Chef Mimi Lan is a personal chef who works hard to ensure every detail is correct.
What does a personal chef do exactly, and what kind of clients use your service?
Most of my clients are sophisticated, well-traveled and have eaten at Michelin-starred restaurants. They’re not impressed by smoke and mirrors but appreciate high-quality ingredients and good food done well.
Having said that, they’re still looking for something more special than simply going out to eat: a customized menu that accommodates the tastes and dietary needs of the group, with a food theme and thoughtful details. Some prefer a simple, elegant dinner, while others want an experiential dining experience.
To make it more memorable, I may add unexpected touches such as curated salt samplers, warm compressed hand towels or tableside liquid nitrogen presentations. I may also incorporate unique ceramics or handcrafted wooden vessels from my personal collection to complement a dish or tell its story. My clients appreciate dinnerware as an extension of the dish and can enhance the entire immersive dining experience.
What kind of expectations do your clients have when hiring a personal chef, besides a well-executed dinner?
For a high-level private dinner, food is important, but it’s not everything. Presentation, plating, ambiance and service all matter. So do attitude, problem-solving, communication and how you carry yourself. Discretion is extremely important; they’re inviting you into their sanctuary. Treat their home, kitchen, appliances and belongings with the same care as you would your own. Your appearance should be polished without being overly done. You need to have impeccable manners, always be respectful and know where the line is. (You’re there to do a great job, not to join the party, no matter how friendly they are.) And above all, you need to be dependable, every single time.
I once twisted my ankle running down the stairs the night before a private dinner, in the middle of prepping. The pain was intense, but the 20-minute breaks and icing while finishing prepping helped. The injury slowed me down so much that I ended up working all night just to get everything packed and ready to arrive at their home at 8 a.m. the next morning for an 11 a.m. lunch.
The next day, I took some ibuprofen, wrapped my ankle, showed up and executed the job flawlessly. It took two weeks of wearing an ankle brace before it was healed. But I did what I had to do because last-minute canceling is never an option. I don’t think my client ever knew what had happened the night before their event.
That’s really the point. Clients aren’t supposed to see the pain, stress or scrambling that may happen behind the scenes; they’re supposed to see a successful result without you bringing any drama to their event.
What kind of menu do you offer to your clients?
I’ve traveled the world, and everywhere I’ve been, I always tried to learn a couple of favorite dishes from those places. I’m constantly experimenting and developing new dishes. I’m not trying to be everything to everybody. But throughout the years, I now have over 200 menu items and eight menu themes in my repertoire: French, Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, Latin American, Cajun, Southern and Vegetarian/Vegan.
Can you give me examples of some of your dishes?
I can do classic familiars to global influenced dishes. Some of my clients’ favorites are: Nobuinspired cod, seared foie gras in fluffy house-made bao, my signature bone marrow & veggie dumplings, jumbo lump crab noodle, roast duck wrapped in Mandarin pancake, croqueta de jamón Serrano, cavatelli oxtail ragu, risotto alla Milanese with scallops, crab beignet, escargots, trout amadine, tri-peppers cacio e Pepe, Mayport shrimp & grits, Lebanese lamb shank with saffron basmati, seafood or vegan paella.
Why did you choose to become a personal chef rather than work in a commercial kitchen?
I work extremely hard during those few weeks before my private dinner. But I get to interact directly with my clients, be as creative as I want when collaborating on a menu, support local farmers and artisans and work whenever I want with whomever I want.
During our initial phone call, if I feel we’re not the right fit, I’d rather be upfront about it. I’m lucky that I have loved working with every single one of my clients.
Cooking is more than a profession for me; it’s more like a calling. I take pride and joy in what I do. I want to create a dining experience that resonates long after the dinner, tell the stories and history behind each dish, and be intentional about every menu. Throughout this intimate process, friendships might develop, which is always icing on the cake.
It’s obvious you love what you do. What don’t you love about it?
Great question. I’m not a perfectionist but I do value excellence. I’m extremely detail-oriented and have high standards. That makes it really difficult to find a staff who understand that everything they do is a reflection on me. It has taken me a while to find and train my staff, but I’m very proud of who are on my team now.
What advice would you give to young chefs who want to become better cooks?
Many young chefs start their careers working their way up from the bottom in restaurants; they work so hard with long hours. But find the time to experiment in your own kitchen, try out recipes, make mistakes, learn how to develop flavors and work with different ingredients and seasonings. A skilled chef doesn’t just cook the restaurant’s food well; they need to be able to cook other dishes well, too. And that can only come from practice.
Stage at restaurants you admire, travel and eat as many different dishes as you can. Taste everything. Traveling will open your eyes to different flavors and cultures, and that’s how you’ll find inspiration and your own cooking style.
What is your cooking background and how did you start your career?
I started my cooking career late in life. I used to run an award-winning, full-service boutique marketing agency in Houston, but after moving to Jacksonville for my husband’s job, I became a full-time mom. Those years gave me the opportunity to cook every day and experiment the most in my kitchen.
After our daughter went off to college, I decided to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a chef. Since I already knew how to cook many different dishes well and was starting out in my 40s, I didn’t want to go to culinary school. Instead, I started doing multi-course pop-up dinners with wine pairings, and tickets sold out for 50-plus people right off the bat.
That gave me the confidence to apply for stages (industry term for apprenticeships) at two of the most respected Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. I was thrilled when they accepted me, and off I went to NYC for a short stage at Per Se, then to Bangkok on a scholarship to stage at Gaggan’s for two months.
They were some of the hardest and most humbling experiences I’ve ever had, but I’m grateful for the lessons I learned and proud of myself for finishing them.
My path is not conventional, but there are so many different ways to become a chef nowadays.
What are your contributions to the culinary world?
I’m here to share my culture, from dishes I grew up eating, and global dishes I discovered throughout my travels as an adult; to support other culinary women; to inspire other chefs to create their own path; and to inspire women my age to go after their passion.
It’s never too late to reinvent yourself or start a new career. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And always hold the ladder for others to climb up after you did.
How can folks get in touch with you?
My website TasteCurator.com has all the info about my personal chef service. My IG @TheTasteCurator has lots of visuals of my food. Send me a DM there or email me mimi@tastecurator.com. Thank you so much!
