What culinary training have you had?

Athough it is good to know that your Chef has had culinary training, many well-renowned Chefs have never stepped foot inside a Chef School to receive a formal culinary education. 

Many of the world's most passionate Chefs joined the Foodservice Industry after leaving high school, and have trained under experienced Chefs, learning everything that Chef School would have taught them, and more!

Each Chef within our organisation is profiled, and a description of their training or culinary experience is detailed.
 

Do you have a valid Food Safety & Sanitation certification, or similar credentials?

This training should be a pre-requisite for everyone working in the Foodservice Industry, but unfortunately, it is not.  Many jurisdictions have no requirements, others simply require that one person working in each establishment needs to have certification.

We believe that it is vital that every Chef knows the proper food handling techniques to ensure that food is not cross-contaminated.  Proper holding temperatures keep the chances of food poisoning at bay.  Correct hand-washing procedures speak for themselves. 

The Chef Alliance asks that our Chefs keep this certification up to date, protecting our clients from potential illness and themselves from possible litigation.

Do you belong to any Chef organisations?

There are many Chef organisations around the world.  Find out which ones your Chef belongs to and do some research to see what entrance criteria they have.  Can anyone join?  Do they offer Professional Development courses to keep their members abreast of new trends and techniques?
 
The Chef Alliance requires that each Chef has either received formal culinary training from a reputable culinary school, or has had several years of experience working in the industry.  Each Chef must have Food Safety Training, and are insured for each event conducted through The Chef Alliance.

Each Chef's profile is listed on www.topchefs4hire.com.  You can review these at your leisure. 

We also offer a wide range of courses and seminars for our Chefs.  These include business practices, food safety procedures, training for special diets, and much more.  This allows our Chefs to continually improve their skills, knowledge and overall service to you, the client.

Did you belong to any other Chef organisations in the past, and why are you no longer a member?

In the majority of cases, Chefs may decide not to renew membership for reasons, such as relocation, the benefits of membership no longer met their needs, financial resources etc.  In rare occasions, a Chef may have their renewal application denied.

Here at the Chef Alliance, we believe that membership is a privilege not a right.  Chefs are expected to abide by the Personal Chef Code of Ethics, as well as our rules and regulations of membership.  They are expected to conduct themselves professionally at all times, to treat the client, their guests and their home with the utmost respect, and to conduct their assigned events to the best of their ability.

We take all complaints seriously, and will investigate them thoroughly.  In the event that we find that the Chef has conducted themselves inappropriately, action will be taken.

Do you have valid Liability Insurance?

Liability Insurance protects the client in the event that something should go wrong at an event, and also protects the chef from financial ruin. 

Many Chefs do not understand or appreciate the importance of having adequate Liability Insurance coverage, thinking that they are seasoned chefs who do not make mistakes.  When interviewing the Chef you should ask for the amount of the insurance and for a copy of the insurance certificate.  Ensure that the Chef has adequate insurance coverage for the size of your event.  Even a $1 million if you have a large event of 30 to 40 people may be inadequate to cover for any accidents or mishaps. 

The Chef Alliance ensures that all events conducted through us are covered by Liability Insurance and our top tier Chefs also have coverage for events booked directly.   Our Chefs carry a minimum of $1 million up to $5 million in coverage

If you are in doubt as to whether your chef has Liability Insurance, please feel free to contact our office.

Do you have sufficient assets to pay for any damage if your insurance is insufficient?
 
The Chef Alliance carries a policy of with a liablity limit of $5 million. 

Many so-called Personal Chefs conduct businesses without any liability insurance.  If something goes wrong at your event, there is very little chance that you will recover any form of compensation for the Chef.

Silver, Gold & Platinum level chefs do have liability insurance, but it may be only have $1 or $2 million coverage  Will this be enough if you and a group of your guests become ill or extensive damage occured at your event?

I have an allergy/ a dietary restriction/ a health concern that affects what I can eat.  Do you have experience with cooking for these situations?

Many of our Chefs have had direct training in cooking for Special Diets, from Celiacs Disease to Lactose Intolerance, Low Fat to Low Sodium, Veganism to Kosher cooking, and allergies of all types.  

The Chef Alliance also offers our Chefs the resources they require to update themselves on Special Diets that they may not be familiar with, including recipes and food substituions.

If you have a health concern and find cooking difficult our Chefs will prepare delicious meals customised for you, allowing you to live your life without the added stress of cooking for your health.  Our Chefs can also teach you how to prepare sumptuous meals for you and your family - contact us to schedule a cooking class!

 I am trying to lose weight, but haven't had much success.  Can you help me?

If you are following a diet to lose weight, and find it difficult to keep to the schedule and the lbs off, our Personal Chefs will prepare delicious, nutritious meals that adhere to your specifications, leaving the temptation to 'cheat' at bay. 

For those clients who enjoy cooking, our Chefs can also teach you how to prepare sumptuous meals for you and your family so that healthy eating can become a lifestyle rather than ruling your life.  

Our Personal Chefs can work with most popular diets, from South Beach to Atkins, Dr Bernstein to Paleo, low fat to low carb, the latest diet to hit Hollywood and everything in between. 

Let our expertise make eating fun and healthy again!