Baltimore-based entrepreneur owns and operates her own personal chef

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Aug 13, 2004 by Elizabeth Rossi

Occasionally, a client will say to me, 'You know more about me than I know about you,' said Constance Breeden, a Baltimore-based personal chef who owns Just a Matter of Thyme Personal Chef Service. And I just smile.

Full-time personal chefs in the region earn between $40,000 and $100,000 annually, depending on the number of clients and how often the chef works, Cotton said.

These days, Cotton's salary is comparable to what she made in her days as a health care executive, though she declined to give specifics.

Still, few personal chefs say they are in it solely for the money.

I'm so much happier, said Christine Van Bloem who gave up a toy advertising career to open Gourmet on the Go, based in Frederick. If something's screwed up, I know it's me. If something's great, I know that's because I did that.

The industry has become something of a haven for recovering physicians and attorneys, Wallace said, allowing formerly disgruntled office workers to leave their cubicles and follow their hearts.

But the appeal of personal chefs is a two-sided coin. It isn't just the professionals who love the profession.

Clients: No two are alike

Cotton's 18 clients are mostly busy, dual-income professionals with Stuart kitchens, Volvos and small children.

The main market is working professionals with a household income of about $70,000, though not everyone fits that mold, Wallace said.

Cotton, for example, has worked in multimillion-dollar properties on the Potomac River and for a single mom who works as a mail carrier and lives in a tiny row house with two rottweilers.

The public now understands that personal chef services are not just for the [super] wealthy, said David MacKay, founder and executive director of the national personal chef's association, though a few local celebrities have signed on for the service.

Breeden cooked for a Baltimore Raven for a year, and for a New York soap opera star who owns a house in Baltimore.

But she said it was business as usual despite the clients' celebrity.

I don't get impressed by celebrities, she said. They put their pants on the same way I do.

Most of the clientele are less glamorous folks.

Cotton cooks once every three weeks for Creston Smith Jr. and his wife, both retired and in their 80s.

The Catonsville couple hired a personal chef because they couldn't keep up with the housework but didn't want to move into a retirement home.

I like my house, Smith said. I'm going to stay here as long as I can, and to stay here the personal chef serves my purpose right now.

And serve they do.

Picky eaters

Personal chefs' specialty is accommodating picky eaters. Diabetic? No problem. Trying Atkins? Can do. Keeping kosher? Vegetarian? Hate onions? Only eat shitake mushrooms? That's exactly what a personal chef is for.

When Cotton started working with the Smiths, they answered four pages of questions about their tastes and preferences. Do you prefer Dijon or honey mustard? Do you like capers? What kinds of fish will you eat? Roast or ground beef? How do you feel about cloves? Chinese? Mexican? Thai? Or, all of the above?