How to Start a Home-Based Personal Chef Business has everything readers need to know to launch a profitable business as a personal chef. The number of people interested in this profession is growing by leaps and bounds, given increasing number of students graduating from cooking school, the popularity of food television, and people looking to supplement their income with work they enjoy. What's the difference between a personal chef and a caterer? Personal chefs don't need special training (no culinary school necessary!)--they just need to be good home cooks. And given that today even middle-class families are hiring personal chefs as a healthy and convenient way to feed their families, and the number of individuals who need to hire a personal chef to follow a special diet, the call for personal chefs is growing as well.