Inside the Life of a Private Chef for a High-Profile NBA Player, from $11k Grocery Trips to the 'Challenging' Part of the Job (Exclusive)

• Stephany Victoria started her career as a private chef in early 2019, although her passion for cooking began much earlier in life
• In October 2023, Victoria connected through an agency with an NBA player in Miami who was looking for a private chef in the home — a job she had never tried before
• In addition to creating menus, preparing meals and cooking, Victoria is also responsible for grocery shopping
• Since starting her client business a year ago, Victoria has continued to create content from her work on her TikTok and Instagram accounts, where she has amassed over 676,000 and 444,000 followers respectively.

Stephany Victoria wakes up every day at 8 am. Before she starts working as a private chef, she spends her mornings focusing on herself: going to the gym, showering, making breakfast, and running personal errands.

Originally from Queens, New York, Victoria began her career as a private chef in early 2019, although her passion for cooking began much earlier in life. She tells PEOPLE that while she always wanted to attend culinary school, she was already studying physical therapy as a teenager, and formal culinary education didn’t seem like the right move for her at the time.

Instead, Victoria, who goes by the name @stephanyvicx on social media, taught herself to cook, learning from Food Network shows and watching her grandmother and mother prepare traditional Dominican family recipes. “I just followed a lot of recipes online and would also experiment,” she says.

Stephany Victoria cuts an apple.

Stephanie Victoria

Eventually, Victoria, who is also a certified yoga instructor, started posting her food creations on social media, and several people reached out asking if she could make them a meal. This led her to her first client, a fashion influencer, for whom she began preparing and delivering meals.

Then, in October 2023, through the agency, Victoria connected with an NBA player in Miami who was looking for a private chef – something she had never done before. (It cannot reveal the identity of the player.)

“I did a two-week trial and they loved my food,” says Victoria, who moved to Florida for work. “After the trial, they decided to keep me, but they wanted to hire me privately. They didn’t want me to stay in [agency]which made me feel bad. But I said yes, and now I cook exclusively for the client in my business.”

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Stephany Victoria shows a close-up of the dish.

Diego Palomino

“During this job, I was nervous because my client is quite respectable and I didn’t know what to expect. I thought maybe they weren’t that friendly,” she adds. “But they’re actually very friendly and super cool. I really enjoy working for them. It’s been a really great experience.”

During her first month on the job, Victoria grilled a Thai-inspired dish, the Weeping Tiger Steak. But “that was the only time that ever happened,” she shares, adding, “they were very nice about it. They said, ‘The flavors were great. We just prefer our steak a little less cooked.’ And I said, ‘Okay, take note.’ ”

The night before a typical workday, Victoria spends time developing the menu. What she likes most about her clients is that they allow her full creative freedom, which she describes as a “chef’s dream”. Although it is natural, she avoids any ingredients that her client is allergic to or does not like.

Victoria doesn’t make breakfast for her client and their family — they prefer to keep it simple with eggs and fruit. Instead, when he comes to their house, he focuses on the meal by preparing a lunch that often consists of protein, salad and some vegetables. He always makes sure that there are homemade salad dressings in the fridge.

“The meals are very healthy, nutritious and delicious,” she says. “I cook with a holistic approach, using high-quality ingredients that are not only good for the body, but also visually appealing.”

Stephany Victoria holds the meat board.

Sous chef Bella

After preparing a meal for lunch, Victoria spends the rest of her time focusing on cooking a fresh dinner, which she says can sometimes be the most challenging part of her day.

“I have to make sure that after eating and preparing lunch, I have enough time for dinner,” she says. “I always like to make an appetizer, a main course, and then sometimes I make a dessert. I just have to make sure everything is ready on time. They like to have dinner around 6:15 or 6:30 p.m., so I have to make sure everything is ready by then . I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

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“Whenever it’s a game night here in the hometown, he’ll have dinner very late that night, around 11:30 p.m. or 12 a.m., when he gets back from his game,” she adds. “So I have to be there that night with dinner ready for him and his wife, who usually goes to the game.”

“I try to keep those meals light because it’s so late at night,” she adds. “So I just make sure it’s a lot of protein, a lot of vegetables, and I try to keep it pretty low carb so it’s easier on the stomach.”

Her schedule varies depending on whether her client is in town or away for a game. When he does go to the grocery store, he says he usually spends $300 to $500 each time, depending on the amount of food he needs. On working days, which is on average about 18 to 22 days a month, he regularly goes to the store.

“I know it sounds like a lot, but I’m not just feeding one person,” she says. “It’s my client, his wife, and sometimes they have dinner guests — friends, family or business partners. So I cook for them too.”

She adds that even though the client’s kitchen is equipped with brand new, state-of-the-art appliances, if she’s ever missing something she needs, she’ll ask her client’s assistant and they’ll get it for her.

“That’s the beauty of working with this client,” she says. “With other clients, I would tell them what I need, but I wouldn’t ask for too many things because it can be very expensive.”

Since starting her business, Victoria has continued to create content from her work on her TikTok and Instagram accounts, where she has amassed over 676,000 and 444,000 followers respectively.

Victoria adds that she asks her clients for permission before sharing any content; everything is fine with them until she shows them on camera.

“Reading the comments, I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback and support recently, which I love,” she says. “It really pushes me to keep making content. Sometimes I get some negative comments and it’s not the best feeling, but I try not to focus on the negative ones and just focus on the positives.”

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Stephany Victoria practices yoga.

Stephanie Victoria

On her days off, Victoria tries to cook a little bit herself. If he doesn’t have time for that, he’ll quickly put together something simple while he’s at his client’s house. “I take a little break to eat,” she says. “I’ll just throw a steak on the grill, maybe some veggies, or roast some salmon with some veggies and just have that quick for dinner.”

“I also like to relax,” she adds. “I love what I do, but it’s a lot of work and it can get a bit exhausting. So it’s great to just stay at home, relax. I still make sure to go to the gym. I also do yoga, which helps a lot. Recently I’ve been enjoying getting an IV for my health, so I took care of myself and only took care of things around the house, like cleaning and checking that everything was okay.”

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Source: HIS Education