How personal chefs became Covid-19’s must-have luxury service: restaurant-quality meals from your own kitchen became the ultimate pandemic comfort

Oct 19 , 2021

Demand for private and personal chefs has ballooned during the pandemic, offering the convenience and safety of having your food cooked for you in your own home. Photo: Getty Images

Hong Kong Chef Association has seen demand grow for private and personal chefs during the pandemic, leading Fanny Suen Hiu-yan to found MobiChef

Landmark Mandarin Oriental has long offered dinners from the hotel’s restaurants Somm, Amber and Sushi Shikon, overseen by Richard Ekkebus, director of F&B

Over the past year, the pandemic has played havoc with the restaurant industry worldwide. With the temporary closure of eateries and the uncertainty of when – or even if – restaurants would reopen, demand for personal and private chef services has surged.

The difference? Personal chefs own their own businesses, whereas private chefs are employees in a particular household, defines the United States Personal Chef Association, which estimates there are 5,000 to 6,000 chefs working in this way throughout the country. According to a CNBC article from October 2020, the personal chef industry was already experiencing a boom before Covid-19 hit the US, and the trend has continued as the pandemic has played out.

Gourmet dishes like this dry aged Challans duck breast, butternut squash, pumpkin seed praline and duck jus from Somm can now be cooked at your home by the restaurant’s own chef. Photo: Landmark Mandarin Oriental

Closer to home, the Hong Kong Chef Association has seen demand for home chefs increase during the Covid-19 era too.

“The requests for home chefs have certainly increased, either as employees or simply one-off engagements for special occasions,” says Anita Cheng, the association’s culinary national team manager. “With the social distancing restrictions, some people chose to have relatives and friends in their homes – if only for those that have a more spacious home. Chefs are invited to cook, usually in the form of a set menu, chef’s table, barbecue or semi-buffet, including Western and Chinese cuisine, or more often a mix of both.”

Personal chef business Mobichef also saw business grow in Hong Kong over the past year.

“There has been a significant growth in the demand for personal chefs since June 2020,” says Fanny Suen Hiu-yan, founder of MobiChef, which offers a choice of 40 top chefs and 20 types of cuisine, as well as waiting staff expert at setting tables and serving wine, and dinnerware and cookware rentals.

Gourmet dishes like this raw Shima Aji Kombujime with kyuri, celtuce and shiso from Somm can now be cooked at your home by the restaurant’s own chef. Photo: Landmark Mandarin Oriental

“We think that this trend will continue because of the pandemic. People prefer to dine in a private place with close friends, which can reduce the risk of virus infection. Moreover, since people are more concerned about hygiene, booking a personal chef to cook in your own kitchen is the best choice, especially when people understand that the price of booking a chef is comparable to dining in a fine restaurant.”

On hygiene, she says: “To ensure food safety, our chefs follow strict hygiene guidelines: such as they need to wear a mask and gloves when they are cooking; they can only arrive at the cooking venue via point-to-point transport, among other measures.”