Hiring A Meal Prep Chef: What It Costs, How It Works, And Why Parents Love It

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Finding time to cook nutritious meals as a busy parent can feel like a full-time job all on its own. Between meal planning, grocery shopping, chopping, cooking, and cleaning up, the load adds up. 

A meal prep chef can be a game-changer. They plan, shop, and prepare your family’s meals in advance so your fridge is stocked with ready-to-heat and easy-to-assemble dishes. A meal prep chef is healthier than takeout, more affordable than a private chef, and infinitely less stressful than doing it all yourself.

What Is A Meal Prep Chef?

A meal prep chef plans, shops for, and prepares your family’s meals for the week. Because everything is prepped in advance, they typically focus on foods that require only light assembly from you or that just need to be heated in the oven. 

Some meal prep chefs will prepare the food in your kitchen, while others will do it in their own kitchen and then drop everything off on a designated day. 

Meal prep chefs are more affordable than private chefs, as many don’t have professional culinary training. 

“It can be someone who is really passionate about healthful cooking and meal preparation and who wants to do that, usually as a side hustle, for a family,” says Kelly Hubbell from Sage Haus, which helps families hire meal prep chefs. 

Sample Meal Prep Chef Schedule

In Hubbell’s case, their meal prep chef handles all the grocery shopping and cooking in her own kitchen and then drops off the meals every Monday afternoon for the whole week. 

They use a shared Google Doc to decide on recipes, which are usually dishes that can be easily heated up (think: pasta, lasagna, or enchiladas), and a deconstructed salad with a protein. Their family’s meal prep chef prepares 2 breakfast dishes and 3 dinners. 

Hubbell says there’s often more back-and-forth at the beginning when they’re learning your preferences for the weekly menu. 

“When you get someone new started, there's a lot more collaboration that takes place in just getting to know each other,” she says. 

But now that their meal prep chef has been with them for two years, the back and forth on the menu planning is next to nothing. 

“She sends me an email on Friday or Saturday, and I take two minutes to respond,” Hubbell says. 

Pros Of A Meal Prep Chef

• Your cooking is handled in batch at the beginning of the week, so you don’t have to think about it.
  
• It’s more affordable than a professional private chef, and healthier than frequent dining out or frozen meals.
  
• Having help with meal planning can keep you from getting in a recipe rut — but you can also ask them to cook your favorite dishes. 

Limitations Of A Meal Prep Chef

• Because many do not have culinary-school training, they won’t be as efficient/have the same time management skills as a private chef 
• They often won’t be able to expand into a more comprehensive role that includes overseeing all household groceries, in-home cooking served and plated fresh, and other food-related tasks, like organizing the pantry or cooking for a dinner party.
• A meal prep chef will grocery shop for the meals they prepare for you, but if you want them to do additional grocery shopping, that’s a separate task you would need to discuss. 

Proxy Tip: If you’re hiring a meal prep chef, make sure to invest in glass containers in a variety of sizes for them to store all the food in, so it's easy to reheat. I recommend these Pyrex ones for easy storage and heating. 

Cost Of A Meal Prep Chef

Meal prep chefs range in price from ~$35–$50/hour. That means you can expect to pay about ~$320/week for a family of four for 3 dinners, 2 lunches or breakfasts, and 2 snacks. You pay for the cost of groceries yourself. 

Here are factors that affect the rate:

• Location: The hourly rate will be higher in bigger cities, like NYC and LA. 
• Experience: You’ll pay more if your meal prep chef has a culinary background or extensive experience. 
• Type of Hire: You’ll typically pay more if you hire through a meal prep chef company (vs. directly hiring your own meal prep chef) since they vet, hire, and handle payroll for you. They may also offer on-demand and pay-as-you-go options. 

Is A Meal Prep Chef Worth It?

For many families, a meal prep chef hits the sweet spot: affordable, healthy, and sanity-saving. You’ll reclaim 7+ hours a week, eat better, and never face the 6 p.m. “what’s for dinner?” panic again.

If you’re not sure it’s right for your family, check out our article, How To Outsource Meals: 6 Time-Saving Services For Busy Parents, for a side-by-side comparison of other services that can save you time in the kitchen. 

How To Hire A Meal Prep Chef

Through Proxy, we’ve vetted 10+ trusted companies that place meal prep chefs across the U.S, including on-demand and pay-as-you-go options, so you can test it out before committing full-time. Plus, we’ve negotiated exclusive rates on your behalf (average savings of $160/month). 

We also have a vetted recruiter for hiring your own meal prep chef — and Proxy subscribers can save $1,100 on their recruiting services.

To get started, subscribe to Proxy or text us what you need — (820) 732-2625 — and we’ll match you with the best option in your area. 

Meal Prep Chef vs. Private Chef

A private chef typically works in your home on a part-time or full-time basis. They have a culinary background and can take on a more comprehensive role: full menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking, plating and serving, clean-up, and managing kitchen inventory and organization. 

If you find yourself wanting to offload even more of the mental load associated with meals, and you have the budget, a private chef is a great fit. Plus, you get to experience fresh-cooked, gourmet meals in the comfort of your own home, and they can help with entertaining or even cooking classes with the kids (so fun!).

We started out having a private chef come to our house once a week. We loved the benefits so much that we now have our personal chef come three times per week and cover our dinners for five nights a week. 

For a full breakdown of what a private chef costs, a typical schedule, and the types of extra food-related tasks they can take on, check out our article, Can You Afford A Personal Chef?. We also have a private chef placement service that we recommend. It costs $5,000, and through Proxy, you'll save $500.

Meal Prep Chef vs. Private Chef: Quick Comparison

Meal Prep Chef FAQs