I’m a Private Chef. Here’s How I Cook for My Family When I Get Home

When I was at the pinnacle of my private-chef career — working full-time and doing content creation for TikTok and Instagram — my days were packed. They always started at the grocery store since, unlike restaurant chefs who have purveyors deliver everything, private chefs do their own shopping.

But even before the store, I’d plan menus, prep lists, and shopping lists. Once I arrived at the kitchen, I’d unload, organize, set up mise en place, and start cooking. In between, I’d set up lighting and cameras to film what I was doing, then clean up, go home, edit video, and upload content.

I get asked a lot if I eat the food I cook. The truth is, not really. Chefs always have to be tasting while they work. I wouldn’t recommend that kind of snacking — it’s not the most nutritious way to eat.

Most of the time, I have a proper meal before work and then again after. That’s why breakfast is really important to me. I always make sure I’m getting all the food groups: fat, carbs, protein, and fiber.

Sometimes that means avocado toast with an egg and berries. Other times, it’s cottage cheese with berries and nuts.

Even I can struggle with sitting down on a Sunday and being like, “What’s the menu for this week?” We’re all busy. Life can be just chaotic. So that doesn’t always make sense.

I think it’s better to just always make sure you have things in your fridge and pantry that are always going to be great building blocks to meals.

I call them flavor MVPs: ingredients that instantly elevate whatever you’re making. Things like miso paste, anchovies, preserved lemon, and panko breadcrumbs are always in my kitchen. Toasted panko with butter and garlic can make roasted veggies or pasta feel really special.

Lemon zest is a secret weapon. It adds a burst of freshness to almost anything. I also lean on equipment that makes everything easier; a sharp chef’s knife is No. 1, but also a serrated knife, a great cutting board, a Dutch oven, and a cast-iron skillet, and you can do just about anything.

Tools don’t need to be fancy; they just need to work well and feel good in your hands.

Roasting is absolutely something you should be leaning on during the week. It’s quick, easy, and most veggies do really well in the oven.

We always have certain vegetables in our produce store because they last a long time. So things like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and artichokes will hang out in your fridge for a long time.

I wouldn’t make vegetables like zucchini, green beans, or asparagus impulse buys unless I have a plan for them. It’s all about reducing waste and making weeknight dinners feel effortless.

We eat a lot of shrimp and tofu. I always have a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer since it thaws quickly and cooks even faster.

My shrimp scampi with angel hair pasta is a favorite in our house, even though my husband is Italian, and it’s not easy getting him to agree to angel hair pasta. I also make a crispy tofu dish that my family goes crazy for. Vacuum-packed tofu lasts weeks in the fridge, so I grab it when I’m shopping.

I usually start rice in the cooker, prep the tofu, and then either whip up a homemade sauce or use one we have in the fridge.

Quick, healthy, and everyone’s happy.

One of my favorite go-to meals is my warm-spice honey chicken recipe, which I’ve been making for over 20 years. It’s simple and fast, and my family never gets tired of it. Even when I ask what they want for a birthday or when guests are coming over, that’s the request.

It’s made with pantry staples: a spice mix, lemon, onion, boneless skinless chicken thighs, honey, and almonds — maybe you have to grab the chicken, but that’s it.

I serve it with couscous and roasted broccoli and call it a night. I even gave out little baskets with the ingredients and recipe to friends and family for Christmas one year. It’s that good.

Meal prep works for some people, but not for everyone. I know a lot of folks who don’t like eating food that’s been sitting around for a few days, even if it’s fine to do so.

For my family, I don’t prep full meals, but I do batch cook certain things that I know hold up well, like soups, stews, chili, or casseroles. One of my favorites is our Sunday sauce, an Italian meat sauce with five types of meat that simmers all day. The sauce freezes well and actually gets better as it sits. I make a big batch because it takes time, and we always love it.

We don’t cook every night. If we did, we’d definitely waste food. Most people get tired of leftovers after two or three times, so we keep things realistic.

We plan to cook about four nights a week. The rest of the time is for leftovers, going out, or what we call “scrounge nights,” where we just try to use up whatever is in the fridge. That balance helps us avoid burnout and food waste.

I try not to lock myself into one specific recipe. That’s where the stress comes in. Instead, I focus on keeping staple ingredients on hand and knowing what works for our family.

You can make a great dinner with a sharp knife, some basic equipment, and a few flavor MVPs. Understand what proteins, vegetables, and starches cook quickly.

Learn a few key techniques like roasting or broiling. You don’t need a perfect dinner. just a good one. That’s the mindset I bring to my own kitchen after a long day.