What If the Slow Season Isn’t Slow? A Chef’s Perspective on Planting in Summer.
In the private chef world, summer is often labeled as the slow season.
Clients travel. School is out. Schedules are irregular. The rhythm of events and dinner parties shifts and so do our revenue forecasts. And while many chefs brace for this time of year with a sense of dread or survival mode, I’ve come to see it differently.
Around here, we call it Seeding Season.
The Gift of the “Off” Season
If spring is for blossoming and fall is for harvesting, then summer—at least in this business—is for pausing, reflecting, and planting the seeds that will bear fruit in the season ahead.
As a private chef who works with hosts across Austin and the Texas Hill Country, I’ve noticed a truth that applies as much to our industry as it does to our clients: rest is productive. Visioning is vital. And sustainability doesn’t grow from busy; it grows from alignment.
During the summer months, our tables may be set less often but behind the scenes, we’re refining, planning, and preparing for what’s next. We listen to what our clients need. We revisit what’s working and what isn’t. We evolve.
Slowness Isn’t the Enemy—Misalignment Is
I’ve worked through summers where I panicked and hustled to fill the calendar. But, I’ve learned to work through summer with pause paired with purpose. The latter not only helped me protect my energy, it gave me a stronger foundation when fall bookings began again.
There’s a quiet power in allowing your business to breathe without abandoning it.
This summer, we’re:
Simplifying our dinner party offerings to better reflect how our hosts live and gather
Training and investing in our team so we can serve more homes, more thoughtfully
Creating new menus with the season ahead in mind
Preparing to launch a refreshed website that better tells the story of what we do
None of that happens when we’re in constant execution mode. It happens in the quiet. In the margin. In the moments of strategic clarity we can only find when we allow space for them.
For Chefs: Summer Seeding Season is the Strategy Season
If you’re a private or personal chef reading this, I want to offer an invitation: what if this “slow” season is your most strategic?
What if instead of fearing fewer bookings, you asked:
What needs to be cleaned up in my process?
What ideas have been waiting patiently on the back burner?
What am I saying yes to that’s no longer aligned with the business I want to build?
Who am I becoming and is my business structure built to support her/him?
We need more chef-owned businesses built on vision, not just hustle.
We need more hospitality professionals who understand that serving well starts with building sustainably.
And we need more voices in this space redefining success not as constant busyness, but as meaningful, profitable, fulfilling work that leaves room for a life.
What I'm Planting
Personally? I’m planting the seeds for a new chapter, not just in my business, but in how I support others in this field.
This post is one of those seeds.
I’m dreaming up a coaching program for chefs who want to grow their private chef businesses with intention. Something built for the creatives, the nurturers, the detail-obsessed who want to run a business rooted in connection and excellence—not burnout.
If you’re a chef who’s been craving more alignment, I’d love to hear from you.
And if you’re a client or host who’s been wondering what we’re up to this time of year, know that while the kitchen may be quieter, the vision is alive and well.
We’re just planting.
And we can't wait to gather again soon.
