For private chefs
The Private Chef Business Playbook
How to price, sell, deliver and grow a profitable private chef service.
Written from real private-chef operations: pricing, enquiries, menus, event systems, finance, partnerships, team, risk and growth. The method, the workbook that makes you apply it, and the files that run it.
The system
Three connected layers
Read
Paperback / eBook
The business explained in depth — how the work is priced, sold, delivered and grown, with references throughout to the workbook and the digital tools.
Apply
200-page Companion Workbook
The implementation layer. Exercises, prompts and decisions that turn each chapter into your own numbers, your own menus and your own systems.
Operate
Digital Resource Toolkit
The operational layer. Ready-to-use spreadsheets, calculators and editable templates you run a real season on.
What the book covers
The whole business, chapter by chapter
- Business foundation and positioning
- Decide what you sell, to whom, and why you are the obvious choice.
- Pricing and profitability
- Build a price from food, labour, travel and risk — then check it against the margin you need.
- Enquiries, proposals, sales and negotiation
- Answer an enquiry well, quote with confidence, and hold your number.
- Menus and event experience
- Design menus that cook cleanly in a kitchen you do not own.
- Systems and event operations
- Run a service from brief to debrief without relying on memory.
- Finance and owner pay
- Separate revenue from profit, and pay yourself deliberately.
- Partnerships and referrals
- Work with villas, agencies and retreats on terms that last.
- Brand, website and demand
- Make the enquiries arrive without discounting to get them.
- Growth and capacity
- Know how many events a week the business can actually hold.
- Culinary systems
- Standardise prep, packing and plating so quality survives a busy month.
- Luxury client experience
- Deliver the details that turn one dinner into a returning client.
- Team and leadership
- Brief freelancers so a second pair of hands is a gain, not a cost.
- Risk and resilience
- Plan for cancellations, allergens, weather and the quiet season.
- Worked events and implementation
- Follow complete events end to end, with the numbers shown.
- Using the digital resource pack
- Wire the tools into the way you already work.
Choose your edition
Three ways to buy it
Pricing and checkout are being finalised. Editions marked available soon will open here first.
Digital
Read and work through it on screen
Instant-download PDFs. The book alone, the workbook alone, or both together.
eBook
The full digital book — the same core text as the paperback, instant download.
Available soon
Workbook
The 200-page companion workbook as a standalone option, for chefs who already have the book.
Available soon
eBook + Workbook
Two PDFs
The book and the companion workbook together — read a chapter, then implement it.
Available soon
A 6×9 paperback for the kitchen shelf
The physical book on its own, or paired with digital access so you can start immediately.
Paperback
6×9 physical book
The printed edition, 212 interior pages, with references throughout to the workbook and digital tools.
Available soon
Paperback + eBook
Print + PDF
The physical copy plus instant digital access while it ships.
Available soon
Paperback + eBook + Workbook
Print + two PDFs
The complete reading and implementation bundle.
Available soon
Professional
The operating layer
For chefs who want the editable, ready-to-use files running behind the method.
Digital Resource Toolkit
Spreadsheets, documents, PDFs
The full operational file set on its own — no paperback required.
Available soon
Complete System
Print + PDFs + toolkit
Paperback, eBook, Companion Workbook and the Digital Resource Toolkit together.
Available soon
Digital Resource Toolkit
Tools you can use on Monday
Spreadsheets, calculators and editable documents built for this exact work — not generic business templates.
Pricing & Profit System
Cost a menu, set the price, see the margin before you send it.
Sales CRM & Marketing System
Every enquiry tracked from first message to confirmed booking.
Event Operations System
Briefs, prep lists, packing and timings for each service.
Menu & Recipe Costing System
Per-portion costing that survives supplier price changes.
Annual Finance Planner
Season by season revenue, costs and owner pay.
Capacity & Calendar Planner
What the week can hold before quality drops.
Marketing ROI Funnel Tracker
Which channels actually produce paid events.
Staff & Freelancer Manager
Rates, availability, briefing and cost per event.
Client LTV / Repeat Booking Tracker
The value of a returning client, not just a first dinner.
Travel / Mileage / Expense Tracker
Real cost of getting the kitchen to the villa.
Editable templates
- Enquiry
- Proposal
- Booking confirmation
- Partner outreach
- Sales follow-up
- Review & referral
- Event master brief
- Villa kitchen check
- Retreat planning
- Dietary & allergen
- Staff briefing
- SOPs
- Supplier
- Incident report
- Website copy
- Launch plan
- Content plan
Delivered as PDFs, Excel spreadsheets and editable Word documents.
Book + resources
The book teaches the method. The toolkit runs it.
One booking, start to finish — every step below has a chapter behind it and a file to do it with.
- 01Enquiry
- 02Client questionnaire
- 03Pricing system
- 04Proposal
- 05Deposit / booking confirmation
- 06Event master brief
- 07Dietary & allergen form
- 08Menu costing
- 09Shopping / prep / packing
- 10Staff briefing
- 11Event
- 12Debrief
- 13Actual profit
- 14Review / referral
- 15Repeat booking
Who it is for
Cooks running a business
Aspiring private chefs who can already cook but need the business system
Working chefs going independent
Villa and private dining chefs
Retreat caterers
Small chef-led catering businesses
No income promises and no shortcuts — it is the operating system we use, written down.
Questions
Before you buy
Is the eBook different from the paperback?
No — it is the same core book in a different format. The paperback is a 6×9 physical copy; the eBook is the same text as a PDF you can read anywhere.
Can I buy the workbook separately?
Yes. The 200-page Companion Workbook is available on its own for chefs who already have the book.
Do I need the Digital Resource Toolkit?
No. The book stands on its own. The toolkit is for buyers who want editable, ready-to-use operating files rather than building their own.
Is the workbook included with every edition?
Only where it is explicitly listed in the edition name.
What format are the resources?
PDFs, Excel spreadsheets and editable Word documents.
Is the paperback shipped physically?
Yes, once print checkout is connected. Shipping details will be shown at checkout.
Does this replace legal, accounting or food-safety advice?
No. It explains how the business works in practice, but you must verify local registration, tax, insurance and food-safety requirements for where you operate.
Build the business behind the food.
The Private Chef Business Playbook — How to Price, Sell, Deliver and Grow a Profitable Private Chef Service. By Basil Algarve.
Choose your edition