Your Reputation is Everything – Success Tips for Personal Chefs with Steven Lash

personal chef steven lash of blue duck in georgia

About Steven Lash

This week my podcast guest is chef Stephen Lash. He’s the owner of Blue Duck personal chef service in Georgia. Steven’s food combines fine dining with local influences, inspired by his extensive travel, passion for the outdoors, and hunger for understanding cultures. He’s a veteran of the restaurant world, having worked in some of the top kitchens in Atlanta for over 15 years. Following the birth of his first daughter, he got out of the restaurant business in order to better support his young family. After a successful 20 year career in information technology, Stephen has returned to his first true passion – feeding people amazing food.

food by steven lash of blue duck in georgia

On This Week’s Podcast

While Stephen has a great story that I think everyone will enjoy, I know this episode will bring tremendous value to those who are either currently working as personal chefs, or looking to start a personal chef business. There’s also some really great advice for anyone who has their own business. We discuss some of my favorite topics such as workflow tips, finding your niche, and free food. We’re both big fans of working with AirBnB operators, and people who run vacation rentals. I think this is still an untapped market for those looking to acquire customers on a recurring basis. And I asked Stephen about his deposit policy. This is something I’ve gone back-and-forth with over the past couple years, and I really loved his take on it. I’d love to hear what you think about this episode. What was your biggest takeaway? You can send me an email, DM, or reply to our posts on social media.

lobster by steven lash of blue duck in georgia

This Week’s Sponsor

Looking to hire employees for your restaurant? This week’s sponsor is Savory Jobs, a job site only for restaurants. For just $50, get unlimited job postings for an entire year. Use discount code SAVORY10 to save 10%

Relevant Links and Where to Learn About Steven Lash and Blue Duck

You can listen to the show on PodpagePodlink,  BuzzsproutITunesSpotifyTuneInStitcherAmazon MusicPandora I Heart Radio, and everywhere podcasts are found.

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Steven Lash

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Steven’s Instagram
Blue Duck on Facebook
Blue Duck Website

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SUPPORT US ON PATREON
Get the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter
Visit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff)
Connect on Clubhouse
Check out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/

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Join the private Facebook group

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Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

Watch on YouTube

If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have ever received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest,  or simply want to help, it would be much appreciated. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.

duck by steven lash of blue duck in georgia

Learn How to Start a Personal Chef Business with Chef Matt Collins

chef matt collins
chef Matt Collins of Chef Collins Events in NJ

About Matt Collins

Born in Freehold, NJ, Matt Collins has been cooking since he was a child. As a student of the culinary arts program at Freehold High School, he excelled and ran the cafe at 16 years old. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, he took his career to NYC, becoming a sous chef at 21 years old, working for The Smith, Keens Steakhouse, Rouge Tomate, Wolfgang Puck, Freemans, Dream Hotels, and Smith & Wollensky.

meat and fruit salad by chef collins events


He continued his education in Europe at Chateau de Lignon and Institute Paul Bocuse, leading to becoming the chef de cuisine at Kilo Food & Wine in Hell’s Kitchen, and earning #21 on Wine & Spirits Top 50 NYC List in 2018. After a decade of working in New York City, he decided to take what he learned back to his hometown where he started Chef Collins Events, a personal chef business that specializes in customized dinners and pop-up events.

NJ personal chef matt collins

On this Week’s Podcast

On this week’s Chefs Without Restaurants podcast we talk a lot about the personal chef business including client acquisition, marketing, customer demographics, what to charge, and being able to satisfy yourself creatively. We also discuss sourcing products, managing your time, and menu creation. Hear about his recent photoshoot, and learn who really created McGriddles.

learn how to be a personal chef and make food like this

Relevant Links and Where to Learn About Starting a Personal Chef Business

You can listen to the show on PodpagePodlink,  BuzzsproutITunesSpotifyTuneInStitcherAmazon MusicPandora I Heart Radio, and everywhere podcasts are found.

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Matt Collins

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Matt’s Instagram

Matt’s Website

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CONNECT WITH US

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SUPPORT US ON PATREON

Get the Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter

Visit Our Amazon Store (we get paid when you buy stuff)

Connect on Clubhouse

Check out our websites (they have different stuff) https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org/ & https://chefswithoutrestaurants.com/

Like our Facebook page

Join the private Facebook group

Join the conversation on Twitter

Check our Instagram pics

Founder Chris Spear’s personal chef business Perfect Little Bites https://perfectlittlebites.com/

Watch on YouTube

crispy pork belly by nj personal chef
steak by chef matt collins

The Chefs Without Restaurants Podcast – Episode 75 Ryan Dumapit – When Passion Doesn’t Pay The Bills

Pastry chef ryan dumapit on the chefs without restaurants podcast

You can listen to the show on BuzzsproutITunesSpotifyTuneInStitcherAmazon MusicPandora and I Heart Radio.

Welcome to the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast. I’m your host Chris Spear. On the show, I have conversations with culinary entrepreneurs, and people in the food and beverage industry who took a different route. They’re caterers, research chefs, personal chefs cookbook authors, food truckers, farmers, cottage bakers and all sorts of culinary renegades. I myself fall into the personal chef category, as I started my personal chef business Perfect Little Bites 10 years ago. And while I started working in kitchens in 1992, surprisingly, I’ve literally never worked in a restaurant.

On this weeks show I have Ryan Dumapit. He has a degree in pastry arts, and food service management. But Ryan doesn’t have a singular path in the food industry. In fact, he also went to school for IT, and has worked for a point of sale company, as well as a fitness company. We talk about many of the positions he’s held including being a district manager for a contract food service company, and working logistics for a large grocery chain. He also partnered with a mutual friend of ours on a catering project called called Fil Amazing Foods, and has his own desserts company called CaSey B’s. Unfortunately, due to the Covid pandemic, both of these ventures have been put on hold for a while. 

Ryan is a first generation Filipino American, so we talk about Filipino food, and his experience growing up. He also talks about about job choices, and the struggle of doing something you love for career, vs having a job that can pay the bills.

And if you want to make sure you catch every episode of the Chefs Without Restaurants podcast, go to chefswithoutrestaurants.org to sign up for our mailing list. The link can also be found in the show notes. 

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Ryan Dumapit
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CaSey B’s Instagram 
CaSey B’s Facebook 
Fil Amazing Food’s Instagram 
Fil Amazing Food’s Facebook 

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CONNECT WITH US

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Subscribe to The Chefs Without Restaurants Newsletter

Visit Our Amazon Shop (I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.)

Check out our other website  https://chefswithoutrestaurants.org

Like our Facebook page 

Join the private Facebook group 

Join the conversation on Twitter 

Check our Insta pics 

Find us on TikTok

Watch on YouTube 

Chefs Without Restaurants Founder Chris Spear of Perfect Little Bites

If you want to support the show, our Venmo name is ChefWoRestos and can be found at https://venmo.com/ChefWoRestos. If you enjoy the show, have every received a job through one of our referrals, have been a guest, been given complimentary Chefs Without Restaurants swag, or simply want to help, it would be much appreciated. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.