Personal Chefs for Everyone: Bespoke House Calls in the Digital Age

I really do like the fact that enterprising individuals have come up with great business ideas and found people to buy their services. On the other hand, as a marketing executive myself (!!), the per hour cost of the wardrobe consultant made me laugh. That's more than the cost of days-long three craft workshops at which I can learn, among other things, how to sew my own little French (AKA Chanel) jacket. To each his or her own.

To each their own. I kind of like living my own life instead of having someone live it for me. And I still have time to exercise and read books.

$300 to $900 for one shirt?! No how, no way, even if I had that kind of money. I know what goes into couture, and this isn't it! But I guess if your clients can afford to be be soaked, then go ahead and soak 'em!

wait, wait, stop ... professional cuddler? wow, am I out of the loop.

Is this such a bad thing? The chef has a chance to start her own company and fulfill her own dreams. I could never afford one, but it sure would be nice if we could.

I call this the 'concierge lifestyle,' and expect it is the norm, not the exception in many high-end, ultra-high earner -- or inheritance -- situations across the US and the world. There is soooo much money sloshing around at the top ... this gal probably feels like she's barely 'keeping up.' If I won a huge lottery, a chef would be my first splurge. Actually had a version of this locally 15 years ago, but even better as 3 women operated a commercial kitchen and delivered outstanding, delish and balanced meals to order, their menu changing each week. With just two of us in the household, being in a market much less costly than NY, and many items being freezer-friendly, I could make a grouping of 10-12 meals last a month. Single portions were so ample, we routinely divided in them in two and stretched / augmented here and there with day-of items ... it was a fantastic service. It was also very cost effective and far better nutritionally than I could make or even wished to tackle. Unfortunately, not enough other customers, they had to give up their commercial space and ultimately just went their own ways. I still miss those 2-3 great years of solid meals we totally enjoyed. Now -- Daniela needs to read this and then to immediately change her rates and charge more! Another service mentioned later in article is offering the same number of meals, etc. @ $500 -- an add'l $200. (Not counting the extra $200 to serve, which, now, really, c'mon ... so not necessary.)

"Beth Fisher, a marketing executive...." Can you stop referring to people who spend their vacuous lives convincing people to buy garbage they don't need as "marketing executives"?

The zip code on the bed pillow. For god's sake. Why not just print ACK? Embarrassing.

As the saying goes: It is lonely at the top.

Do most families in the US not eat dinner together? When did that happen? Would be interesting to see an article about that.

This one is for the archives! From the experience of the customer described in the article (Ms. Fisher) one needs a personal shopper to find a black pantsuit and blue shirts and a home chef to label a container of spaghetti squash in the fridge. Well if that free some quality time for other things (reading a book), good for her! Very amusing read. Thank you.

Maybe this is cute; actually it is grotesque. If you can pay for someone to do life's chores for you, at last keep it to yourself. If this is becoming a trend, we may have to let go the butler, housekeeper and chauffeur [the grooms, of course, are essential but they are discreet]!

Funny, I employ a chef, trainer, shopper, and walker just for my word bespoke.

Ah yes, the perfect article for the wealthy who just arent wealthy enough to have full time chefs or limo drivers or housekeepers. Meanwhile the rest of us plebs can just get back to clipping coupons for groceries.

The sorry existence of the 1%.

$350.00 per hour with a twenty hour minimum to recommend the shoes pictured on the bed? ...Okay.

So the wealthy have finally discovered what generations before them knew; having "staff" is the way to lead a peaceful lifestyle. Instead of having someone come in and cook 3 times weekly, why not just hire a live-in cook/housekeeper the way the wealthy did for decades? It's a very nice way to live - my late in-law's had a wonderful woman who lived with them for 42 years and is now buried in the same family plot. No, it does NOT result in spoiled, entitled little brat children - they still must pick up their own clothes and make their own beds. They don't learn how to cook, but today, with most mother's not cooking either, they're still not learning. Having help makes it possible to age-in-place, enjoy time with ones family and generally live a civilized lifestyle. I wish I could afford more than my every-two-weeks cleaning woman and my weekly yard man. There is nothing wrong with this - it gives employment to those one hires and if one does not treat ones help well, one won't have help very long.

It's all so very precious. And horrible at the same time. We must have wanted this.

"Ms. Solin-Valdina has organized and curated Ms. Fisher’s outfits at the rate of $350 per hour (with a 20-hour minimum)" I couldn't stop laughing after this.

All humans are equal. Further enabling the master-servant paradigm will not help us become better humans. I worked a year in Kuwait and I saw the society we are moving towards - a society of the wealthy and the people who were practically their slaves. Just because you can afford something doesn’t mean it is ethical to purchase it.

Some great small business ideas in this article! Sure, marketed initially to wealthier individuals but even I would rework my budget to pay for some of these services.

And here we have it: People with TOO MUCH MONEY. Meanwhile, most Americans haven't seen an increase in wages in decades.

The wealthiest can always hire out and pay others--this is nothing new, just people finding new ways to do it. The downside, if you are raising a family, is you're not teaching your kids to be responsible, independent and take care of themselves, through modeling the acts of cooking and cleanup and teaching them to do it themselves. I've hosted several helpless young people who did not know how to handle a kitchen knife, how to make their own meal, or how to properly clean up after a cooked meal.

Does it strike anyone as odd that the marketing exec doesn't want to make time for shopping? Would this be like a minister not wanting to pray on her own time? Would it be like Zuckerburg not sending his kids to a school based on an ed-tech curriculum? Am I really cynical or are there entire classes of people that don't believe in what they are selling?

'Many people in the city joke that what makes them real New Yorkers is that they never leave their apartments unless they have to. It’s getting easier to do just that, especially for those with money.' 1 - These people aren't real New Yorkers - and, speaking as a native, that has nothing to do with whether you're born here. 2 - The people who can afford these sorts of services don't pay enough taxes. We can change that. 3 - If you oppose the sort of techno-feudalism implied in this vision of high-end freelance personal servitude, go to the polls and vote.