Home chefs are catering professionals specialized in preparing and cooking food at the client's home. This service can be offered both to ensure greater customer comfort, which avoids displacement, and to facilitate a more complete gastronomic experience, since customers can also participate and share first-hand the experience of cooking the meals.

These professionals work closely with their clients in order to offer them a personalized service: they are responsible for the provision of food, its preparation and the subsequent cleaning of the kitchenware and the workspace of the kitchen of the home where they have been working.
They must consider their customers' preferences when personalizing and planning meals in order to ensure their satisfaction. Also, they must have nutrition and health knowledge in case a customer follows strict dietary guidelines or has food allergies.

Sometimes, they are specialised in some type of cuisine and, as an added value to the gastronomic experience, they may offer cooking classes or tastings of both local and foreign cuisine. These more exclusive experiences are offered with high quality standards and provide a more specialized service.
These professionals are hired more frequently for events, celebrations or holiday periods.

• Monitor clients' preferences and needs.
• Draw up varied menus taking into account clients' dietary needs and tastes.
• Ensure the provision of the raw materials and foods needed to cook.
• Monitor the quality of products and their cost, searching for the best value option when it comes to buying supplies.
• Prepare and cook food in the client's kitchen.
• Package and identify provisions that can be consumed over several days of the week.
• Properly store products in the client's kitchen, fridge and pantry.
• Undertake to clean the kitchen and equipment once their work is done.
• May teach the client to cook and give them basic domestic economy training.
• May also be responsible for promoting and managing the range of services.
• They may sometimes give clients cookery classes.

Regulated training and graduates

• Professionalism Certificate: Kitchen (Level 2)
• Certificat de Professionalitat de la Família Hoteleria i Turisme: Direcció i producció en cuina (Nivell 3)
• Professional Training Course(s) in the field of Hotel and Tourism Sector - Intermediate Level: Kitchen and food
• Professional Training Course(s) in the field of Hotel Management and Tourism - Advanced Level: Kitchen direction
• Grau: Ciències culinàries i gastronòmiques

Complementary training

Other specific skills

Orientation within reach: Level 3

Initiative: Level 3

Concern for order and quality: Level 2

Planning and organisation: Level 2

Customer orientation: Level 3

Customer service

Direct and personal interaction with people and relating to the public are highly-motivating activities for individuals who have an interest in the field of customer service. A focus on people and on satisfying customers' needs is key in the occupations included in this field. These jobs entail the need to know suitable techniques for attending to the public and being able to give appropriate service that is tailored to their needs and expectations. Good examples are activities which offer assistance and guidance during functions, trips or at facilities, and those which provide advice in relation to products and services.

Logistics

The planning, organisation, control and carrying out of logistics and administrative tasks are the focus of people who work in the field of logistics. Activities in the field of logistics include the organisation and planning of supply, storage, production and distribution systems, taking inventories, controlling stock and estimating production, as well as the organisation and/or carrying out of the administrative tasks necessary for the implementation of these activities. Knowledge of organisation, control and management techniques is essential for carrying out these activities.

Mechanical handling

People related to the field of mechanical handling are interested in the assembly, maintenance, repair and use of machines, tools and installations. Some good examples of professional activities in the field of mechanical handling are adjusting and configuring machines, reviewing technical equipment to detect incidents in their operation, handling machinery in production processes and driving specialised vehicles.

Chef

Kitchen chef

Restaurant pastry chef

Catering and group manager

Tourist and/or leisure guide

• Other features

  Home chef services do not necessarily entail the chef having to travel to the customer's home each time he cooks. There are different types of services. One possible option is for the the cook to visit the household once a week to prepare several days' worth of meals, leaving the dishes ready, packaged and labelled for the customer to use at a later date.

• Professional category

  Technician

• Human resources and equipment

  Home chefs can lend their services dessed in uniform. Isothermic recipients are very useful to keep fresh products in perfect condition during transportation, as is bringing the specialised kitchen utensils not normally found in a professional kitchen.

• Initial investments

  These depend on the type of service offered. The investment required for basic kitchen clothing and tools is of no more than 200 Euros. The investment is higher when the purchase of specialised machinery is required.