In addition to concepts, feasibility and projects to modernize businesses and teams, some of my clients have specific wishes, such as looking for a private chef. People who are used to five-star service 365 days a year know that I have a wide professional community around me and the last thing they want is to advertise and conduct endless interviews.
The first such request came years ago, when I just started mentoring the then number two from a famous Michelin-starred restaurant. It was an interesting process and I have been following him on his journey ever since. He himself says that he lacks courage, but to me personally he represents brave and fearless.
Here's part of our conversation about his transition into the ultimate private sphere.
Me: Why did you then decide to accept my client's offer and leave your already third "Michelin restaurant" and go into the private sphere as a personal chef? Don't you regret it?
Chef: I don't regret what I did, but rather what I didn't have time to do. It was a move I had in mind for a long time. Working in a Michelin-starred restaurant is prestigious, but also very demanding. Years ago, for example, one of my colleagues committed suicide. Every day is a battle for perfection. When your offer came to become a private chef, I saw it as a chance to be more creative and have a more personal approach to food. I thought it was easier to fulfill the wishes of one guest than hundreds. And that I will slow down a bit. Everything is not completely confirmed, but instead of cooking for hundreds of guests, I can focus on one person and their individual tastes. It's different and I like that I can adapt each meal to the mood and the situation."
Me: What are the main differences between working in a Michelin restaurant and cooking for private clients?
Chef: The difference is huge. In a Michelin restaurant, everything is perfectly aligned, the kitchen is like a well-tuned machine. You drive your piece in a machine tuned to perfection and you must not fail. Including cleanliness and constant readiness of the place. Everyone has a role and everything must be flawless. On the other hand, private clientele is much more personal. It's more intimate because I cook directly for the client at home or at their events. I'm using a lot of what I've learned, but I'm moving on. I adapt the menu according to what he wants or how he feels. In the private sphere, it's less about rules and more about intuition and flexibility. I will find out in the morning that I have time off and how many days it will be. Up front, none of the staff knows the program.
Me: How do you perceive the demand for private chef services? And how did you actually become so desirable?
Chef: Today, people increasingly appreciate a personal approach, and this creates a demand for private "chef" services. Clients are not only interested in great food, which they can get anytime and anywhere, but also the luxury of having someone who takes care of them one hundred percent. I was lucky enough to be referred and that helped me get more clients. I have already cooked for several important people, and if you cook well for someone, they will recommend you. When one of the guests likes it, they usually become interested. I'm often called to give a presentation, even though I'm not serving. These are the differences from the restaurant. Every new client is a challenge and an opportunity to show what I can do. I always have a contract for a year, even with an option.
Me: What inspires you when creating new dishes?
Chef: Hey, I'm weird, I look for inspiration everywhere - like everyone else in nature, on trips, in seasonal ingredients, but also in people themselves. Everyone has different tastes and I like to create a menu that reflects the client's personality, his life stage, when he wants to be healthier or doesn't want a certain type of meat for a while. I'm able to talk to you and then I'll tell you what you're probably up to and I'll do it. I remember you being able to eat only tuna steaks for three weeks in Zanzibar, and that you are not afraid of ethnic cuisines and that you like to cook yourself, so I would go with you. Sometimes I'll bring something completely new, other times I'll focus on the best of the classics. According to the client's mood. For me, cooking is a way of communication, it's a way to tell a story through flavors, which sounds like a cliché. I myself laugh at the yogurt commercials with a story, and now I'm going to blurt it out in front of you.
Me: Is there anything negative about being a private chef?
Chef: Yes, for example when there is someone else standing between me and the customer. This could be a problem. Communication is key, and when you have a butler or someone else between you and the client, there can be misunderstandings. Sometimes the feedback comes to you distorted, or late, or not at all. And then you only hear something like 'the master probably didn't like it' or 'the wife didn't finish it', but you won't find out why. This is frustrating. I try to build a direct relationship with the client so that we can talk things out. When it doesn't work, you have to be patient and know how to work with what you have. And sometimes it's annoying. For example, I sometimes go jogging with a client in the morning, and he sometimes tells me what he's in the mood for, or who will be his guest.
