Who is a Personal Chef, and how does it differ from a Private Chef?

A personal chef typically works with a select number of clients or families, preparing meals in their home kitchens. In contrast, a private chef is generally a full-time employee hired by a single household. Currently, I serve a few private families and individuals on a weekly basis. However, I am open to transitioning into a private chef role for the right client or family.

What experience do you have?

I am a self-taught chef with hands-on experience at a vegan café in the Bay Area, California.

My journey into a plant-based lifestyle began after I healed my body through a whole-food vegan diet, which led me to fully embrace plant-based living. To support this new way of life, I taught myself how to prepare wholesome, vegan meals.

I’ve also completed several cooking courses and continue to refine my culinary skills.

Additionally, I am a certified Holistic Health Coach specializing in plant-based nutrition and Candida Cleanse guidance, offering meal planning and support for those seeking to improve their health through nutrition.

Do I need to be home when you cook?

No. Most of my clients are out of the house working or doing what they love while I cook in their homes. However, you are welcome to stay home and visit the kitchen as frequently as you like while I cook.

Can you cook in your home kitchen and drop off at our house?

If your kitchen is unavailable due to construction, remodeling, personal health, or any other reason, and you’re comfortable with it, I can prepare your meals in my home kitchen and deliver them to you. Alternatively, I can cook your meals in a rented commercial kitchen space, with additional charges for the rental fees.

What does the average menu look like?

All menus are carefully tailored to your specific needs, favorite flavors, and dietary preferences or restrictions. You can choose from a variety of options, including breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and snacks.

For example, a typical menu includes two breakfast options, two lunch options, two dinner options, and one snack, with multiple servings to accommodate a family of four.

How long does it take to complete the meal prep?

The time required for meal prep depends on your menu, dietary needs, and any additional services you request, such as counting macros. Counting macros is the most time-intensive part of menu creation, thus taking additional time for which you will be billed as well.

For an average menu, which typically includes 12-16 individual servings, the process takes about 5 hours in total. Here’s the breakdown:

• Grocery store commute and shopping: 1.5- 2 hours, as I source the highest quality ingredients, often requiring visits to multiple stores

• Commute to your home: around 1-2 hours roundtrip

• Cooking time: 3-5 hours (plant-based meals require more preparation and multiple steps compared to traditional American meals)

• Clean-up time: 30 minutes to 1 hour

Please note that plant-based meal prep is more time-consuming due to the level of detail and preparation involved.

What is your rate?

My rate is $85/hour. The cost of ingredients is billed separately.

Do you charge for the commute time, too?

Yes, I do charge for commute time. By shopping for you, I save you a significant amount of time and effort, ensuring that you get the freshest and highest-quality ingredients from multiple stores. My retainer clients typically receive a discounted rate for commute time as a benefit.

Is commute time billed at the same rate as your chef’s rate?

For one-time bookings, commute time is based on your location and the size of your meal prep request. Larger meal preps receive discounted rates for commute time.

For retainer clients, discounted commute time is included in my monthly pricing package.

Do you offer any discounts on your services?

Yes, I do, but only for my retainer clients.

What do you mean by the “Retainer-based Client"?

A retainer client prepays for my services for a period of 1 to 3 months in advance to secure a reserved day of the week for meal preparation. This arrangement ensures that I prioritize their cooking needs on a consistent schedule.

Becoming a retainer client comes with several benefits:

1. I will reserve a specific day of the week exclusively for your service, ensuring that I do not take on other clients on that day.

2. You’ll receive a discounted flat rate when you prepay for a month in advance.

3. As I cook for you each week, I’ll become more familiar with your tastes, preferences, and dietary needs, allowing me to continually personalize your meals and ensure you’re enjoying exactly what you love.

4. I prioritize all my retainer clients by giving special attention to their unique menus, modifications, and any special requests.

Can I try your service once or twice before committing long-term?

Absolutely! You can try my services on a one-off basis for 2-3 times. After that, most clients find it beneficial to switch to a retainer-based arrangement. If you continue booking on a one-off basis, please note that I can’t guarantee availability for the following week, as I prioritize my retainer clients. While I provide the highest level of attention to all my clients, retainer clients are given top priority.

Can we do our grocery shopping?

