Business support and mentoring for freelance Private Chefs

Firstly - congratulations on choosing one of the most varied, exciting and rewarding careers! Feeding people well is one of the greatest gifts, and getting paid to do it is for some, the ideal way to earn a crust.

It is no secret that starting from scratch and maintaining a successful business as a freelancer is incredibly challenging. Not only that, it can feel lonely. There is no Association of Private Chefs to join (yet!) and so to fill the gap and share some of what I’ve learned over the years, I’ve decided to offer a business support and mentoring service to people interested in becoming a self-employed private chef.

There are more details to come, in the meantime I can tell you that I will be offering a one-to-one mentoring and business support service whereby you can book a one or two hour online meeting to discuss anything relating to your business. I am also designing a five week course for those starting up their business, or wanting to explore different areas involved in running a successful cooking business. 

If you’ve any questions or would like more information please drop me a line via the contact page. I have made some epic mistakes along the way, and much of that was to do with not having the confidence to stick up for myself, or because I was not clear in what I was offering or what was agreed - you can learn a lot from my mistakes, and there are times when I wished I had someone in my corner rooting for me.

  • Emma Gannon - Intelligent Appliances

    What shines through with Michaela is her instinctive passion for all things food and cooking. She backs this up with a wealth of knowledge and expertise.

    As a private chef and our Better Living Champion, Michaela brings our Intelligent Appliances to life. She helps us and our customers to get the best out of our appliances and to put them at the centre of our purpose of helping people to lead healthier lifestyles.

    Michaela has shown us how to cook with seasonal ingredients sourced with TLC. And she gives our customers the confidence to embrace the produce, its preparation and to start cooking with a fresh perspective. We love having Michaela with us on our journey

  • Karen Turner – Owner of Laudale Estate

    Michaela has often cooked for us at our estate in the Highlands where we entertain large groups of friends. She also looks after corporate guests and private celebratory gatherings there, usually for around 20 people.

    Her food is always superb: Michaela can cook whatever is required to a very high standard including for multiple generations of mixed dietary requirements - never easy!”

    Planning is always precise, the kitchen is always calm, organised and tidy and Michaela can turn her hand to last-minute changes with ease and good humour which is essential in a family kitchen-style cooking environment.

  • Ted Innes Ker – Owner of Reiver Travel

    Michaela is an outstanding chef. My clients fly over from the USA every year and insist Michaela is with them for their trip, she has become an absolutely essential part of the experience thanks in large part to her exceptional cooking with the freshest of produce, turning her hand to anything, being very flexible, as well as being huge fun to be around

  • Andrea Sutton - Private Function Client

    The most delicious food imaginable! Michaela at With M created a selection of wonderful dishes for a big family celebration, which went down a storm. Her attention to detail and passion for her craft can only be described as 'love'. She puts everything into it and the results are spectacular dishes of food which are talked about for years afterwards. I cannot recommend her highly enough.