A cook of your own. Once a luxury, now for everyone. Hence the new name.
A personal cook is someone who cooks for you on a regular basis. They make the food you want, the way you want it, to fit your life. They might cook in your home, deliver meals to your door, or prepare food for you to collect. You agree on everything together: what to cook, when, how often.
On Cheffo, every cook is a 'personal cook'. Some have professional training. Some are simply amazing home cooks. Some specialise in dietary needs or particular cuisines. What they have in common: they cook for people regularly, and they're good at it.
Well, we do use those terms as well but we prefer "personal cook" because the others don't quite fit perfectly.
“Personal chef” carries baggage. It sounds like something only wealthy people have: think someone in chef whites making a five-course dinner. That’s not what most people on Cheffo are looking for, and it’s not who most cooks on Cheffo are.
“Home cook” has the opposite problem. It sounds like someone cooking for their own family. It doesn’t convey that you can hire this person to cook for you, as a service.
That's why we prefer “personal cook”.
These are the kinds of people you'll find on Cheffo. Different people, different backgrounds, but all providing personal cooking for local customers.
Marco
Restaurant chef for 18 years
After two decades in professional kitchens, Marco wanted to keep cooking but stop working until midnight. Now he cooks weekly for four families in his neighbourhood — proper, technique-driven food, on his own schedule.
Examples of the kinds of cooks who join Cheffo
Anita
Private chef for 10 years
Anita has cooked for families in London for a decade, mostly through word of mouth. She's on Cheffo because she'd rather meet new clients on a platform that handles the bookings — and because she's confident in what she does.
Examples of the kinds of cooks who join Cheffo
Priya
At-home parent and lifelong cook
Priya has been raising her family at home for years and cooking is the part of the day she loves most. She's been feeding her own household, friends, and extended family for as long as she can remember — and she's very good at it. Now her kids are older and she has time to cook for two other households nearby. Hearty, generous, no-fuss food.
Examples of the kinds of cooks who join Cheffo
Jenny
Nutritionist and cook
Jenny is a registered nutritionist who got tired of writing meal plans her clients never followed. Now she cooks the meals herself — gentle, balanced food for people managing blood sugar, IBS, or just trying to eat better.
Examples of the kinds of cooks who join Cheffo
Tomasz
Culinary student
Tomasz is in his final year of culinary school. He's already cooking for two regular clients while he finishes his course — picking up real-world experience, building a client base, and earning his way through college.
Examples of the kinds of cooks who join Cheffo
Sarah
Former personal chef, now a parent
Sarah cooked privately for a family in Surrey for six years before having her own kids. Now she cooks two days a week for households nearby — fitting it around school runs, doing the work she loves, on her terms.
Examples of the kinds of cooks who join Cheffo
Daniel
Pastry-trained, all-rounder
Daniel trained at a pâtisserie in Paris but moved into general cooking after a few years. He’s on Cheffo because he wanted regular weekly clients rather than freelance restaurant work.
Examples of the kinds of cooks who join Cheffo
Grace
Home cook, recently retired
Grace ran the kitchen in her own home for fifty years — she raised four children and cooked for endless friends, neighbours, and grandchildren along the way. Now she cooks for two local households a week. Comfort food, honestly made, with the kind of confidence only experience gives.
Examples of the kinds of cooks who join Cheffo
On Cheffo, yes. "Personal chef" is the term a lot of people use, so that's one of the terms we use on our service pages. But the cooks you'll find aren't all classically trained chefs. Some are. Others are experienced home cooks, nutritionists, career changers, or students. "Personal cook" is the umbrella term we use for everyone who cooks through the platform, regardless of background. When you browse /personal-chef on Cheffo, you're browsing personal cooks.
Cooks set their own hourly rates, starting from £15. What you pay depends on the rate of the cook who you choose to work with, and how much cooking you need them to do. You agree on everything before each booking. There's no subscription and no lock-in.
They can. On Cheffo, a personal cook can cook in your home, deliver meals to your door, or prepare food for you to collect. You choose the arrangement that works for you when you book.
On Cheffo, you enter your postcode and browse cooks in your area. You can filter by cuisine, dietary needs, delivery method, and price. Each cook has a profile with their menus, experience, and reviews.
No. That's exactly the assumption we're trying to change. Our customers use a personal cook for everyday meals, not special occasions. With hourly rates starting from £15 a week, it costs less than most meal kit subscriptions or restaurant meal delivery.
Yes. Book a cook and see how the food is. If you like it, book again.
Tell us what you need and we will match you with a local cook.
