We recently connected with Liana Dorman and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Liana, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

After working in hotels and restaurants for years in Los Angeles and still not able to make ends meet, I knew if I wanted to stay in the culinary world I had to do something else. I had a work colleague who became a private chef, and after hearing about what the job entailed, I knew I wanted to do it. I remember going to a fancy staffing agency for an interview to be placed as a private chef, and I remember feeling discouraged when they asked me questions I couldn’t answer. I thought after working in top tier restaurants and hotels that becoming a private chef would be a walk in the park, however they are very different. After that didn’t work out, I thought of other platforms I could possibly find a private chef job on, looked on craiglist. (Yes craigslist). I actually found a job posting for a family looking for a private chef in Santa Monica. The job was for $25/hr, and after coming from the restaurant world where the pay was minimal, that sounded like a gold mine to me. I remember going in for the first portion of the interview (the question segment to determine if they wanted you to come back and cook for a night). This is when I realized that being a private chef wasn’t just about your cooking skills. You aren’t hidden in a restaurant kitchen where you don’t interact with the dining guest. Now I would be cooking in the center of most homes, having to socialize with different personalities, and watch them eat my food up close. After passing the first part of the interview, we scheduled a night for me to come in a cook. The family had three kids, who I was informed all loved sushi. So I decided to take a risk and make poke bowls. It isn’t the meal that is going to showcase my best cooking abilities, but being a private chef is also keeping up with the latest food trends and executing them at home, and that time poke was on the rise. I thought this was either going to be a hit or they would be very unimpressed. I made them spicy tuna and salmon poke bowls, and the kids and parents loved it. A few days later I got a call that the job was mine if I wanted it with one condition; that we do weekly poke bowl nights. I was so excited in this moment, and wasn’t even aware of where it would take me. I continued to work in a restaurant for lunch and then would drive to their house and cook dinner 5 nights a week. A few months into the job, I did a holiday party for the family and that’s when a friend of theirs asked me for my info. I started doing some events with them until they asked me to work with them weekly and I was able to quit my lunchtime restaurant job. From then on, solely through word of mouth and referrals, I have built an extensive list of clientele, and have grown my business exponentially. It took (and still takes) a lot of hustle, drive, and most importantly never giving up on yourself, to have made this all possible, and I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to do what I do.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I moved to Los Angeles back in 2010 from New Jersey. I had spent some time living in Costa Rica, and didn’t really have any direction. After coming back from Costa Rica and attending traditional college, I quickly realized it wasn’t for me. I knew I had to figure out something to do with my life, but I was at a crossroads. My parents saw that I was lacking direction, and sent me on a three month wilderness program to “find myself”. I always had a passion for cooking and grew up watching cooking shows and then rein-acting them in my kitchen. During this program which took place in Central America, I found myself cooking for the group every night in the middle of the jungle. I would make things like pasta with canned tuna fish bolognese, or stews with chicken and vegetables (honestly whatever I could make in the middle of the jungle). Everyone in the group kept telling me that I had to become a chef. So upon my return, I started looking into Culinary Schools. I looked at CIA in NY, Johnson and Whales in Charlotte, NC and the International Culinary school at the Art Institute in Santa Monica, CA. As soon as I landed in Los Angeles, I knew this is where I wanted to be. While I was attending school, I got an internship at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. I remember working the omelette station every Sunday brunch, and having celebrities come up to me asking me to make their omelettes for them. After my internship was over they offered me a full time job. So then I found myself in school full time and working full time. Little did I know it was just setting me up for working my two restaurant jobs shortly after. After working in the hotel for two years, I wanted to get into restaurants. I got a job working at Hinoki in the Bird in century city and Thomas Keller’s Bouchon bistro in beverly hills. I worked at both those places for about two years, until I made the switch to becoming a private chef. Not only was the pay better, but the hours were so much better. Now I work for clients in the LA and NY area, and I offer services like meal prep, dinner parties and events. I look back at where I was and where I am now, and sometimes don’t realize what a big deal it is that I have been able to create a business that I not only survive on (in one of the most expensive cities no less), but also thrive on.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I always say I think I am a great chef, but the reason why I am so successful as a private chef is my ability to adapt in my clients homes. I work with many clients with different personalities, different needs and different exceptions. My job is about fulfilling these needs and exceptions for every client. You are essentially working hours in these peoples homes and it’s all about making them feel comfortable in their home with your presence. My business is all word of mouth and I know why I get referred so much isn’t just because of my cooking abilities. I think what truly helped build my reputation in the market, is my ability to be able to adapt, listen and fulfill my clients needs and expectations. The goal is always to exceed their exceptions, and I strive to do this on a daily basis.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth. When you work with high end clients who could eat at any restaurant in the world and could have any private chef they wanted, and they say your name in the room, nothing more is needed to get the job. I also highly recommend having a website, which I am finally creating one this year, as well as having a social media presence with pictures and videos of your work for potential clients to see.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Cheflianadorman.com
• Instagram: Chef_Liana_Dorman
• Facebook: Liana Dorman
• Linkedin: Liana Dorman

Image Credits

My personal photos.