David Rosov

Executive Chef, David Rosov is the founder and owner of Palm Beach Personal Chefs. Chef David’s grandfather, a purveyor of a thriving butcher shop in the early 1940s, instilled in him an appreciation for the better things in life. His father’s cutting-edge refrigerated storage was also used to maintain high-quality ingredients on hand for delivery to cruise ships and crews passing through the local port.
From a young age, Chef David’s parents fostered in him a desire for richer, more exotic meals. As his parents taught him how to set tables and supply the bar at the family-owned fine dining establishment, The Saloon, sips of champagne and the aroma of caviar remained on Chef David’s palate. Chef David’s father ran The Saloon until his passing in 1981, after which Chef David and other family members carried on his father’s legacy until the restaurant closed in 1985. While still running the restaurant with his family, the Executive Chef of The Saloon began teaching a young Chef David the principles of classical French cooking in preparation for venturing off to culinary school.

In 1990, Chef David met Michelin-starred Chef Guillaume at L’Orangerie in Los Angeles. Chef David was given the distinction of staging in Paris for a year. A stagiaire, often known as a stage (pronounced “staahj”), is an unpaid kitchen intern. In Michelin-starred restaurants, these are highly sought-after positions where a chef can experiment with new techniques. Prior to the founding of culinary schools, this was the most popular method of schooling. Chefs at many of the world’s top restaurants attest that they get the majority of their personal inspiration from people they learned under, demonstrating that this is still a popular way of learning.

Chef David is now in a position to teach others the techniques he acquired while staging in the United States. His abilities and perception allow him to work in the television and motion picture catering industries in Hollywood. Victoria Principal, an actress, was his first client as a private chef. Chef David would subsequently go on to cook for a number of high-profile figures and American icons, including Barron Hilton, well-known athletes, politicians, and other wealthy individuals.

Chef David has received numerous awards and press coverage, including a photoshoot for chefs’ with the layout by Barron Hilton, being named LA’s Best Private Chef by Los Angeles Magazine in 1997, Mona Liza Dockwise magazine 2009, Nice, France, being featured in the LA Times and newspaper, being interviewed on talk shows such as KIEV radio, and being featured in cookbooks such as the book of chefs to celebrities by private chefs incorporated inc. Chef David has also worked with high-profile clients and on huge productions such as Will & Grace, Chrysler Motors commercials, Folger’s Coffee commercials featuring Wayne Gretzky, American Idol, MadTV, and Judge Judy.

With such a strong demand for Chef David’s private chef consulting services, forming Palm Beach Personal Chefs was a natural progression. Chef David’s company, among other high-end services, provides one-on-one, custom-delivered meal plans, personalized menus, gourmet food preparation for dinner parties, menu development, planning, purchasing, and estate management.

Where did the idea for Palm Beach Personal Chefs come from?

My whole childhood revolved around the industry, so I feel as though it was only natural that I was drawn to it. My first taste of caviar was at the age of 2. By thirteen, I was stocking the bar and at seventeen I was working in the kitchen with a form grasp on both the principles of French cuisine, but also restaurant management. As my skills developed, I found this niche of offering personalized services. My clients became enamored with my abilities to provide private, one-on-one consulting style. The services were to it was almost exclusively high end, high net worth clientele that were seeking my personal chef services and attention to detail, so it made sense to start Palm Beach Personal Chefs in order to expand my offerings.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My attention to detail has drawn me to having a personal touch to my cooking and my interactions with the clientele. I typically work directly with my clients. We’ll sit down and discuss everything. Getting to know my clients is a very complex process that I have developed over the years and perfected along the way. I get to know their needs inside and out so that I can predict and plan based on the personal needs of each client.

How do you bring ideas to life?

That’s easy; I usually start by observing what issues may be at hand and then brainstorming on how to solve them. From there, it’s all delegation of tasks followed up by quality control until our goals are reached; pretty simple really!

What’s one trend that excites you?

Meal delivery: I’ve been in the food industry for a very long time, and I can’t say that personal chefs to me were always this prevalent. It’s great when you’re traveling, ill, or just too busy to cook!

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I think the biggest habit I have is being attentive to my clients needs always follow through track record. I don’t leave anybody hanging and my known for humble approach.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Try not to overthink things! There’s no way you can do everything at once so just focus on what needs to get done in order to move forward day by day. Organization, timing, and planning ahead is more effective than trying to do everything at once.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I’m a firm believer of personal space and time, so I think it’s very important that businesses respect their employees’ personal lives.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I always try to plan ahead, whether it’s personal chef services or consulting. Always be two or three steps ahead rather than one. Flexibility is key in this business so being prepared is extremely beneficial for your clients and smooth operations.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Leveraging personal relationships has been a key factor in the growth and development of my missions statement and business because it allows me to get instant access to opportunities even when they can be hard to come by.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Don’t be afraid of failure!
As an entrepreneur every day is a new adventure, so you’ll never know all the ins and outs so it’s best to just give things your very best. If something doesn’t work out at least you’ll gain some valuable experience for next time!

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Mobile vending services- I think developing a larger business model around offering a mobile vending service would be a great idea. We come to you and serve gourmet sausages and New York style hot dogs at your kid’s birthday party for example.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Everyone should show appreciation to those that support them. I just gave a bonus to one of my assistants, so I would say that was my best $100 spent!

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Google Docs for sure has been an essential element especially when working with multiple clients simultaneously. Being able to collaborate on brainstorming ideas and share personal files is a lifesaver in this industry.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Kitchen Confidential or anything written by Anthony Bourdain, because they tell the behind the scenes of what a chef has to go through to be in this industry in including struggles with addictions and overcoming triumphantly.

What is your favorite quote?

“People who love to eat are always the best people.”-Julia Child.

Key Learnings:

• Plan ahead!
• Personal relationships are key
• Don’t be afraid to fail
• Leverage personal relationships to get access to opportunities that might otherwise not be available if personal information or accounts aren’t trusted with that person.