Monday, July 19, 2010

The Hire Of Chefs In Melbourne Region

By Bob Dickson

Restaurant quality food at affordable prices can now be enjoyed in the privacy of Melbourne homes. Chefs for hire are no longer just for the elite. Now custom meals for busy executives and families needful of more time at home are within reach. The market for this service is a growth market in Australia. The prospect of hiring a chef In Melbourne is easier today than it ever was previously.

Australians look to the expansion of the US market as an indicator of the potential Down Under. The number of customers in America has been estimated to have grown over 40,000 between 1999 and 2009 by the American Personal Chef Association that was established to professionalize this industry in 1991 during the early era of this market. The number of cooking specialists employed in this market has also increased correspondingly in number from an estimated number of 50 in the early 1990s to 9,000 in 2009. Little wonder it has been said that the personal chef industry is one of the fastest-growing businesses in the United States.

To find a chef of your own, try searching by location through free referral databases available online for a start. The market is diversifying with the provision of more specialised services being made available on the internet. Yet, there still remains potential for greater expansion. According to observers, the market in Melbourne is growing more slowly than Sydney at the moment. It is believed this might be due to the fact this is still a new option in the Australia and Melbourne residents may be more conservative than Sydney residents. However, the same observers, and those in this new growing sector of the food production industry, feel such services shall become more ubiquitous due to the affordability factor and the benefits of good food and the freeing up of family time that it affords.

Chefs on hire can be available as personal chefs or private ones. Private chefs tend to have culinary training and work exclusively for their employer on a full time basis and can live at home and be a salaried household staff employee. Personal chef may be self-taught cooks or have culinary training. They serve several clients on demand for a special event or multiple meals on a regular basis. And purchase groceries, supplies and any cooking utensils not available in home kitchens. Recipes customized for the client are not an exception. Once the meals are prepared and packaged, clients may then either reheat the meals or finish them off.

Some chefs prefer using professional kitchens while others cook in home kitchens. A customised menu to accommodate client needs and preferences is an advantage they offer above restaurants. Prices vary depending on diet restrictions, servings, location and frequency of service. Currently, in the Australian market, dinners are more commonly prepared meals for clients.

The process begins when hired chefs meet and interview their customers about their needs, preferences and other pertinent information. A custom menu of meal is devised for customers who learn they can afford this service that is a healthier alternative to restaurant food or takeout. Tasty treats and personal favorites can be ready without slaving in the kitchen. Healthy dishes for the fitness conscious is now available with a variable menu to stave off boredom

The service arrived in Australia inspired by growth elsewhere with providers seeing a niche market waiting to be served. In few years time challenged families and busy professionals saw a food option arise not conceived before. The catered dinner party at home or gift vouchers for rewarded employees are segments of this market that are taking off.

It is understood by industry purveyors that client education is still needed to expand the market. There is a need to demonstrate its benefits and its affordability in the Melbourne area. The expectation is that it will develop into a service of convenience as acceptable as dog grooming, garden care, childcare and other such services that make life easier for people.

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