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PARTIES , ENTERTAINMENT, AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Visiting Chef
Description of Job • Plan and prepare a gourmet or theme dinner at a client’s home. • Select and serve appropriate wines. • Serve meal to guests. • Clean up kitchen.
The Need For a formal dinner party or an extraordinary gathering of friends and family, one very special option is to hire a professional cook to come to your home to prepare and serve a meal. A visiting chef delivers a customized gourmet or theme dinner to your exact order, leaving you free to be a guest at your own party.
Challenges You will need the skills and background of a professional chef, with some additional flexibility to be able to work in unfamiliar kitchens and with sometimes unusual requests. You may have to work with less-than-optimal ovens, with utensils and pots that are less than commercial quality, and in limited space. You’ll need to be able to put together an entire meal, including appetizers, entrées, and dessert. In most situations, you’ll also need to have some knowledge about the selection and serving of wine. Depending on the size of the job and your own experience, you may need to experiment with unusual dishes in your own kitchen before cooking them for your client.
Know the Territory Spend the time to meet with clients to discuss menu and ingredient choices. Tour the kitchen you’ll be working in to learn about your working area. You can offer menus of available, tested recipes or ask for requests and suggestions from your clients. Be sure to discuss any special ingredients they may want, and ask about allergies and special diets.