Occupation

Cooks, Private Household

Human Advantage 68%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
3.7 / 10

Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.

Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.

Also Known As: Certified Personal Chef (CPC), Cook, Cooking Chef, Culinary Artist, Culinary Chef, Culinary Specialist, Culinary Worker, Dinner Cook +7 more

Video

Core Tasks

  1. Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.
  2. Cool, package, label, and freeze foods for later consumption and provide instructions for reheating.
  3. Plan menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions.
  4. Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.
  5. Prepare meals in private homes according to employers' recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family and possibly for other household staff.
  6. Keep records pertaining to menus, finances, and other business-related issues.
  7. Stock, organize, and clean kitchens and cooking utensils.
  8. Direct the operation and organization of kitchens and all food-related activities, including the presentation and serving of food.
  9. Specialize in preparing fancy dishes or food for special diets.
  10. Plan and prepare food for parties, holiday meals, luncheons, special functions, and other social events.
  11. Create and explore new cuisines.
  12. Serve meals and snacks to employing families and their guests.

Supplemental Tasks (1)

  1. Travel with employers to vacation homes to provide meal preparation at those locations.

Education & Training

Job Zone 3 Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
On-the-Job Training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
38%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
31%
Less than a High School Diploma
15%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
12%
Some College Courses
4%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Intuit QuickBooks
  • WordPress

Software (10)

  • APPCA Personal Chef Office
  • Cooking e-books
  • Cost tracking software
  • Email software
  • Food inventory software
  • Web browser software
  • Work scheduling software
  • YouTube

Tools & Equipment (68)

  • Bakers' knives
  • Basting brushes
  • Bench scrapers
  • Boning knives
  • Bread knives
  • Butchers' gloves
  • Carving forks
  • Colanders
  • Computer laser printers
  • Convection ovens
  • Corkscrews
  • Countertop microwaves
  • Cutting boards
  • Deep-fat thermometers
  • Digital kitchen timers
  • Digital scales
  • Dishwashers
  • Electric grills
  • Fat skimmers
  • Fish spatulas
  • Food processors
  • Frying thermometers
  • Garlic presses
  • Graters
  • Icing piping tips
  • Kitchen rulers
  • Kitchen shears
  • Kitchen skillets
  • Kitchen thermometers
  • Knife sharpening tools
  • Labelmakers
  • Ladles
  • Laptop computers
  • Locking tongs
  • Mandolines
  • Measuring cup sets
  • Measuring spoon sets
  • Meat cleavers
  • Meat forks
  • Melon ballers
  • Metal baking sheets
  • Mixing bowls
  • Muffin pans
  • Nonstick saute pans
  • Offset spatulas
  • Omelet spatulas
  • Oven thermometers
  • Paring knives
  • Pastry cutters
  • Perforated spoons
  • Potato mashers
  • Poultry basters
  • Refrigerator thermometers
  • Rolling pins
  • Saucepans
  • Saute pans
  • Scorers
  • Serrated knives
  • Serving spoons
  • Slotted turners
  • Stand mixers
  • Stockpots
  • Swivel peelers
  • Tablet computers
  • Thumb drives
  • Vegetable peelers
  • Wire whisks
  • Wooden spoons

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Culinary & Food Services Hospitality, Events, & Tourism

Zone 3
Cooks, Private Household You are here

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Construction

Zone 3
Cooks, Private Household You are here
Zone 4

Resume Builder

Select key tasks to generate action-oriented resume bullets for Cooks, Private Household positions.

Related Occupations

Show all 20 related occupations

Real Talk

Hear from real Cooks, Private Households about their work: