Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
3.1K
“I’m Worried That One Day They Will Find Out”: Personal Chef To An Upper-Class Family Confesses About How They Really Cook Their Food
Just because a dish is expensive, looks elaborate, and took half a day to make doesn’t guarantee that someone will like it. People have different tastes. And just because someone is upper class doesn’t guarantee that they’ll automatically have incredibly fancy tastes. Similarly, just because someone is well-off doesn’t guarantee that they’ll be able to tell the difference between high-quality ingredients and the cheapest stuff that their kitchen staff could find.
Redditor u/Mission_Issue_9198, a personal chef, shared a tantalizing tale about cooking for an upper-class family. They shared how they quickly learned that it wasn’t worth spending hours upon hours and tens of thousands of dollars on ingredients to cater to the family. For one, they didn’t enjoy the fancy food the chef made. Besides, they loved the cheaper versions of the dishes and raved about them to everyone they knew.
Scroll down for the chef’s full post, as shared on r/TrueOffMyChest, dear Pandas. Do you think that the chef was right to hide the truth from the family? What would you have done in their shoes? Share your thoughts in the comments.
RELATED:
The food you’re eating might not be as fancy and authentic as you think
Image credits: Jason Leung (not the actual photo)
A personal chef working for an upper-class family shared how they started substituting expensive ingredients for cheap ones
Image credits: Yente Van Eynde (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Mission_Issue_9198
It’s a difficult balance to maintain when you’re catering to high-end folks. On the one side of the equation, you have the essence of food—the taste! If something tastes awful, it will destroy the fabulous presentation. Though everyone has personal preferences for what they enjoy, there are some objective things that you should avoid. For instance, overcooking or undercooking food will ruin the experience.
Now, on the other side of the equation, you have the aesthetics of the dish, i.e. how everything looks plated. We do tend to eat with our eyes first. And first impressions do matter. So if someone brings out a dirty plate with unidentifiable gloop smeared all over it, odds are that you might lose your appetite. The food itself might taste fine! But you’ve already lost your customer through your (lack of) presentation.
Some high-end chefs focus on the presentation, at the expense of the taste. They create gastronomic experiences. The over-elaborate works of art they create might impress some. Others, however, might be left confused and hungry because the portions are often tiny. The chef needs to maintain a close connection to the essence of food, otherwise they might come off as pretentious.
The author of the post, whose account was eventually suspended for an unknown reason, explained that they partly feel guilty for going along with the charade while their clients boast about their ‘authentic’ food to everyone. “I just smile and nod,” they wrote.
They admitted that they’d been getting away with this for nearly a decade. Though a part of them is scared that one day the family will find out…
Some readers praised the chef for their ingenuity and skill
Others, however, were slightly suspicious and had some questions for the author of the post
Meanwhile, some people shared similar stories
What do you think ?
thurayyat 3 years ago
If those you are cooking for can't taste the difference between saffron and turmeric, or fresh and boxed pasta, then they don't have much of a palate.
Tim 3 years ago
That's the point. Most of these types of people just want to feel like they're being catered to. Somewhere in the replies, there was the lady that gets a pound of bacon cooked only to select the strips and throw the rest in the garbage. They just want to feel like they're special, they don't give a sh1t about actual authenticity or quality or any of that nonsense.
Load More Replies...
Solidhog 3 years ago (edited)
Just because something is expensive or well known does not mean it tastes better. And often with "local" cuisine it's not made with expensive ingredients, just local. And fruits can different from different regions.
TheKitKatLizard 3 years ago (edited)
Unless they were exclusively going to michelin restaurants in the mountains that somehow have fresh, high quality, super expensive versions of every ingredient despite being located in the fkin mountains, I doubt most of the places they went to had a higher requirement than 'red wine higher than aldi quality' However, big doubt on someone with no culinary degree being hired to cook for some super duper rich people that are barely home anyways.
Load More Replies...
Roald 3 years ago
They are probably a clueless couple. 'Travel in the European mountains'. Soo...there are mountains in many countries and all regional /national dishes are distrinctly different from eachother. So *what* did they eat exactly? Chicken Alfredo? Kapsalon? Luttefisk? McDonald's? Oreo's?
ADB 3 years ago (edited)
Likely a fake story, as one of the other posters said, his examples make zero sense. I make my own sauces, creams, etc., and his examples are bogus.
Bob Cakin 3 years ago
They aren't bogus when talking about rich people. All the rich people I have known have had a highly inflated ego when it came to their "exquisite tastes". They would go on and on about the quality of their goods/food... but if you actually listened to what they were saying... it was absolutely clear that they had no idea what the f**k they were talking about. They would use words completely wrong to the point where their sentences literally made less sense than a toddler. And they probably just used it because the word was long and "fancy". Rich people are just like that. Constantly trying to make everyone admire how "fancy" they are. I could completely see this guy just mixing sriracha, ketchup, and some mayonaise and passing it off as a homemade sauce and some rich dude not even knowing. I've actually done something like that before for a burger sauce and served it up to people. Most people couldn't guess it was mostly just sriracha and mayonaise
Load More Replies...
