The first thing I noticed when walking into a sprawling brick home in the heart of Beverly Hills was the smell. Not of the food, but rather the smell of the house itself: high-end laundry detergent, freshly pressed linen, and just a hint of something deeper, richer. It was the smell of immaculate upkeep. The owners of the house, a young couple in their early thirties, were hosting a dinner party with some of their friends. Why? Just for fun, of course.
As I arrived, the private chef preparing the dinner menu, Sam Sheff, and his team were briskly preparing for guests to arrive. Clad in matching navy blue aprons, each of the four members was focused on a separate task. Guests arrived in just under half an hour, but the team didn’t appear frantic in any way–rather, confident and in control.
The kitchen featured sprawling white marble and top-tier appliances–every chef’s dream. As I watched their team prepare different parts of the dinner (cutting bread, keeping dishes warm on the stove, slicing the tuna), their movements appeared in sync–almost like a dance routine. Each member moved effortlessly around the other, knowing exactly what the other was going to do just seconds before they did it.
As one member set the tables outside (a collection of clothed tables spread around a pristine outdoor pool), guests began to arrive. While friends of the hosts trickled in, I couldn’t help but notice their attire–the women wore draping ball gowns, while the men looked crisp in different shades of suites. As they walked past the kitchen to the outdoor seating area, some smiled and waved to Sheff and his team, some did not. Some looked curious, some didn’t look at all.
The activity in the kitchen ramped up with dinner starting promptly. As Sheff explained to me, “timing is everything.” Sheff pulled me aside before I left. He had plated the main course for me to try.
Fresh, raw albacore tuna with citrus and fried capers, drizzled with white soy (to maintain the color, of course). Savory, with a hint of sweetness from the citrus, and especially buttery, the dish melted into the tongue. I had never tasted anything like it.
To understand the lives and experiences of private chefs, we must understand that this was just one moment, one experience. Private chefs take on a multitude of positions, including catering large parties, cooking everyday for families, meal prep, and so many more. Regardless of what “niche” a private chef specializes in, their position is unique and in some ways precarious–they work within the intimacy of somebody’s home, usually, but not always, a very wealthy somebody.
Los Angeles’ private chef world in particular holds a heightened level of precarity in a city with a very specific culinary scene and an abundance of cultures, food, and flavors. In a city also marked by a stark wealth gap, the inside world of a private chef, and their relationships to their clients, is endlessly fascinating.
