Insights

Guidance for Discerning Households

Considered answers to the questions households ask before hiring a full-time private chef.

Our Standard

If a Private Chef Isn't the Right Fit: Guarantees & Replacement

What happens when a private chef placement does not work out — how a reputable agency handles replacement, what our 90-day guarantee covers, and how to avoid needing it.

Read the guide
For Chefs

How Much Do Private Chefs Make?

What private chefs actually earn — typical salary ranges, what moves the number, how private chef pay compares with personal chef and estate chef roles, and what sits on top of base.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

What Belongs in a Private Chef Employment Agreement

The terms a full-time private chef employment agreement should cover — compensation, schedule, duties, travel, confidentiality, time off, and how the arrangement ends well.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

Credentials & Training to Look For in a Private Chef

Which private chef credentials actually matter — culinary training, restaurant pedigree, food-safety certification, and the private-service experience that résumés often obscure.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

How Private Chefs Handle Dietary Needs, Allergies & Wellness

How elite full-time private chefs manage allergies, medical diets, and wellness-driven eating for discerning households — protocols, sourcing, and what to verify before hiring.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

How a Private Chef Plans and Personalizes Your Menus

How an elite full-time private chef learns a family's palate and builds evolving, personalized menus — the intake, the first months, and the rhythm that sustains years of service.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

What a Full-Time Private Chef Actually Does

The full scope of a full-time private chef's role — daily menus, provisioning, service, entertaining, kitchen management, and coordination with household staff.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

Full-Time vs. Part-Time Private Chef: Which Does Your Household Need?

How to decide between a dedicated full-time private chef and part-time culinary help — what each arrangement delivers, and the threshold where full-time becomes the clear answer.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

What Sets an Elite Private Chef Apart

What distinguishes an elite full-time private chef from a merely competent one — pedigree, discretion, adaptability, and the household fit that makes a placement last.

Read the guide
Our Standard

How We Vet Private Chefs

Inside the Executive Chefs at Home vetting process — how we screen, assess, and verify every private chef, and why we work only with the top five percent of talent.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

What Does a Full-Time Private Chef Cost in 2026?

What a full-time private chef costs at the top of the market — elite private chef salaries, benefits, and agency placement fees for ultra-high-net-worth households.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

What Is an Estate Chef? Role, Compensation, and When to Hire One

What an estate chef is, how the role differs from a private chef, what they earn, and when an ultra-high-net-worth household should hire one.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

How to Hire a Full-Time Private Chef

A step-by-step guide to hiring a full-time private chef — defining the role, sourcing and vetting candidates, running a trial, and structuring the offer.

Read the guide
Hiring Guide

Private Chef vs. Personal Chef: What's the Difference?

Private chef vs. personal chef — the differences in employment, cost, and service, and how to know which one your household actually needs.

Read the guide