My career as a personal chef has barely begun and I’ve already lost my first client.

I started cooking for Rachel* in October. I saw her at a party during Sukkot, where I met her baby daughter for the first time. Rachel was one of those people who I didn’t know very well, but I always liked to run into. We began catching up, her telling me a bit about her being a single mom, and I told her about my career change. Before I could finish talking about what it was precisely I was doing, she blurted out “Would you cook for me now?”

I wasn’t really ready to do it professionally yet, but I said sure. I was in class three days a week, and figured I could use someone to practice on, and make a little money at the same time. Little is the operative word there. I felt funny charging regular personal chef rates, since I wasn’t done with school. I also liked that I had room for error, if it wasn’t that good.
She just wanted a big container of one thing that she could eat from all week, seemed easy enough. I soon had a key to her house, and come Thursday afternoon, I’d wait for whatever it was to cool down, and then I’d drive it over to North Berkeley, and let myself in. I had asked her for honest feedback, and when she wasn’t there, she’d often leave me little notes in the empty container along with the check.
Her two favorite dishes of everything I made both came from the glutenfreebythebay blog, even though she isn’t gluten-free (they were the polenta lasagne with kale and feta, and the vegetarian kosher paella, if you want to look them up). I really looked forward to my Thursday afternoon ritual food delivery, knowing that I was helping to nourish both baby and her mom. Sometimes, she wasn’t there, and I’d just leave it on the counter. But if she and her daughter were there, I’d get to visit with them for a little bit.
I’ve never been one of those baby-crazy women, but her daughter is really one of the cutest little girls I’ve ever seen. After a few months, she began to recognize me, and would give me her big smile. I felt it was because somehow, she knew I was helping to feed her and her mom.
Well, Rachel called me two weeks ago with the sad news that she will no longer be needing my services. It seems that her daughter is getting to be quite the picky eater, and often doesn’t like my food. Ouch.
I know this is how business goes, but I was sad all the same. They were my most consistent clients, for seven whole months. But I guess it was for the best, as I never had the heart to tell her what my real rates were, now that I finished school.

*Not her real name