FAQs

Yes, we do offer gift certificates. When you order a gift certificate, we will send you a PDF file with your unique gift certificate. We offer both weekly meal service (typically with an eight week minimum) and dinner party gift certificates, so be sure to check out our gift certficates page or call us for more information. When you purchase a dinner party gift certificate, it includes the cost of our chef service and groceries. For weekly dinner gift certificates, the final grocery cost will be charged following your service, as the cost of groceries vary depending on the type of meals your recipient would like to enjoy.

For those clients who are gluten intolerant or simply would like to limit their intake of gluten, we are more than happy to prepare all gluten-free meals. While a number of our regular meals offered are gluten free already, we can easily provide a varied, tasty, and nutritious gluten-free diet for those who request it. Just let us know you are interested and we can further discuss how our chefs can cater their menus to accommodate your preferences.

All of our chefs hold at least a certificate degree in the culinary arts. In addition to training in meal preparation, chefs are also taught proper sanitation and safety methods. Once hired by Atlanta Personal Chef Service, our chefs are required to complete a training period, where they learn to provide top-notch service along with the food they prepare. All of our chefs have previous industry experience.

Of course! And we encourage you to do so. If we’re cooking for your special event, you’ll consult directly with our team to determine the perfect meal for the special day. For our weekly clients, we’ll ask you to complete a food preferences inventory, which will allow you to note foods you love, foods you are no so crazy about, and any of your favorite dishes. With this information, a chef will prepare a proposed meal plan each week for you to approve. Craving something in particular? Just let your chef know before the end of the week and it will be on next week’s menu. It’s a simple as that.

While the terms private chef and personal chef are used largely interchangeably, the main difference is that a private chef is employed full-time by one household. A private chef will often cook three meals a day, and may even live in-house. Personal chefs, however, serve multiple clients, and typically will only prepare dinners unless other meals are specifically requested. Many personal chefs will visit a house on one day for many hours, and prepare many meals (usually up to 20) to be frozen and consumed later. A personal chef may only visit each client’s house once or twice a month. At Atlanta Personal Chef Service, we offer a unique hybrid option that encompasses a blend of the aspects of both a personal chef and a private chef. Our chefs are paired with no more than three to four households. This allows your chef to visit your house on a daily basis to prepare fresh meals, but without the price and commitment of employing a full-time private chef. Our chefs are also available to cook for dinner parties on the weekends, for either our regular clients or other people in Atlanta who desire to host a dinner party with a personal chef.

For the weekly dinner service provided by Atlanta Personal Chef Service, you can expect your chef to be in your home cooking for approximately two to three hours each day. Depending on the exact meal (or meals) your chef is preparing that day, it may take longer. On days when your chef will also be serving dinner and clearing the plates afterwards, you can expect them to remain for an additional hour or so. Dinner parties hosted by Atlanta Personal Chef Service can vary widely, depending on the number of guests, number of courses ordered, and the menu chosen, but typically the chef will be in your house for between four to six hours. Please keep in mind that a chef’s work day starts well before they reach your front door, since they must first plan and shop for all the needed ingredients before they arrive to cook in your kitchen.

When you start a weekly meal service with Atlanta Personal Chef Service, we will have you fill out a preferences form which will allow you to identify which proteins, vegetables, and starches you prefer to eat, and how often. Do you like seafood, but only enjoy it about once a month? You’ll easily be able to indicate any of your preferences, both your likes and dislikes, on the form before we start. We’ll ask you questions ranging from how often, to how much, to how spicy, to how often you enjoy eating soups, stews, and salads.

We like to equate starting service with Atlanta Personal Chef Service to starting a new relationship. The first few weeks are really about learning about the client’s preferences in food selection, food portion, and flavor. After a few weeks, you will find that our chefs are so tuned in to your personal preferences that they can nearly flawlessly create a menu you will love, while keeping it varied and interesting. It’s a learning process, but the preferences form accelerates the speed of the learning curve.

If you are a regular client of Atlanta Personal Chef Service, you do not need to be in your home when your personal chef arrives. Some clients do have schedules that allow them to be at home when their chef arrives, and this does not pose a problem at all. Other clients are not at home when their chef arrives. Depending on your preference, you may leave a key with your personal chef, in a lockbox or other location, or you may make arrangements for the key to be available upon the chefs’ arrival (more easily accomplished in condo buildings which have front desk attendants). The preference is up to you, but we do ask that family members do not attempt to prepare any food in the kitchen while your chef is working.

Well, you could visit tons of other personal chef websites of chefs in Atlanta, and find out for yourself, but we’ve already done the research for you. You’ll find that a majority of chefs offer what is called a 5×4 service. Under this type of service, you purchase a “package” of entrees (5 dishes, for 4 people each), which will be chosen in advance. The chef will then come to visit your home on one day, prepare all the 5 entrees (which come with a side dish), package them in freezer-friendly packaging, and leave heating instructions. You can eat the meals at your convenience, but if you have a family of four and you eat dinner together Monday-Friday, the meals will only last you one week. This type of service will run you approximately $300–$600 per week but does not include the price of groceries. Atlanta Personal Chef Service is not a fan of charging top dollar for frozen meals. With our pricing, which starts at $315 (for a couple) or $335 (for a family of four) per week, we include the preparation of fresh salads, soups, appetizers, and desserts in additional to entrees and side dishes. We also help to manage your kitchen, making sure that it is always clean, tidy, and stocked with all the necessities. Further, we typically stay in our clients home to serve their meals, and clean all the dishes when they have finished eating. Our clients love our service because we offer truly fine-dining restaurant quality and service. If you’re going to hire a chef, make sure the meals are made with freshly purchased ingredients, prepared fresh, and eaten fresh for your maximum enjoyment.

Of course! Atlanta Personal Chef Service will be happy to share any recipes with our clients, and we even post some of our favorite recipes online for anyone to view. If your chef cooks something you would like to try to cook on your own or pass to a friend, simply ask for the recipe and your chef will be happy to provide you with a copy of it. Some of our recipes are unique, and some are traditional recipes with our chef’s personal style of cooking integrated to make it truly remarkable.

All of the food displayed on Atlanta Personal Chef Service’s website, blog, and Facebook page showcase actual food cooked and served by our team of personal chefs. It is very important for us to show to our clients the quality of food and presentation that we offer with our service. You will also find many pictures from actual dinner parties that we have hosted in Atlanta as well. Have a craving for a food not pictured? No problem! Our personal chefs will be more than happy to prepare it for you (and then we’ll have more pictures to show our future clients!).

Right now we are able to start a new family with personal chef service in as little as 5 business days. We have trained chefs on our team with availability so we are able to get started very quickly. We will need to meet with you in person, view your kitchen, and have you fill out a food preferences form. There are certain times of the year, however, when we have high demand and there may be a waiting period of a few weeks. These times are typically around the start of the school year and early January.

Atlanta Personal Chef Service is currently looking for experienced, professionally trained chefs with a passion for excellent food and service to join our team. Please visit our Careers page to find out more about joining our team.