The Organic Personal Chef – Year 2015
THE YEAR IN BRIEF
This year, in short:
- The work remained solid, but internal questions grew louder
- Energy, not demand, became the limiting factor
- The defining characteristic was reckoning — with fatigue, gratitude, and wanting more
THE FOOD WORLD AT THE TIME 2015
- 🥗 Wellness becomes an industry
- 🧑🍳 Chefs talk about burnout openly
- 📱 Instagram is now a business tool
- 🍽 Dining out feels transactional
- 🛒 Meal kits enter the market
- 📦 Weekly meal prep feels normal
- 🧠 Structure beats spontaneity
- 💼 Portfolio careers gain respect
- 📞 Clients expect professionalism
- 🧾 Packages > hourly
- 📊 Systems create confidence
- 🍳 Home kitchens outperform restaurants
- 🌱 Personal chefs feel viable, not risky
- 🔍 Niches drive referrals
- ⏳ Time freedom becomes aspirational
OUR REALITY THAT YEAR
2015 was the year the questions returned — not out of crisis, but out of honesty.
There were moments of saying yes when no would have been wiser. Of not charging enough, even when the value was clear. None of this came from insecurity — it came from familiarity. The work was comfortable enough to be taken slightly for granted.
Fatigue was present in layers. The first tiredness came with pride. The second lingered longer than expected. Then came the serious realization: this pace carried injury risk. That was the line. Recovery days stopped being optional. They became a mandatory business strategy. Not rest as reward — rest as requirement.
Emotionally, the year held contradictions. Being exhausted while still grateful. Feeling guilty for wanting more when the work was already “good.” Feeling caught between growth and comfort — not knowing which direction was truer. Wanting simplicity again, not because things were broken, but because they were full.
And then, the grounding moments.
The cat finally ignored you — the surest sign of acceptance.
A client’s kid told Vanda she made delicious food — unprompted, unquestioned.
A story surfaced that explained a preference you’d never needed to challenge again.
Those details carried more weight than metrics ever could.
There was pleasure in silence while food cooked. No need to fill the space. No pressure to optimize the moment. Just presence.
This was not a year of decisions. It was a year of listening. Of noticing where energy went — and where it didn’t return. Of allowing desire to exist without immediately acting on it.
By the end of the year, nothing had changed structurally.
But internally, something had been named.
And that mattered.
WHAT THIS YEAR TAUGHT US
Looking back, this year showed us that wanting more doesn’t mean rejecting what exists, it means listening carefully to energy, limits, and desire.
WHERE THIS YEAR FITS IN THE CAREER
This year belonged to the Established Years, the phase where sustainability requires honest self-assessment, not just strong systems.