Grocery shopping is included in my chef services. I personally handle the shopping to ensure the highest quality and freshest produce, the right quantities of food, and the cleanest brands of condiments. Additionally, if any ingredients are unavailable at the store, I’ll choose the best possible substitute on the spot based on availability.

Menu Modifications

I will send you the proposed menu via email at least 48 hours before our agreed-upon service day.

All menu changes must be approved by you no later than 48 hours before the cooking day.

Any changes received less than 48 hours in advance may not be accepted, as I plan my time for grocery shopping and any necessary prep work ahead of time.

Are there any additional charges for adding extra meals or servings to the menu?

If you are not a retainer client, there will be additional charges for any extra meals or servings requested beyond the initially agreed menu.

For retainer clients, I typically accommodate one extra meal (up to four servings) without adjusting your rate, as long as you cover the cost of the additional groceries.

Please note that preparing a new meal, even for just one serving, involves creating an entirely new recipe, which requires additional steps, techniques, processes, and extra cleaning of kitchen equipment before and after cooking.

Complimentary Kitchen Inventory Assessment

After you make your first upfront payment, I will schedule a complimentary kitchen inventory for my retainer clients. Please note that this inventory is not a kitchen or fridge clean-up. I will assess your fridge and pantry to take note of the ingredients you already have, so I can avoid purchasing duplicates for the upcoming cooking day.

This can also be done virtually via FaceTime, where you can walk me through your fridge and pantry.

Complimentary Health Consultations

I offer a complimentary 45-minute health consultation twice a month for my retainer clients. If you'd like to schedule a free consultation to discuss any questions or concerns, I will send you a booking link.

Communication Guidelines

Due to the nature of my business, I am typically in the client’s kitchen from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., so I am unable to answer texts, phone calls, or emails during those hours. Once I return home after my service day, I make it a priority to respond to all messages by the same evening. I appreciate your patience and understanding.

How to Prepare Your Kitchen for Cooking

To ensure a smooth cooking experience, please make sure your kitchen is clean and ready for me to use. Here are the key things to prepare:

• No dirty dishes in the sink or on any surfaces (I will not be washing any dishes left dirty from prior use)

• Clean pans, pots, blenders, and food processors

• A sufficient supply of one-time-use paper towels

• Clear as much space as possible on all your countertops

• Ensure all food storage containers are clean, ready, and have matching lids. If you don’t have enough containers, I can order them for you, and the cost will be added to your bill.

  What Chef Services Are Not?

Personal Chef and Meal Prep Services does not include:

a. Housekeeping services beyond services

b. Childcare

c. Correspondence with delivery, maintenance, or other businesses entering Client property

d. Offsite services.

Why do you need my credit card information?

No longer worry about remembering to settle invoices or sift through additional emails during your hectic week! Our process involves gathering your credit card details through a secure form, allowing us to make secure payments for your groceries at the store and services through Stripe. This streamlined approach eliminates the need for invoicing, ensuring that the current week's transactions are swiftly settled, and allowing you to plan the upcoming week without the burden of unpaid invoices. Your credit card statement will reflect separate entries for grocery and service charges. Additionally, you'll receive a paper receipt from the grocery store and an electronic receipt via email from Stripe for services rendered.

What Payment Methods You Accept?

I accept Venmo, Zelle, and ACH transfers free of fee charges.

For all invoices paid by the credit card, a 3% credit card fee will be added to the proposed rate.

CANCELLATION POLICY

For all one-time clients, there are no refunds, no rescheduling, and no rollovers.

I am your retainer client; What happens when we go out of town?

We expect you’ll be traveling with your family at some point! Please alert me of any travel as soon as possible. Because I offer weekly meal-prep services, I block out that day of the week for you for the foreseeable future and do not take any other cooking opportunities for those dates.

For travel lasting 7 days (1 week) or less where 1 service will be missed, there is no charge.

For travels more than 7 days (or where a second service week would be skipped) and you are expecting services to resume as usual when you return, there are 3 options:

1) a $350 maintenance per week starting week 2 until services resume;

or 2) I can do a complete pantry, cupboard, and refrigerator clean-out and deep clean;

and/or 3) You may gift cooking services to a family member or friend. They would pick up the food at your home on their own time.

Most clients choose 2 and 3 to utilize my services.