This Viral Private Chef Shared 5 Things You Need To Know To Cook For A Billionaire

Apparently, you don't even need culinary school.

I am currently obsessed with The Bear just like the rest of the internet, and it has me wondering: what is life really like working as a private chef?

Hulu / Via giphy.com

So, I reached out to Rob Li, a 26-year-old private chef with over 270,000 TikTok followers who grew his following by recording day-in-the-life videos cooking for a billionaire in the Hamptons.

@broccoliraab

Never in a lifetime would I’ve imagined that my silly little videos would resonate with so many people. I feel so incredibly grateful for anyone who’s ever watched, followed, commented, shared, etc. In honor of my most viral video hitting 2M likes, I thought I’d post in its original audio. Super thankful for all of you, and so much more to come that I want to share. privatechef hamptons dayinthelife

♬ original sound - Rob Li

@broccoliraab via TikTok / Via tiktok.com

According to Rob, here are five things you should know about working as a private chef in 2023:

1. You DON'T have to go to a culinary school!

andresr / Getty Images

"I'm self-taught! I don't have a traditional culinary background, having neither culinary training nor restaurant experience," Rob told BuzzFeed. "I credit my current culinary repertoire to having watched countless cooking videos on the internet from creators both big and small. Being self-taught, also having the passion to continuously learn how to cook a variety of dishes across many cuisines helps to establish all the different skills/techniques needed to be a skilled chef," Rob said. 

2. The private chef salary range can vary based on a bunch of different factors, but normally it falls between $63,000–112,000.

"The number of years one has under their belt plus the luck aspect of having a generous client makes for a really wide salary range. For private chefs in the Hamptons like myself, on the lowest end, I’ve seen a $70K yearly salary with the highest end I’ve seen being 500K." Rob told BuzzFeed. 

3. This job can be fun, but it also comes with added responsibilities aside from just cooking.

Thomas Northcut / Getty Images

"My favorite thing about the job is the people I meet, but my least favorite thing is the cleaning. I wish it was more known that the job can be a lot of work in reality," Rob said. According to Food Fire Knives, private chef duties can include: meal planning, grocery shopping, pantry management, cleanup, and kitchen maintenance."

4. The number of hours per day can range from anywhere between three to seventeen.

"A full day of breakfast, lunch, and dinner is on average about a three to four-hour work day, which can vary depending on the number of guests per meal and ultimately, the degree of difficulty of the meals I choose to prepare," Rob said. "My schedule has to accommodate my client’s schedule. They sometimes have their schedule planned out a week in advance or sometimes on a day-by-day basis. It varies, and they just text me whenever they’re going to be at the house and need me." Another viral Hamptons private chef on TikTok, documented her 17-hour workday when cooking for clients and their guests. 

5. Finding work can be difficult, but a strong social media presence can truly help you succeed.

Rob Li / Via tiktok.com

"Starting in September of last year, I reached out to various agencies that placed private chefs with clients. For two months, it was pretty difficult to find work with the sparse resume that I had. In November, an agency that had seen my social media reached out to me with a client who didn't need a private chef with a traditional culinary background, but instead just needed someone who was pleasant and responsible. My agent matched us, I did a trial for them, and the rest is history,"  Rob told BuzzFeed. 

"My advice to people just starting out is to get as much experience as possible. A good way to start is with family and friends, and then you can branch out to a larger network from there," Rob told BuzzFeed.

You can keep up with Rob and his culinary journey on TikTok.