Private Chefs, Inc.
310-278-4707 (Beverly Hills), 800-921-2433 (New York), 561-582-6810 (Palm Beach), 44-208-908-4472 (London), www.privatechefsinc.com
The predominant chef-placement agency in the U.S., Private Chefs has a roster of 2,300 chefs around the world, all with at least eight years of professional experience. Clients include Bill Gates, Queen Elizabeth II, the royal family of Saudi Arabia, Rupert Murdoch, Google executives, and Ralph Lauren.

American Personal & Private Chef Association
800-644-8389, www.personalchef.com
Founded for and by experienced chefs, A.P.P.C.A. includes placement service for 3,500 private and personal professional chefs—no students. They have placed chefs for vice presidents of Oracle, American Express executives, ranking Navy admirals and Army generals, the C.F.O. of AstraZeneca, a former governor of Michigan, and Redskins coach and Nascar team owner Joe Gibbs.

Le Cordon Bleu
33-153-68-22-50 www.cordonbleu.edu
This grande dame of culinary schools has its original location in Paris and 29 additional schools in 15 countries. Potential employers are advised to call branch schools directly (or the original school in Paris), where administrators can set them up with students and alumni with appropriate skills. Clients include executives from a wide variety of industries, politicians, diplomats, and royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II. It was also accredited by the Pentagon after World War II to train G.I.’s.

Johnson & Wales University
401-342-4611, www.jwu.edu
The placement program includes job ads on the alumni website, but career coordinators use the alumni network and word of mouth to personally arrange interviews for special placements. Employers of graduates include the White House (which was looking for an executive sous chef and a pastry chef), Gwyneth Paltrow, Lucy Liu, Shaquille O’Neal, the Shriver family, and Cleveland Browns owner Randolph Lerner, as well as a number of New York law firms.

Institut Paul Bocuse Hôtellerie & Arts Culinaires
33-472-18-02-20, www.institutpaulbocuse.com
Situated in a castle outside Lyon, France, this school offers only advanced training in culinary arts. Potential employers are advised to contact the placement program, which gives students training in top-end restaurants around the world. An increasing number of graduates have been placed as private chefs to wealthy Middle Eastern families.

The French Culinary Institute
646-254-8505, www.frenchculinary.com
This New York school focuses on classic French techniques and has a placement coordinator who will personally find the right alumni or students for special placements. Clients include executives in the real estate, investment banking, entertainment, and oil industries.