FAQs
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I've been cooking since I was 7 years old and started working my way through college for aeronautical engineering by cooking in restaurants. When I started working at Wolfgang Pucks Restaurant, I fell in love with the science of food, switched majors to culinary management, and started learning as much as I could about restaurants. I was able to get my first Executive chef job at 25 years old. After 8 years of being an executive chef for 3 different companies and running $7 million per ear restaurants, I decided to open my own Private Chef and Catering business, Elemental Chef Inc. I am now able to combine my passionate food-nerd side with my executive level business side. This is where my company's saying has come from, " You have to have the passion to make it great and the experience to make it right!"
- What types of customers have you worked with?
Private/personal Chef work and Catering are the majority of what we do. We also do cooking classes for groups of at least 15 people.
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
1.) Look for someone who has Provable experience. 2.)They need to take your requests serious, not just someone who thinks this is a fun job or does it part time. 3.) There are a lot of private chefs and caterers that could not handle the pace and organization of restaurants. so they do this thinking that it is easier. It is not easier and takes a higher level of organization and knowledge to price things appropriately. There are some out there that just copy pricing from others without knowing their actual costs. We keep our pricing down below market because we understand what our costs are. 4.) When you ask a question, don't let the professional pettifog or detract from the question. Be thorough with what you want, as chefs/Caterers are not mind readers. We work hard for our money to prove that we know you work hard for yours!