Alex S 3 years ago (edited)
I'm not a rich person with millions of dollars but I like to cook and there's no way someone who knows what handmade pasta looks and tastes like, would be fooled by 99c stuff from the supermarket. It's a totally different texture and consistency. Also saffron and tumeric taste totally different. You can definitely tell if a dish has saffron in it (in high enough quantities to taste). And I'm with that guy calling the op out for grape juice and vodka, WTF? That's not a substitution and honestly, why would you ever use that as a substitute? You'd just use cheap red wine instead of expensive. The sugar content in grape juice is too high to use as a pan deglaze.
Shayla Katherina 3 years ago
Not to mention the sugar content in the juice would definitely change the flavor dramatically that any moron that tasted wine before would be able to tell the difference. It seems like creating a cocktail of juice and vodka would be a bigger pain than just using cheap wine.
Load More Replies...
--- 3 years ago
The chef with multi-milion dollars house refers to Europe as if it has one mountain range and one culinary culture. Fake story
Bob Cakin 3 years ago
Where does he refer go Europe as if it only has one mountain range? He just said that the rich people he was cooking for said it reminded them of traveling through somr European mountains. As in... he's not sure exactly where, but these rich people told him that the food reminded them of some European mountains for some reason.
Load More Replies...
Meint Veldman 3 years ago
Being a trained chef, I absolutely understand the basic premise of this article, it makes perfect sense, but some of the examples not so much. If this is true, it seems to me OP has let the pendulum swing too far towards the 'cheating' end of things.
Emily Waldroup 3 years ago
I got a genuine vibe from the story... Honestly, I think this guy is using examples to illustrate his point, so they're probably the ones that stand out as the most rediculous to him... to show how egotistical and clueless these people really are. I doubt he cooks every single meal with such obvious fudges. But he's found ways to make it work on the plate, and these people don't care anyway. And, icing on the cake if you will... They like cheap food but don't know it and would totally deny it all the way to their extremely fancy grave. 🤣
Load More Replies...
Bob Cakin 3 years ago
This is not that implausible tbh. Growing up in a school that was shared by rich f***s and poor f***s like myself... I can tell you that the rich people didn't know s**t when it came to food. They liked to pretend they did... but listening to them for any extended period of time it became very obvious that they didn't know what the f**k they were talking about. On food and many MANY other subjects. It may not have happened... but it honestly wouldn't be that surprising if it did given the fact that rich people really aren't all that smart and generally don't much about the world (cause they like to isolate themselves in little bubbles).
Load More Replies...
Buck Up 3 years ago
"I'm worried they'll find out ...so I'll put it on the internet for all to see"
Bob Cakin 3 years ago
On reddit... a site with millions of posts a day... in an anonymous post. I mean... people post about cheating on their partners on reddit all the time. There is literally an entire subreddit dedicated to posting about cheating on your partner. Why is it so unbelievable that a random anonymous personal chef would post about something as harmless as "I feel a little guilty that I am not using super expensive ingredients for the very rich family I cook for"?
Load More Replies... pebs 3 years ago
A couple of considerations: if the chef's employers appreciate cheap ingredients more, then let him cook them and earn more... Perhaps some guests will be a little more expert and understand that it is a scam, but they will probably keep their mouth shut so as not to offend the hosts. Certainly, however, no Italian (just to give an example) could believe that saffron was used when turmeric was used instead and believe that industrial cheap pasta is handmade pasta. It's impossible. And these things make the chef a little less of a chef and more of a cheap cheaty cook, obviously.
thurayyat 3 years ago
If those you are cooking for can't taste the difference between saffron and turmeric, or fresh and boxed pasta, then they don't have much of a palate.
Tim 3 years ago
That's the point. Most of these types of people just want to feel like they're being catered to. Somewhere in the replies, there was the lady that gets a pound of bacon cooked only to select the strips and throw the rest in the garbage. They just want to feel like they're special, they don't give a sh1t about actual authenticity or quality or any of that nonsense.
Load More Replies... Solidhog 3 years ago (edited)
Just because something is expensive or well known does not mean it tastes better. And often with "local" cuisine it's not made with expensive ingredients, just local. And fruits can different from different regions.
TheKitKatLizard 3 years ago (edited)
Unless they were exclusively going to michelin restaurants in the mountains that somehow have fresh, high quality, super expensive versions of every ingredient despite being located in the fkin mountains, I doubt most of the places they went to had a higher requirement than 'red wine higher than aldi quality' However, big doubt on someone with no culinary degree being hired to cook for some super duper rich people that are barely home anyways.
