For chefs
The Institute of Private Chefs
Private chef work is not just cooking. It is trust, discretion, timing, sourcing, service and knowing how to operate inside someone's private world. Most culinary schools never teach it. The Institute of Private Chefs, led by Chef Michael Giletto, closes that gap.
For cooks, culinary students and working chefs serious about entering the private chef world. Not a recipe channel. The community is free to join; the flagship course, Private Chef Foundations, is a one-time purchase of $295 inside it.
Your instructor
Thirty years inside private homes
Michael Giletto is the founder of Indulge Bespoke Private Chefs, a James Beard House cook and Food Network contributor, with more than thirty years cooking in private homes, luxury estates, jets, yachts, country clubs, hotels and vineyards for some of the most demanding clients in the country.
He built the Institute because no one teaches what private chef work actually looks like from the inside. Not culinary school. Not YouTube. It is the community he wishes had existed when he was coming up.
What's inside
Learn the standards. Do the work.
- Private Chef Foundations, the flagship course, with one-time access
- Private home etiquette and UHNW client standards
- Menus, sourcing and farm-to-table systems
- Business, branding and referral strategy
- Quizzes and a certificate of completion
- A community of cooks, culinary students and working chefs, with Michael in it
Sixty-two members and counting.
The flagship course
Private Chef Foundations: how to enter the private chef world
A private chef is entrusted with curating bespoke dining experiences for distinguished clients, operating with autonomy over everything from sourcing premium seasonal ingredients and menu engineering to execution, plating and personalized service. Foundations teaches that whole job, not just the cooking.
Start here: Welcome to Private Chef Foundations · How to use this course · Who this course is for · Completion and certificate path
Private chef world and career path
Safety, sanitation and liability basics
Private home etiquette and client trust
Sourcing vendors and quality ingredients
Hamptons farm-to-table sourcing system
Menus, prep and private service flow
In production
Business, compset and referral strategy
In production
Chef brand, media and self-promotion
In production
Final quiz, certificate and next steps
In production
Every lesson ends with a real-world standard, a common mistake, an action step and quiz questions. Finish the course and the final quiz for a certificate of completion. One-time purchase, $295, inside the community.
Private Chef Foundations
$295 one time, yours for good
- Private Chef Foundations, the flagship course, with one-time access
- Private home etiquette and UHNW client standards
- Menus, sourcing and farm-to-table systems
- Business, branding and referral strategy
- Quizzes and a certificate of completion
- A community of cooks, culinary students and working chefs, with Michael in it
The course lives in the Institute's community on Skool. You create a free account, then unlock Foundations from the course page.
How it works
From cook to private chef
- 01
Join the community
The Institute of Private Chefs lives on Skool. Joining is free and takes a minute.
- 02
Introduce yourself
Tell Michael where you are now and what you want to build. He reads every introduction.
- 03
Enroll in Foundations
The flagship course sits in the Classroom tab. Enrollment is a one-time purchase of $295; once you are in, you have it for good.
- 04
Do the work
Lessons, quizzes, menus and sourcing tools from Michael's own practice, and live cooking sessions from time to time.
Questions
Questions from chefs
What is the Indulge Institute?
The Institute of Private Chefs is Chef Michael Giletto's online community and course for cooks, culinary students and working chefs who want to enter private chef work. The flagship course, Private Chef Foundations, covers the career path, safety and liability, private home etiquette and client trust, sourcing, menus and service flow, business and referrals, and chef branding, with quizzes and a certificate. The community is free to join on Skool and Foundations is a one-time purchase of $295; the Institute page explains how to join.
How do chefs join Indulge?
Chefs join Indulge by applying through the Indulge Private Chefs app on iPhone. The application asks about your culinary training, the cuisines you cook at a professional level and your experience, and the Indulge team reviews every application before a chef can take bookings. Approved chefs build a profile with menus and photos that clients see in the app.
Ready when you are.
Coming next
More from the Institute
Wine, catering, yacht and hospitality programs are planned, including an event planning course led by Dominique Donofrio.
Ready to become private-chef ready?
Join the Institute of Private Chefs and start with Foundations.