When people call us about a private chef, most of them assume it's all or nothing. Either a chef in the kitchen five days a week, or back to delivery apps and the helper doing her best.
There's a middle ground, and more families are asking for it: a part-time private chef. Two or three days a week, often just dinners, cooked fresh in your own kitchen.
After 26 years in kitchens, and a lot of conversations with Singapore households, here's how I'd explain it to a friend.
Who a part-time chef is actually for
Part-time works best for households where the problem isn't every meal, it's the evenings. Both parents working late. Kids with activities until 7pm. A couple who eats out at weekends but wants proper home food midweek.
It's also a good fit when:
- You have a helper who handles breakfast and simple meals, but you want real cooking a few nights a week
- You're focused on health or longevity goals and want structured, balanced dinners without thinking about it
- You entertain regularly and want a chef on your hosting nights
- You want to try having a private chef before committing to full-time
If you need lunch and dinner every weekday, or you have a big family with complex dietary needs, full-time usually makes more sense. We'll tell you honestly which one fits.
How it works day to day
A typical part-time schedule is two or three set days a week, the same days every week. Consistency matters: your chef learns your kitchen, your family's tastes, and what the kids will and won't eat.
On each day, the chef shops for fresh ingredients, arrives in the afternoon, cooks dinner, and leaves the kitchen clean. Many families ask the chef to cook a little extra so there's something good for the next day's lunch, which stretches the value of each visit.
The menu is planned with you in advance. You tell us what you love, what you avoid, and any health goals. Low carb, high protein, more vegetables for the kids, less salt for a parent, all of it gets built in.
What a part-time private chef costs in Singapore
Here are our actual numbers, not a range designed to get you on the phone:
- 3 days a week: around SGD 6,000 per month
- Trial day: SGD 400 per day
- Food cost and transport are excluded and billed separately, at cost
For comparison, a full-time private chef with us is SGD 10,500 to 12,000 per month depending on household size and the chef's background. You can read the full breakdown in our private chef cost guide.
Food cost is billed weekly with receipts, so you only ever pay for what's actually bought for your meals. No markup, no surprises.
Having a few extra guests over? For up to 8 people, you only cover the extra food. Above 8, we add SGD 200 for an assistant so the chef isn't cooking and serving alone.
Why part-time isn't just "half a full-time chef"
People sometimes ask why three days isn't simply 60% of the full-time price. It's a fair question.
The honest answer is that a good chef's time on your days isn't only the cooking. There's menu planning, shopping, travel, and the fact that the chef is committing a fixed part of their week to your household. Good chefs are in demand, and part-time schedules need to work for them too.
That's also why part-time depends on having the right chef available for it. Not every chef in our network wants a part-time arrangement, so we match you with one who does, and who suits your family.
Start with a trial
We never ask anyone to sign a long-term contract blind. Every placement starts with a trial: either a single day, or a full week.
A single day tells you if you like the food. A week tells you much more: how the chef fits into your home, how they handle feedback, whether the kids are actually eating. For part-time, I usually suggest the one-week trial. You'll know by Friday.
If the trial goes well for both sides, we agree the long-term arrangement. If it doesn't, we try a different chef. No drama.
What to think about before you call us
- Which days? Pick the nights that are hardest for your household.
- Dinner only, or lunch too? Most part-time clients start with dinners.
- How many people? Including kids, and anyone with dietary restrictions.
- Your kitchen. Chefs can work in almost any kitchen, but it helps to know the setup.
- Your goals. Healthier eating, less time thinking about food, better family dinners. Tell us what success looks like.
The bottom line
You don't need a chef every day to eat like you have one. For a lot of Singapore families, two or three proper home-cooked dinners a week changes the whole rhythm of the household, without the commitment of full-time.
If that sounds like your home, tell us a little about your family and we'll find the right chef for it.
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Le Petit Marché is Singapore's private chef concierge agency, founded by Chef Nicolas Reynard and Kai. We match families, family offices, and private offices with chefs we've trained, vetted, and genuinely stand behind.
