Cooks, Private Household Career

Job Description: Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.


Is Cooks, Private Household the right career path for you?
Take the MyMajors Quiz and find out if it fits one of your top recommended majors!

Featured School:

Cooks, Private Household Career

What Cooks, Private Households do:

  • Cool, package, label, and freeze foods for later consumption and provide instructions for reheating.
  • Create and explore new cuisines.
  • Keep records pertaining to menus, finances, and other business-related issues.
  • Peel, wash, trim, and cook vegetables and meats, and bake breads and pastries.
  • Plan and prepare food for parties, holiday meals, luncheons, special functions, and other social events.
  • Plan menus according to employers' needs and diet restrictions.
  • Shop for or order food and kitchen supplies and equipment.
  • Specialize in preparing fancy dishes or food for special diets.
  • Prepare meals in private homes according to employers' recipes or tastes, handling all meals for the family and possibly for other household staff.
  • Stock, organize, and clean kitchens and cooking utensils.
  • Direct the operation and organization of kitchens and all food-related activities, including the presentation and serving of food.
  • Serve meals and snacks to employing families and their guests.
  • Travel with employers to vacation homes to provide meal preparation at those locations.

What work activities are most important?

Importance Activities

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Monitoring and Controlling Resources - Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.

Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.

Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.

Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.

Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.

Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Holland Code Chart for a Cooks, Private Household