Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Michael Denton, owner and executive chef of Privato Chef Services, located in Mesa, AZ, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Privato is an in-home private chef services company that brings fine dining experiences to clients in their homes. We handle menu planning, grocery shopping, prep, cooking, plating, serving, and clean up -- just like in a gourmet restaurant, only in the comfort of home.
People might assume that only the ultra-wealthy would hire a private chef, but we actually have a wide variety of clientele -- from couples celebrating an anniversary, friends celebrating a milestone birthday, or vacationers looking to enjoy a night in. We work with corporate clients, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and even the occasional wedding.
Because all food is prepared in the home (not in advance as catering would be), we service dinner parties from two to 40 guests. We have worked with clients in the Greater Phoenix/Scottsdale area since I started the business in 2014, and we expanded to Dallas-Fort Worth in 2021 after my sous chef moved to the area.
Tell us about yourself
Growing up in an Italian family in Tennessee, I learned at an early age that delicious, healthy food is an essential ingredient to a good life. As a child, I watched my mom and "Nonny" prepare culinary masterpieces from scratch. Over time, I was able to pick up many tips and tricks from helping them in the kitchen, so the culinary industry was a natural fit when I became old enough to start thinking about my career.
I started working in the restaurant industry at age 16, went to culinary school shortly after I turned 18, and pretty quickly found myself working in fine dining restaurants in my hometown in Tennessee. While I continued to love cooking, I found the restaurant industry to be stifling. Unless you're the executive chef, you rarely get to be creative. Not to mention, the hours are long, the pay is generally not great, and the culture can be a bit toxic.
I was about ready to leave the industry completely when my wife got an opportunity that moved us out to Arizona. We had the idea of a private chef services company in Tennessee, but my hometown wasn't the right market. Phoenix/Scottsdale seemed like it would be, so I went for it. I took my first client in June of 2014 and never looked back.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment has been that I've been able to grow my team. As a private chef for the first couple of years, I took clients under my personal brand and served as the sole chef. As the business grew, that enabled me to hire additional chefs, servers, bartenders, and now we're even working with a sommelier. Unlike in the restaurant industry, I give my chefs complete creative freedom. It's very rewarding for me to be creative with my dishes, but also to see other chefs do the same.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Boundaries and balance. When you're the owner, it's hard to truly take time off. Even when I'm not working on client dinner parties, I'm still communicating with clients, creating menus, and handling a number of things that might come up. My wife (who also helps with the business) and I have found that we need to carve out time for ourselves away from the business and create healthy boundaries with our clients. Often, that means specifically choosing to earn less money or turn down certain clients to ensure we have adequate time off. We weren't always great at that, but we constantly make work-life balance improvements to ensure we don't burn out.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be ready to hustle, especially at first. It takes time, patience, and an absolute ton of effort to get a new business off the ground.
- Focus on what you're great at and build your niche. When I first started the business, I took almost any gig -- any meal of the day, any type of food -- I just needed the clientele. As the business has grown, I've focused my energy where I'm best. For example, I find I do my best work at dinner time, so I stopped taking breakfast, brunch, and lunch gigs. Likewise, I stopped catering to dietary restrictions I don't think I am phenomenal at, like vegan cuisine. I make one of the best steaks you've ever had in your life, but I think there are better chefs to vegan service clientele, and that's okay.
- As you grow, focus on building the right team and spend your time supporting and developing them. I am so proud to work with the team we have now, but we had our share of missed-hires along the way too. It's important to identify that quickly, as young, small brands can't risk even a few bad client experiences.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.privatochef.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/privatochef
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatochef/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.