Private Luxury Home Chef in Sonoma
So, it’s clear that we live in a convenient world. I’ve been a private luxury home chef in Sonoma for the just shy of a year after being in the restaurant industry for over 28 years. When I started our business, Sushimotos, I didn’t even know this WAS an industry and here we are creating incredible menus at private homes throughout the Northern California wine country several times per week! If you would have told me even a year ago, I would be a private luxury home chef in Sonoma, I would have looked at you like you were on crack. That may sound funny, but I'm completely serious. I thought that the restaurant industry was my only industry.
It’s amazing how you can lose yourself running a restaurant, long nights, no weekends off or family time. Well, our world has changed, and society has changed. We live for instant gratification - nobody is playing the long game. I could see the signs on the wall for how my future looked. Grub Hub, UberEATS, Door Dash were completely stripping any profit out of the restaurant industry and couple that with labor issues, paying employees more than I could afford, high cost to operate in our lovely state of California, the dishwasher's car broke down or they didn’t show up...I could go on and on like a rushing river! And now the highly skilled restaurateur and head chef is busing tables and washing dishes and my sous chef, that I trained, is making more money than I am. It’s a real morale booster as I’m sweating my ass off running food, washing dishes, bartending, stewarding, hostessing, and let's not forget my regulars asking me if I can make that "special dish" I made them two weeks ago? Seriously two f*cking weeks ago? I'm glad my food made such an incredible impression on them, but I couldn't remember my name much less a "special dish". It was chaotic and unhealthy.
Fast forward to 2020. Thank you, Jesus, I have my sanity back. While it was a whirlwind of 28 years, I'm glad it's behind me. Tomorrow, I’m cooking for a billionaire and 9 friends at a private property called “Winners Circle." You know you’ve made it when you can afford to rent a luxury home property called "Winner’s Circle." Now, with the right private event, we can work with people who can afford my real worth as a chef, something that was impossible with the overhead of the restaurant. I wouldn't trade my story and my path for anything, it was necessary for me to grow and to become who I am today. I look back now and think only a fool wants to open a restaurant instead of becoming a private luxury home chef.