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Original poster

Dinner party chef?

28 replies

NoNeedToArgue · 01/03/2019 07:08

I'm about to hit 40 and need to change my life! I have an amazing husband and three great kids but I am in a job I hate with all my being - but which pays fairly well.

I should have done something with food...

I have no formal training but I absolutely love cooking, and read and think about food all the time. I have friends for dinner often, and it's the show-off cooking that I love the most. I hope everyone is being truthful when they compliment my food... I think they are!

Last night I struck on an idea - to set myself up as a dinner party chef. I would liaise with hosts about what they wanted from their dinner party, decide on a menu, and come and cook and serve it at their house. I think I would primarily be targeting busy people who love entertaining but don't have time for/ haven't got an interest in cooking.

My husband is in marketing and has some great ideas about how to get myself out there...

I haven't been able to sleep for excitement. I think the dinner party thing would be the part I would love the most, but in order for me to make this my living I would also need to offer another service - maybe stocking people's fridges/ freezers for the week? Providing healthy ready meals for families?

What do you think, wise mumsnetters? Would you ever be interested in a service like this? I know I would have to keep doing my day job for a long time yet but having this almost as a hobby to start with would give me the passion and enthusiasm that I am so badly missing in my work life right now.

TIA for any advice/ thoughts!

OP posts:
QuaterMiss · 01/03/2019 07:18

Hah! There was a period in the late 80s when every young woman I knew in London (Sloaney friends of friends) had a sideline in cooking private dinners or directors lunches. I've no idea if it's such a boom industry now. Would you need formal qualifications to strengthen your profile?

I can see fridge /freezer stocking being useful - though I wonder where you'd fit between actual live in housekeepers and smart fridges that order automatically.

Orangedaisy · 01/03/2019 07:19

I’d absolutely love this but realistically it would be beyond my budget I’m sure-so it’d be something I’d literally use for my 40th and then not again until my 50th. I’d think long and hard about if there’s enough disposable income/demand in your area. Starting small while keeping your current job sounds like an excellent plan. If it works (I guess by word of mouth and reputation doing good work) then you can always grow it.

FleeceDetective · 01/03/2019 07:24

There’s a few qualified chefs I know who do it as a sideline, so perhaps there is a market. Are you in an affluent area?

I imagine start up costs might be fairly high, doing basic food safety type courses/insurance cover etc.

What’s your USP? I imagine it’s a small ish pool of people who are looking for private dining catering, why would they choose you and not a qualified chef? You couldn’t really charge the same rates, so maybe being more affordable. But then would it be worth your while? It’s not the kind of job that keeping you busy on a Tuesday lunch time, it will be evenings and weekends/high holidays.

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General food
Winegumaddict · 01/03/2019 07:26

I have used a dinner party chef. It was my DSis 30th. We hired a cottage, a couple of us had weeks old DC so a fancy restaurant would be a challenge so we hired a chef. The food was amazing and just like a restaurant. She catered for the veggies and the pregnant amongst us and we could all relax. I wouldn't do it often though but was a lovely treat

wowfudge · 01/03/2019 07:35

There are a couple of people on a local Facebook selling site who do Indian food at the weekends - you have to collect from them. They have food hygiene certificates and their USP is the fact it's authentic Indian food. If you have the money could you do a course, e.g. Cordon Bleu, or similar? I can't see why someone would take on a domestic cook with no qualifications, etc. for an event. Might be different if they've tasted your food. Also as a one woman band you are vulnerable if you are ill or otherwise indisposed.

Original poster
NoNeedToArgue · 01/03/2019 07:38

Thank you for all the replies.

I have thought about courses I'd need to do, but would need to look into that further.

My USP is also something I'd have to consider carefully, but I think it would be affordability to start with. Maybe three tiers of menu starting at £15 per head? I'd do sneaky amuse-bouches to surprise and delight Grin

I do live in a fairly affluent area. Another thing I could offer would be cake-making but I am conscious of being a Jack-of-all-trades, and really the posh cooking is what I want to do.

A quick google reveals one lady doing this in my area, but her website is woeful and the pics are so old-fashioned. Otherwise there are lots of professional caterers.

I want to do this so much!

OP posts:
VeryFoolishFay · 01/03/2019 07:39

My DH and I run a supper club occasionally alongside our day jobs and we have cooked in other people's homes, mostly holiday rentals.

It's great fun and I really enjoy it but I have to say it pays very little an hour because there are very few economies of scale.

It doesn't cost much to set up through; you can do a food safety course online for about £25, it's free to get your kitchen inspected by your council and insurance costs are in the low hundreds.

But as said above, it's a treat for most people and the demand is not regular.