Me: I know we agreed to be non-specific, but in general, what was it like during the pandemic at the client in the Caribbean? Was it different than now in Monte Carlo? You wrote that now you don't have many chances to get anywhere outside the kitchen, at most to the market or when traveling.
Chef: The Caribbean and Monte Carlo are two completely different experiences. In the Caribbean, I had more freedom in terms of ingredients and inspiration. I was in direct contact with local farmers and fishermen, I could choose fresh ingredients every day. The Caribbean has been an incredible inspiration for me as a chef. I made a lot of mistakes there, we solved that via WhatsApp. It was just my first time. Monte Carlo is again about luxury, but also about certain restrictions. We have great ingredients, but it's more about precision and sticking to a plan. Moreover, everything here is quite formal and follows a schedule. In addition, there is work outside the headquarters. At sea. As for a yacht in the summer, cooking on a boat is a completely different league – you have limited space, limited ingredients and everything is planned in advance. It was luxurious, but quite restrictive. Like cooking with your hands tied.
Me: If you could choose, who would be your next client and where would it be?
Chef: If I could choose, I would want someone who has a deep relationship with food and appreciates quality and creativity. It doesn't have to be a super famous or rich person, but rather someone who understands that food is art, that it's not just fuel. And what about the place? I am attracted to Tuscany, where I could cook with local seasonal ingredients, or Japan, where everything is precise and each ingredient has its own meaning. But I would also like to work somewhere in the Pacific, on a remote island. Cooking from what the island has to offer, having the freedom to create and live in harmony with nature, and maybe even go fishing - that would be idyllic.
Me: How does such a job relate to your personal life? I know your first girlfriend broke up with you when you were working at your second Michelin restaurant, the second left you two years ago when you didn't return from the Caribbean, and you wrote that you weren't looking for a third. Is that so?
Chef: (laughing and blushing) Yeah, that fits. My personal life and career don't make many friends. Eating at a Michelin-starred restaurant is more of a lifestyle than a job. Long hours, endless pressure to get everything perfect. I didn't realize at the time how much it destroys relationships. My first girlfriend was right when she told me that I lived more in the kitchen than with her. But at the time, I thought to myself that this is simply the price I have to pay to get where I want to go.
Second girlfriend? That was more complicated. The Caribbean was beautiful, but also an escape. I had freedom there, I could experiment, get to know new tastes, new cultures. At home, people were running in masks and dying too, you don't want to read that all the time, I didn't even open the Czech news. I somehow lost the connection. I fell in love with the place and forgot what I had at home. And when I finally came back, it was too late. She was gone.
I'm somewhere else now. I'm not looking for a third relationship. I guess I've learned my lesson, maybe I just need some time to myself. Working as a private chef is quite demanding and once you step into it, there is not much room for anything else. But I'm not saying I've closed the door completely, I'm just not looking for it at all costs.
Me: And if you could travel back in time and send a message to your eighteen-year-old self, what would you say?
Chef: (laughs again) That's a good question. I think I would tell him, take it easy, everything will come in time. Don't be in such a hurry. When I was eighteen, I felt like I had to do everything right away, that every day I didn't achieve something was wasted. I was full of energy, but also quite stubborn. I wanted everything fast - fame, career, success. But sometimes it's better to let things mature, to give them time.
I would also advise him to take more care of his relationships with the people he cares about. Outside the kitchen. Career is important, but the people around you are what gives you balance. Whether it's friendship, family or partnership, these are things you shouldn't put off until later.
So much for the story of one of my mentored private clients, who, thanks to the courage to leave a Michelin restaurant, became a sought-after personal chef. His journey is proof that when you let things flow and don't cling to anything, they tend to find their right direction – not just in the kitchen, but in life as well.
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