Private chefs turn down jobs as rich Kenyans booked a year in advance for festive feasts

“My booking for this Christmas day was filled last year. The client I cooked for last year the same day in the evening told me ‘we do it again next year at the same time,” says Michael James who has been a private chef for four years.

By November, the calendars of most private chefs had been filled while some had closed bookings in August.

“Our schedules get tight, and I can’t take multiple jobs in a day. I also have a family, so once I’m done with the December rush, I don’t take any bookings in the New Year, it is always a time for me and my family,’’ he adds.

Michael got into cooking as a hobby, and his passion is paying off.

“I got into it as a hobby and then it materialised into something serious. I have a background in marketing, but I left because my heart was in food. When I quit my job, I had no plan,’’ he says.

Then he started teaching himself through the internet.

“I have taught myself most of everything,” he says.

From traditional turkey to Argentinian-style lamb cooked over an open fire for eight hours, Michael says his repertoire is as diverse as his client’s requests.

“Last Christmas, there was a client that I worked on their meal for 15 hours. I get into the client’s home at 3am, prepare the lamb and let it start cooking as I continue to do other foods and it ends up being a full-day process,’ he says.

But before he cooks at a client's home, he first visits.

“Some clients have lots of herbs in their kitchen pantries that I’ve never interacted with. You get to taste the spices; you get to smell to help in the creative process,’ he says.

While the demand for private chefs is growing, Michael acknowledges the challenges that come with the job.

“The biggest problem is helping some clients understand why private chefs charge what they do. Chefs don’t just cook, it’s always about creating an intimate dining experience for the client and their guests,” he says.

Their prices? It ranges from Sh10,000 for five people, and this excludes shopping, ingredient charges and other expenses like accommodation and transport.

Michael particularly enjoys making vegetarian dishes because he says they are  underrated.

“It allows me to explore flavours and cooking techniques. Like charring a cabbage and serving it with a sauce. It sounds primitive, but tastes very nice,” he says.

What the wealthy eat

Similarly for Maryanne Mungai, the festive season is the busiest time of the year. Last Christmas, she was fully booked by mid-November.

Her normal weekday schedule usually involves a morning private client and evening meal preps, but December has doubled her workload.

“I’m doing a lot of elaborate dinners and meal preps. The menus are also more festive and detailed. My weekends, which are usually my rest days, are now packed with events,” she says.

Maryanne notes that some of the people who hire for the festivities ask for traditional Kenyan dishes like pilau, chapati, and mukimo, but more and more people are requesting for European-inspired dishes like a Christmas-themed charcuterie board shaped like a tree or cranberry-infused sauces. [A charcuterie board is usually served on a wooden board and has cured meats, cheeses and a variety of olives, whole grain mustards, among other sweet and savoury bites].

“One of the most memorable jobs was at Champagne Ridge, [villas overlooking Rift Valley.] The menu included exotic items like foie gras [liver of the duck or geese] and paired wines. Another time, I was flown by chopper to Amboseli to cater for a private event,” says Maryanne.

She also recalls one challenging request that involved preparing a goose for a client, from the slaughter process to serving. “It was completely new to me. I had to research for three days and bring in help, but it was worth it,’’ she says.

However, unlike the common challenge of private chefs having over-flocked orders, for Maryanne her challenge is fatigue.

“I’m excited that this is my most creative time. I love coming up with different menus for different diets, but the fatigue that kicks in in January is my challenge,’ she says.

Maryanne is also not a chef by training. Originally working in human resources, the foodie became a private chef after being laid off during the Covid-19 pandemic. What started with a food blog is now her full-time job.

“The best part of my job is the sense of family and togetherness that the festive season brings. Watching people bond over a meal I have prepared and the creativity side of it is fulfilling,” she says.

Global flavours, local celebrations

Alexandria Majalla also attests to the high demand . She closed her December bookings in August.

“There is definitely more demand at this time of the year,” she says. “A lot of companies host their end-of-year parties and within the families, there is a lot of hosting of friends and relatives. People want to spend quality time together without having to spend hours in the kitchen.”

