Junior personal chef -- would people pay for this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My teen is a really good cook for his age.

We're doing the college hunt, and he is having real reservations about living on campus without a kitchen.

Do you think that people would pay for a college kid to come make a meal for them? Or to stock their fridge with a few things? He'd probably do it for free if someone paid for the ingredients, and let him take a serving home for himself, but I am wondering if it could be a part time job. Like a personal chef but with no credentials.

No, I don’t think so. I am not going to hire a teen chef with no experience or credentials to come into my kitchen to cook. I might hire a teen to bake cookies or cupcakes, but again, not in my kitchen.

[Anonymous]

There are some really rich lazy ahole kids on campuses but I picture them smoking pot, skipping class, going to spring break on daddy's charter and just tapping out on their phone uber eats for junk food. Nothing classy like OP is proposing.

I would pitch to the elderly--or rather the kids of elderly who control the purse strings but don't live in the area. And don't call it Jr Chef- call it Chef on Call or Chef in a Minute or Mom's Meal Prepper or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Drops a heavy pot on the family dog? You people are nuts!

Number leading cause of death in family pets

[Anonymous]

I would allow a young person to do this as a mitzvah, if anything. This would not be a benefit to me.

Opinions vary. OP's son can always ask around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are some really rich lazy ahole kids on campuses but I picture them smoking pot, skipping class, going to spring break on daddy's charter and just tapping out on their phone uber eats for junk food. Nothing classy like OP is proposing.

I would pitch to the elderly--or rather the kids of elderly who control the purse strings but don't live in the area. And don't call it Jr Chef- call it Chef on Call or Chef in a Minute or Mom's Meal Prepper or something.

"Classy" is living within your own means and working with what you have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are some really rich lazy ahole kids on campuses but I picture them smoking pot, skipping class, going to spring break on daddy's charter and just tapping out on their phone uber eats for junk food. Nothing classy like OP is proposing.

I would pitch to the elderly--or rather the kids of elderly who control the purse strings but don't live in the area. And don't call it Jr Chef- call it Chef on Call or Chef in a Minute or Mom's Meal Prepper or something.

According to the Google box, chef for hire is taken because it is a thing. I don't know of any government licensing body for in home chefs, so yeah, advertise that you are a chef for hire. Collect a nominal fee and you just need to register as a business. It's America.

[Anonymous]

If the college has a hospitality program he may be able to take some cooking classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the college has a hospitality program he may be able to take some cooking classes.

Sometimes local businesses will have cooking classes as well. Or he can rent a room at an extended stay hotel with a kitchen set-up a couple of times a month. There are ways to do this, but he might end up paying for what he wants, and that's fine.

It's also fine to try to set up a small business and get paid instead, or get some other benefit. Just don't be the angry idiot mom who loses her s--t when other people aren't interested in the Great! New! Idea! with Such! High! Value.

If other people aren't interested, then it's not a good enough business plan to make it worth it to them to participate. That wouldn't be their fault as the consumers.

[Anonymous]

I would pay for this! I have someone help me with cooking, and she’s not licensed or insured. She has cut herself at my house before. We aren’t doing both reasonable people.

[Anonymous]

Are you sure there is no kitchen on campus? Many of the dorms we toured had a shared central kitchen you could use. If it’s that important to him I would prioritize it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would pay for this! I have someone help me with cooking, and she’s not licensed or insured. She has cut herself at my house before. We aren’t doing both reasonable people.

That was supposed to be “we are both reasonable people” — meaning she’s not suing me over a cut. When I hired her, I wasn’t looking for a “chef” and I don’t think it’s accurate for your son to call himself that. I was looking for help with meal prep. I am a disabled, working, single mom, FWIW. But I think there are plenty of just plain ole working moms who could use the help I have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can’t he get a job working in the cafeteria on campus?

Food service is very, very different and much less fun than home cooking.

NP. Not all foodservice jobs are created equal. I worked in the kitchen of an adorable little cafe throughout college. They did a lot of private catering for university functions, too, so I was often cooking in professors’ houses on the weekends. It was a great experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pay for this! I have someone help me with cooking, and she’s not licensed or insured. She has cut herself at my house before. We aren’t doing both reasonable people.

That was supposed to be “we are both reasonable people” — meaning she’s not suing me over a cut. When I hired her, I wasn’t looking for a “chef” and I don’t think it’s accurate for your son to call himself that. I was looking for help with meal prep. I am a disabled, working, single mom, FWIW. But I think there are plenty of just plain ole working moms who could use the help I have.

And that makes sense. It's a service you needed, and that might well be true for others that this young man could find. But it wasn't a luxury item thing, and this service wouldn't likely sell that way. I mean, it could -- but if I wanted this as a luxury thing for myself, I'd be going through an agency or hiring someone with a solid track record.

I can't see wanting to rely on a college student as the single provider point for something I have now made plans around, when there is a decent likelihood of exams, last minute class projects, relationship woes, partying, homesick angst and just the whole transition to living on your own, simple flaking out because you're a kid, getting sick, all of it. I mean, of course none of those might ever come up, but in bulk the risk is certainly there. It's annoying to have to think about. I don't want to deal with it. I wouldn't be a dick to a kid trying their best, but I've had enough on my plate with the kids I already am responsible for -- I don't want to take on more, not as a luxury. That's kind of work.

Other people may feel differently about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure there is no kitchen on campus? Many of the dorms we toured had a shared central kitchen you could use. If it’s that important to him I would prioritize it.

There is most likely a communal kitchen in the dorm. I have 2 in college and both have communal kitchens. The state of them varies wildly (one I wouldn’t use even if I was starving) and you need to have your own pots/pams etc.

[Anonymous]

No. Not safe, in multiple ways.