Load More Replies... Roald 3 years ago
They are probably a clueless couple. 'Travel in the European mountains'. Soo...there are mountains in many countries and all regional /national dishes are distrinctly different from eachother. So *what* did they eat exactly? Chicken Alfredo? Kapsalon? Luttefisk? McDonald's? Oreo's?
ADB 3 years ago (edited)
Likely a fake story, as one of the other posters said, his examples make zero sense. I make my own sauces, creams, etc., and his examples are bogus.
Bob Cakin 3 years ago
They aren't bogus when talking about rich people. All the rich people I have known have had a highly inflated ego when it came to their "exquisite tastes". They would go on and on about the quality of their goods/food... but if you actually listened to what they were saying... it was absolutely clear that they had no idea what the f**k they were talking about. They would use words completely wrong to the point where their sentences literally made less sense than a toddler. And they probably just used it because the word was long and "fancy". Rich people are just like that. Constantly trying to make everyone admire how "fancy" they are. I could completely see this guy just mixing sriracha, ketchup, and some mayonaise and passing it off as a homemade sauce and some rich dude not even knowing. I've actually done something like that before for a burger sauce and served it up to people. Most people couldn't guess it was mostly just sriracha and mayonaise
Load More Replies... Alex S 3 years ago (edited)
I'm not a rich person with millions of dollars but I like to cook and there's no way someone who knows what handmade pasta looks and tastes like, would be fooled by 99c stuff from the supermarket. It's a totally different texture and consistency. Also saffron and tumeric taste totally different. You can definitely tell if a dish has saffron in it (in high enough quantities to taste). And I'm with that guy calling the op out for grape juice and vodka, WTF? That's not a substitution and honestly, why would you ever use that as a substitute? You'd just use cheap red wine instead of expensive. The sugar content in grape juice is too high to use as a pan deglaze.
Shayla Katherina 3 years ago
Not to mention the sugar content in the juice would definitely change the flavor dramatically that any moron that tasted wine before would be able to tell the difference. It seems like creating a cocktail of juice and vodka would be a bigger pain than just using cheap wine.
Load More Replies... --- 3 years ago
The chef with multi-milion dollars house refers to Europe as if it has one mountain range and one culinary culture. Fake story
Bob Cakin 3 years ago
Where does he refer go Europe as if it only has one mountain range? He just said that the rich people he was cooking for said it reminded them of traveling through somr European mountains. As in... he's not sure exactly where, but these rich people told him that the food reminded them of some European mountains for some reason.
Load More Replies... Meint Veldman 3 years ago
Being a trained chef, I absolutely understand the basic premise of this article, it makes perfect sense, but some of the examples not so much. If this is true, it seems to me OP has let the pendulum swing too far towards the 'cheating' end of things.
Emily Waldroup 3 years ago
I got a genuine vibe from the story... Honestly, I think this guy is using examples to illustrate his point, so they're probably the ones that stand out as the most rediculous to him... to show how egotistical and clueless these people really are. I doubt he cooks every single meal with such obvious fudges. But he's found ways to make it work on the plate, and these people don't care anyway. And, icing on the cake if you will... They like cheap food but don't know it and would totally deny it all the way to their extremely fancy grave. 🤣
Load More Replies... Bob Cakin 3 years ago
This is not that implausible tbh. Growing up in a school that was shared by rich f***s and poor f***s like myself... I can tell you that the rich people didn't know s**t when it came to food. They liked to pretend they did... but listening to them for any extended period of time it became very obvious that they didn't know what the f**k they were talking about. On food and many MANY other subjects. It may not have happened... but it honestly wouldn't be that surprising if it did given the fact that rich people really aren't all that smart and generally don't much about the world (cause they like to isolate themselves in little bubbles).
Load More Replies... Buck Up 3 years ago
"I'm worried they'll find out ...so I'll put it on the internet for all to see"
Bob Cakin 3 years ago
On reddit... a site with millions of posts a day... in an anonymous post. I mean... people post about cheating on their partners on reddit all the time. There is literally an entire subreddit dedicated to posting about cheating on your partner. Why is it so unbelievable that a random anonymous personal chef would post about something as harmless as "I feel a little guilty that I am not using super expensive ingredients for the very rich family I cook for"?
Load More Replies... pebs 3 years ago
A couple of considerations: if the chef's employers appreciate cheap ingredients more, then let him cook them and earn more... Perhaps some guests will be a little more expert and understand that it is a scam, but they will probably keep their mouth shut so as not to offend the hosts. Certainly, however, no Italian (just to give an example) could believe that saffron was used when turmeric was used instead and believe that industrial cheap pasta is handmade pasta. It's impossible. And these things make the chef a little less of a chef and more of a cheap cheaty cook, obviously.
Related on Bored Panda
112
97