The rise in demand means her bookings are tighter than ever. “I get like three to four jobs a week because I also must take down time. Sometimes you have to say no, because you must be practical about how exhausting the actual physical work of being a chef is. Hours on your feet, its back pain, it’s chopping endlessly, its hot kitchens all day,” she says.

However, the chefs  are happy as it is a season to make money because during off-seasons, the jobs are few.

“In the normal period sometimes, I get bookings only once or twice a month, especially for corporate events. Families, too, don’t engage private chefs as often because it is a premium service that is not affordable for everyone,” Alexandria says.

Just like the other private chefs, she also agrees that Kenyans’ palates are changing and so are Christmas and New Year meals.

“This time, people feel very experimental. They want to dazzle. We are getting a lot of requests that are not familiar, not like Kenyan-style dishes,’’ she says.

“We get requests for stuffed turkey, foods that are considered a little more Western. Even dessert-wise, chefs have had to step it up. Those who want Kenyan meals also step above and want a fusion or something elegant. They also want chefs to also think about plating the food and its presentation,’’ she says.

Among exotic foods, Italian cuisine is increasingly becoming a favourite. 

“People are loving pasta, but the American dishes are also getting a lot of attention during this festive season. Kenyans are even doing Friendsgiving, which I found kind of interesting because Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but here in Kenya, because of the fusion of cultures, the cosmopolitan nature of Nairobi, there are a lot of expatriates who commingle with locals and they build these friendships but call it Friendsgiving.’’

Mexican food is another crowd-pleaser. “Tacos are a big favourite alongside some Southeast Asian-inspired dishes.”

However, Alexandria is quick to point out that not all cuisines have been embraced by Kenyans. “British food is very lowly requested. A lot of people find it bland,” she says.

Close bookings in August

The festive rush means that the chef needs to start planning months in advance.

“I closed my bookings back in August because I have another job as a journalist, I needed to merge my two schedules. My corporate clients already know their event dates, so they book early. For family clients, I ensure they are aware of my schedule to avoid last-minute requests,” she says.

Despite her closing bookings early, there are exceptions. “If a past client approaches me pleading for my services and I have a window, I might say yes, but this is rare. My last gig for this season is on December 29. After that, I am taking a break until February because I have a vacation, and a two-week documentary shoot lined up,” she says.

Over the years, Alexandria has tackled some extraordinary culinary challenges. The most unique of them all, she says, “I was to make a vegetarian menu with everything sustainably sourced and with zero food waste. That was a project that constantly challenged me to figure out how to use ingredients in a way that there is zero waste for the sake of sustainability.”

The most time-consuming dishes are the slow-cooked ones. “There are two contenders for that one. There is Vietnamese pho that takes all day, and Jamaican oxtail also takes like eight hours to get it to the texture. Tacos also take forever if you are doing this birria-style tacos. However, they are super flavourful and they present well.’’

For her, this season is as much about the joy of sharing as it is about the hard work behind the scenes.

“One of my favourite things is to see people coming back for the second, and third plate and their smiles. It gives me so much joy,’’ she says.

 Hotels?

Consequently, hotels are also pulling out all the stops beyond their dine-in option this season. One such example is Café Deli, which has gone beyond doorstep delivery to sending private chefs to clients' homes to prepare customised requested meals. Depending on the clients’ menu complexity, the private chef services range from Sh5,000 to Sh15,000 per chef.

“Most of the time, clients give us a budget and ask if we can prepare meals based on that,” says Fred Diffu, the Operation Manager at Café Deli.

He says the requests are diverse and extend beyond traditional Kenyan cuisine.

“We have had requests for Indian vegetarian meals. However, some have their own catering then they request just the dessert buffet,” he says, “they can pick cheese rolls, specialised cake or brandy snaps,” he adds.

For those seeking more elevated experience, the manager says they provide private chefs who prepare meals in clients’ homes. “If someone books a private chef, they buy all the ingredients, and the chef customises the meals based on the ingredients available at the home,” Diffu says.

Do clients ask for the hotel’s cutlery set-up too?

“There are two aspects. For example, if it is cafeteria catering, we will send cutlery, plates and everything. If someone has requested a private chef and private waiters, then it is up to them to provide those,” Diffu says.

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