by Margaret Shakespeare
Illustration by Buddy Hickerson


Every Thanksgiving the movers sweep into Elizabeth Taylor's mansion in Beverly Hills and whisk the furniture out of the living room to make way for a square table that seats 35. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Neil Zevnik preps the turkey for roasting and cooks the broccoli, cauliflower, creamed onions, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, brussels sprouts, French green beans, and, of course, pumpkin pie, pumpkin-pecan cheesecake, mincemeat pies, and something chocolate.

"Thanksgiving is the holiday of the year for her and her family," Zevnik says of the legendary movie star. And as her private chef, one who reads and responds to her food moods daily, he is the linchpin behind the scenes that makes every detail of this dinner exactly what Taylor desires. "The menu tends to be the same-traditional. And we set up the food buffet-style because Elizabeth thinks her guests should have exactly what they want on their plates when they sit down at the table to eat."

A top professional in the growing field of private chefs, Zevnik has been feeding his sophisticated client, who has traveled everywhere and tasted it all, in her home for six years. The demands of the job are far more than skill with a grill and fresh fillet of salmon. In fact, of all household employees, no one likely performs a more intimate service on a regular basis than the person who thinks about your meals, prepares them, and, often, serves them to you.

"It used to be people wanted personal trainers. Now everybody wants a private chef," says Christian Paier, a live-in chef for a Los Angeles movie producer. Austrian by birth and training, Paier latched onto this trend quite early and four years ago opened Private Chefs, Inc., an agency devoted exclusively to placing professional personal chefs. Besides Hollywood denizens, his international clientele base includes royalty, rock bands, corporate executives, and sports stars. "Many come to me just wanting to eat better, healthier," he says of the matchmaking process. "I'll start out by trying to get a feel for your lifestyle. You might be spending more time with your chef than your spouse, so, besides a sample tasting, there has to be a certain comfort level for the client, and the chef."

The recipe for hiring a private chef boils down to the essential ingredients of personality, trust, and flexibility. When Cher wanted a spa cuisine expert nine years ago, she interviewed Andy Ennis, who says it was their complementary personalities that made his work situation click. "I went to her house [to cook some sample meals] and we just hit it off." So much so, in fact, that Ennis has helped design and outfit kitchens in several of her homes and has written a cookbook (Cooking for Cher, Fireside, 1997) with her input and blessing. Formerly a vegetarian, now Cher likes the strong flavors of ethnic dishes and pays close attention to nutritional analysis. "I try to keep her protein intake up," says Ennis. "And I make sure she has healthy snacks-little bags of fruit, roasted almonds, dried cherries-to take along in the car when she's out for the day." Since his job can include extended travel, he keeps a steamer trunk packed with cooking equipment at the ready. "I even make her facial mask when she goes on the road because I'm the only one who gets the consistency she likes."

Although Ennis says he is treated like one of the family, chef Ron Smoire and his employer, record industry executive David Geffen, have established a more businesslike relationship and routine. "Based on what's fresh in the market, I plan a menu and fax it over each morning," says Smoire, who cooks small lunches or dinner parties, usually for business associates. "He knows good food and has a respect for what I do and will sometimes call afterward to say 'Great meal, we loved it.' You need that kind of feedback."



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