Careers · Explore one path
Cooks, Private Household
Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.
Other titles employers use
Certified Personal Chef (CPC) · Personal Chef · Personal Private Chef · Private Chef · Certified Personal Chef
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.
- Cool, package, label, and freeze foods for later consumption and provide instructions for reheating.
- Plan menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions.
- Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.
- Prepare meals in private homes according to employers' recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family and possibly for other household staff.
- Keep records pertaining to menus, finances, and other business-related issues.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical, helping and creative work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Creative
- Making, designing, writing, or performing without one set answer
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Critical Thinking
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Food Production
- Sales and Marketing
- Administration and Management
- Production and Processing
Useful strengths
- Near Vision
- Fluency of Ideas
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Expression
- Deductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 2.5 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 4.8 | Standing or moving for most of it |
| Talking face to face | 3.6 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 4.6 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a postsecondary certificate. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 46%
- A certificate or some college 42%
- A two-year degree 12%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Accounting software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Electronic mail software
- Inventory management software
- Internet browser software
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Video creation and editing software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 3,500
- Job openings each year
- 510
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- −2.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 3,500 | 510 | −2.8% |
| Washington | 1,460 | 250 | 17.7% |
| Virginia | 890 | 130 | −5.3% |
| Texas | 750 | 110 | — |
| Arizona | 670 | 100 | −1.5% |
| Ohio | 410 | 60 | −12.8% |
| Nebraska | 400 | 60 | — |
| Minnesota | 360 | 50 | −7.7% |
| Maryland | 300 | 50 | −3.2% |
| Puerto Rico | 270 | 40 | 12.5% |
| Colorado | 260 | 40 | — |
| Massachusetts | 260 | 40 | −7.1% |
| Connecticut | 220 | 30 | — |
| Michigan | 220 | 30 | −8.3% |
| Missouri | 210 | 30 | −4.5% |
| Oregon | 180 | 30 | — |
| Tennessee | 180 | 30 | −5.3% |
| Wisconsin | 140 | 20 | — |
| Arkansas | 130 | 20 | — |
| North Dakota | 130 | 20 | −7.1% |
| New Hampshire | 120 | 20 | — |
| Kentucky | 80 | 10 | −11.1% |
| Kansas | 70 | 10 | −12.5% |
| Louisiana | 70 | 10 | −12.5% |
| District of Columbia | 50 | 10 | −16.7% |
| Rhode Island | 40 | 10 | 33.3% |
| Utah | 40 | 10 | −20.0% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Johnson & Wales University-Providence
- Degrees each year
- 168
- Admit rate
- 84%
- Annual cost after aid
- $28,000
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
- Degrees each year
- 22
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Drexel University
- Degrees each year
- 10
- Admit rate
- 78%
- Annual cost after aid
- $35,000
College of the Ozarks
- Degrees each year
- 4
- Admit rate
- 15%
- Annual cost after aid
- $5,000
Texas Woman's University
- Degrees each year
- 3
- Admit rate
- 95%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Central Washington University
- Degrees each year
- 3
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Dominican University
- Degrees each year
- 1
- Admit rate
- 80%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 1
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Compare every college offering culinary arts and related services