What is the difference a personal/private Chef and a caterer?

In general many people tend to think Personal Chefs are Caterers.  They both make food and serve to clients so what is actually the difference?

A personal chef will design a customized menu for you and your group based on a specific event or occasion, taking in consideration dietary needs and desires. The personal chef will then shop specifically for your meal and cook and execute on site in your home for your enjoyment. A personal chef can also arrange for service to bring the restaurant experience to your own home. This can be a one time event or over several days, for example, during a vacation where a house is rented in a tropical paradise like Hawaii, and clients don’t want to deal with the mundane details of shopping and cooking everyday. Chef prepared Meals in that case can range from dinner only to Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A personal chef  bases themselves in your home or vacation rental and takes pride in quality versus quantity; services include in home dinner parties, cooking lessons or other special get together usually one time shots but Personal Chefs will pride themselves on their repeat happy clientele.

A private Chef would normally work for one specific client full or part time, but can have also an handful of returning discerning clients for whom the private chef would accommodate for any length of time.

Both Private and Personal Chefs are well versed in International cuisine and their menus are broad and tailored to the client.

Caterers usually include a large team of chefs/cooks/event planner who prepare food for larger parties/events off-site, usually in a licensed kitchen, and transport the prepared food to the event site. Because they cook in such large quantities, their menus can be restricted.