Is a personal chef right for you? Seven signs

Seven signs it would help

1. “What’s for dinner?” is a daily source of stress. Nobody has a plan at five o’clock, and it starts an argument.
2. You order takeout several nights a week and you are tired of the food and the bills.
3. Someone in the house has a special diet and you are cooking two dinners. See our guide to special diets and allergies.
4. Your schedule leaves no time to shop and cook. Long hours, a commute or children’s activities fill the evening.
5. You have a new baby, an illness or a recovery ahead. A chef for a few weeks can carry the household through it.
6. You are arranging meals for an aging parent. See hiring a personal chef for a senior.
7. You want to eat better and it keeps not happening. The cooking is the part that fails, and a chef removes it.

Three signs it is not for you

• You enjoy cooking and only want help planning. A meal kit may be enough. See personal chef vs. meal kits.
• The budget is not there. A cook day typically costs $250 to $500 for the chef’s fee, plus groceries.
• You travel too much for a regular schedule. An occasional cook day may still work.

What you are paying for

The meals are what you see. What changes is the week: fewer errands, fewer decisions and dinner already made when you get home.

The next step

Read how hiring a personal chef works, then find chefs in your city and book a single trial cook day. One visit will tell you whether it fits.