"We asked cooks from a restaurant to make the Lunar New Year's Eve dinner at our home this year. It avoided the trouble of cooking by ourselves and at the same time maintained the reunion atmosphere," Beijing resident Li Jianyuan said, adding that the menu was customized for the family.

According to Chen Chenghua, head of a Beijing-based private company, personal chef services have become a popular option for business dinners as they allow for more privacy and choices of dining places.

"Our customers can choose the cooks they like and change the menu to suit their needs," said Lin Xiao, the manager of a restaurant providing the service.

"It's hard for the restaurants in Beijing to make large profits only by selling ordinary dishes. Personalized catering services help increase our profits without affecting daily operation," said the manager of a restaurant on Jianguo Road in Beijing.

Working outside of restaurants is also welcomed by some cooks. Liu Jianjun, a chef for a three-star restaurant in Beijing, said that he can earn extra income ranging from 4,000 to 5,000 yuan per month if he takes personalized orders.

"The cost of making four dishes and a soup is 158 yuan when the ingredients are prepared by the customer, and the working hours are quite flexible," he said.

However, there is a growing concern over food safety related to the service. "We have strict sterilization and cooking procedures in our own kitchens, which probably can't be ensured outside. This means that it's difficult to decide which party should be held accountable for any possible food safety violations," Lin Xiao said.

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