How I became a Personal Chef is an interesting story.

It’s like a romantic comedy where at the end the heroine realized that her buddy next door is actually her true love.

I thought I wanted to go to culinary school.

I thought I wanted to be a restaurant chef.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I hated my job, it was a dead end as far as my career plus I had a bad commute. It was a trifecta of crap. Something had to give.

I’d like to say “I remember it like it was yesterday!” but you know how it is when you have kids. It’s all a blur of sleep deprivation, incessant worrying and attending sports/choir/assemblies.

I’ve always loved to cook. Even as a kid I’d pour over mom’s checkerboard cookbook and occasionally get up the guts to look at the “fancy” cookbook, her hardcover copy of Good Housekeeping’s Illustrated Cookbook. She cooked for us every day and both my parents appreciated good food and wine, so it was something I’d grown up with. After I finished getting a college degree I wanted to go to culinary school but the need to get myself a paying job was obviously a higher priority.

Next thing you know, the years start flying by…you meet a guy…you move to Texas…and you can’t get a job in your field because the IT bubble has burst.

So there I was in the crap trifecta. I started thinking that it was time to do something I wanted to do. Something I was passionate about. I’d always loved to cook. I’d worked in plenty of restaurants over the years but slaving away working late nights, weekends, and holidays was a non-starter. I was newlywed and planned on starting a family sooner than later.

Having always had the entrepreneurial bug (I ran a grocery store out of my garage when I was 12) and a love of cooking, I decided to become a personal chef. There wasn’t a ton of information available, but I cobbled together a plan from some things I found on the internet.

I started Elegant Eats Personal Chef Service in 2005. It has been a wild wonderful ride. At different points, I’ve worked full time, cooked for multiple clients in one day, worked part-time, cooked for clients while pregnant, taken a baby with me to cook, and taken time off altogether.

I’ve cooked for professional athletes, single people, billionaires, middle-class families, celebrities, people with specific dietary requirements, you name it.

I’ve provided everything from weekly dinner service, romantic dinners for two, corporate team buildings, cooking lessons and even a fondue party for 50.

And made great money while doing it. You can learn about how much personal chefs make on this post.

Personal cheffing can really be anything you want it to be.

Being a personal chef is the best career in the world as far as my completely unbiased opinion goes. Not only do I get to get paid to do what I love, but I also get the complete freedom of having my own business on my own terms.

Do you love to cook? Are people always telling you how great your food is? Find out if becoming a personal chef is right for you by getting the free guide below.

Questions? Leave them in the comments, I’m happy to answer.