A Day In The Life of a Plant-Based Private Chef

How did you get your current job?

Ester always had a talent for cooking and putting together dinners & special events focused on health-supportive meals. So, after graduation, she went to culinary school and as soon as she achieved that goal, she continued challenging myself and adding more skills & culinary techniques to her repertoire.

Ester was offered a private chef gig cooking for a friend/client that had prostate cancer and implemented a vegan diet as a way to stay healthy during a strenuous time. She said it was a humbling experience since she was in charge of putting together all his meals and there was a lot of care that went into this process. She told us,

“You realize in moments like this how fragile life is and how impactful diet & nutrition is to one’s well-being.”

It was a beautiful experience that opened many doors for her in the private chef & health coach industries.

She continues her work as a private chef building up her business through referrals. She keeps her Instagram page and website up to date with the latest dishes she’s made and ingredients she knows have healing properties in them. Her Instagram is basically a portfolio for clients to vet her skills and for anyone to be inspired by.

She continues to work on her craft by attending the Natural Gourmet Institute twice a week which focuses on a different food source per class and learning multiple recipes for that one food source. The knowledge she’s gaining is helping her expand her knowledge and land more clients.

What were your first career goals and how have those goals evolved over time?

Ester’s first career goals were to use her passion for health and wellness to offer a quality service as a chef. Even though she had graduated from Baruch College with an International Marketing degree, she always knew deep down this was what she was meant to do. Going through the motions as an International Marketing major, she realized she was more of a creative person.

“I need to create. I need to make things with my hands.”

Her goals have since evolved from taking on clients as a private chef to diversifying how she shares her expertise with the world, including a focus on cooking for retreats worldwide, cater for large events, teaching cooking classes and last, but not least, continuing to inspire people through wholesome & vibrant cuisine. She accomplished some of these feats already this year, but the sky’s the limit.

What is your advice those who aspire to be like you?

Ester encouraged everyone to keep working to prove yourself as an expert in your field because all you need is one person to believe in you, to invest in you, and the rest will snowball from there.

How do you define your best work?

Her best work, she told us, is executing exactly what the clients want at the time they want it and providing them with a lot of benefits in terms of their health, their longevity and their quality of life. 

What would you tell your 18 year old self today?

She would say go with your gut feeling. Trust your instincts more and make mistakes. Make mistakes if you have to because you don’t have anything to lose at that time. For you to discover what drives you, you need to put yourself in situations you aren’t comfortable in to see if you sink or swim.

“You have to do uncomfortable things to discover what drives you.”