You can always run alongside your job and see how it goes. We've never lost money!

cheesenpickles · 01/03/2019 07:40

I know someone who does exactly this and they do very well out of it. I'd say go for it. Smile

anniehm · 01/03/2019 07:41

I've done it but you need to be willing to work very hard for not a lot of money - I did dinner parties, buffets, anything, but it's not as lucrative as you might think after costs (funerals were the best earners!). Working on other people's kitchens is no fun either

VeryFoolishFay · 01/03/2019 07:42

I do have a baking sideline too. It's handy because, often the meal is to celebrate a big birthday. Sometimes a cake is specifically ordered, and if not I often produce a little one as an unexpected treat.

What really delights people is the personal touch.

Original poster
NoNeedToArgue · 01/03/2019 07:43

I'm not expecting this to be something that I could make a living out of yet, but I would love so much if it did. In the short term it would scratch my itch of needing to do something I love. I think it would help me cope with having to do my proper job!

OP posts:
VeryFoolishFay · 01/03/2019 07:44

Our USP is that we make absolutely everything from scratch. No short cuts.

Original poster
NoNeedToArgue · 01/03/2019 07:44

Veryfoolish- do you have professional qualifications?

OP posts:
Shockers · 01/03/2019 07:45

I have a friend who does this, but also has a pop- up restaurant once a month. There is always a theme and the location is secret until a few days before. She uses interesting venues, or cafes which would usually be closed in the evening, decorated in the theme of the evening. She also does street food once a week, on summer evenings, from a local bakery.

VeryFoolishFay · 01/03/2019 07:45

in the short term it would scratch my itch of needing to do something I love

That's us to a t!

AlecOrAlonzo · 01/03/2019 07:45

I've thought about doing this too. I live in an area with lots of holiday cottages and air B and B but not very many restaurants or takeaways so I was thinking to offer a service to them.

I think it would start very small and be difficult to make a living. I sometimes bake for (posh) cafés and it's very difficult to make it worth the time. I do enjoy it though.

I think your competition would be those Gousto box schemes so if you could price it around the same mark you might be on to something. I don't think that many people have really fancy dinner parties very often.

VeryFoolishFay · 01/03/2019 07:46

No we don't have professional qualifications. We market ourselves as passionate home cooks and let our reviews do the talking!

Ragwort · 01/03/2019 07:47

I think in addition a service to provide really good quality home cooked ‘ready meals’ would be useful? My parents are real foodies, my mother is a fabulous cook but just bored with cooking now (86 this year!). They buy upmarket ready prepared meals from a local chef, they love them.

QuaterMiss · 01/03/2019 07:51

At the more budget end of the market you might want to check out your local catering college. I'd imagine a large proportion of the students offer private catering for money and CV purposes - so they'd be your competition.

It's a perfectly feasible idea - just as long as you understand that a million other people are doing it already!

Notwiththeseknees · 01/03/2019 07:52

I think it is a fabulous idea! Where I am at the moment there is literally a request on FB every week for a private chef to cater for a chalet of guests. They even wanted a chef for a week for a guest on the Keto diet plan, so your USP could be "faddy eating plans for the rich & lazy catered for"Wink.

Seriously though, you could offer your delicious food - all diets catered for whether for health, weight loss or allergy..... I would say though, where I live in the UK, the better-off are quite "careful" with their money and are old school so DPs and other "occasions" are usually a giant Boeuf Bourguignon and you might do well to target the Nouveau & Faddy!

VeryFoolishFay · 01/03/2019 07:58

I think there's something in that. We live in quite a traditional area but our last cottage meal was vegetarian and gluten free because the couple couldn't find a local pub to handle it.

Original poster
NoNeedToArgue · 01/03/2019 07:59

You are all so useful- thank you so much. Loads to think about here!

OP posts:
RockingMyFiftiesNot · 01/03/2019 08:00

Have you worked out what your profit would be and how much you would earn?

Original poster
NoNeedToArgue · 01/03/2019 08:07

Not at all! It's a bit of a dream at this point that it would generate much profit at all.

You have to do something though don't you? I could get to 65 without having tried it, or I could get to 65 having done it and hopefully enjoyed it. Either way I'll get to 65 - do you know what I mean?!

OP posts:
VeryFoolishFay · 01/03/2019 08:21

I find it hugely enjoyable, it's great to see people loving your food. It's a big boost to my self esteem and I enjoy the social aspect too.

I also love researching and writing the menus; it's a risk free creative outlet and it's developing my knowledge and confidence.
Plus because we hold events at home, if a particular event doesn't sell, we just quietly drop it!

Each event makes a profit but we are focusing on reputation at the moment. A lot of custom comes from word of mouth and repeat guests.

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