere outside people's houses. I would think doing up some samples would be fine (IMHO). Esp. doing things like prepared meals to be sold to the public. You would, however, be able to do all the cooking in their house and leave them a bunch of prepared meals.

 
Thank You All So Much!!!

Those are all great ideas! I also plan to speak at women's luncheons, like the Business and Professional Women, etc. You never know what you will get out of that.

I must legally cook in their homes. The sampling idea is great. I have 3 dogs and a cat, all come inside at different times, and all sleep inside. I'm afraid to cook for my friends here. I find a way to do that though.

In the future (and with this economy, who knows when that is) I plan to have a commercial kitchen.

I'll continue to pass on ideas periodically and write each of you in a pm when I do.

I wish I could post the resume in it's present form, in a publishing document with color, here, but I can't, so I'll post the text.

 
I spent time as a personal chef many years ago

It depends on what kind of client you are looking for Kendall. Are you looking to be hired as a full-time chef for a family or are you looking for high-end party work? Or?

Either way you need to market to the women. Whether they be the execs or the wives of execs they are who makes the decisions about food.

Got a Junior League where you are? Find out who the members are and send out something clever to each of them. High-end golf courses? Buzz through when you know there is a function and hand stuff out to people. Hospital Auxiliary meetings? Exclusive tennis clubs or health clubs? High-end trendy grocery stores? Get your stuff where they will find it.

Limo services can be a good resource for business too. Offer a small spiff for referrals. If you are really high-end go to where the corporate jets hanger and get your cards in the hands of a supervisor.

Think outside the box. Just going to businesses is not going to get you the business. Your samples and info will not get in the right hands unless you have pretty much all-women companies you go to. Good intentions usually get pretty much stopped by whomever is at the reception area.

 
GREAT STUFF Cathy Z, thanks!

I'm in Oklahoma City, OK, a very conservvative spending state, where even the wealthy are hard to sell, and the median income isn't over 40 grand a year. "The Good Ol Boy" system RULRS here, so you get to the woman running the man, you have it made, very good advice!

I'm looking for cooking home meals for 2 weeks at a time for families, and some dinner party biz, maybe a cater job here and there.

Not the greatest place to begin a biz like this, but I will succeed.

 
I don't have the licensing and other qualifications for "caterer," so technically ,

I am a personal chef without a commercial kitchen. The term usually connotes to me someone who comes to your house and prepares a week's worth of meals for the refrigerator. I only do parties, and my clients pretend not to notice that I arrive with many things already prepared.

That being said, I found a great way to sample my wares was with local charities' silent auctions. I prepared a certificate for a dinner for four, with a choice of my best menus. They often sold for more than the dinner was worth, and usually the winner wanted to add a couple or two, which at least covered expenses. I've done some great dinners this way that led to other gigs, and usually a nice tip offsets some of the food cost because they are so grateful.

My typical client is an excellent cook who is tired of missing her own parties being stuck in the kitchen. They are so happy to get quality food from someone who cares, leaving them free to be the hostess. People who don't care as much about the food can get great deals elsewhere--(Costco is fine and I've eaten it with relish at my friends and family's occasions. I'm not knocking it and I'm not trying to compete either) You have to find your niche.

Even if you're planning the stricter version of "personal chef" a dinner party auction is still a nice place to start.

 
"pretend not to notice "--that made me smile this morning! Great idea for Silent Auction item

 
Best of luck to you!

I am going to be very interested to read about your adventures in OKC as a personal chef

I was going to post a joke about being a personal chef myself (to hubby and two dogs), but got really excited about the fact that you are doing it in my stomping grounds.

We just moved to Los Angeles for 1 year (sabbatical in UCLA), but we'll be back in OK often, and permanently one year from now

GOOD LUCK! I am curious about your menu

 
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