• Stephany Victoria began her career as a private chef in early 2019, although her passion for cooking began much earlier in her life.
• In October 2023, through an agency, Victoria contacted an NBA player in Miami who was looking for an on-site private chef – a job she had never tried before.
• In addition to developing menus, preparing meals and cooking, Victoria is also responsible for grocery shopping.
• Since starting work at the client 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 a.m. Before starting her job as a private chef, she spends her mornings focusing on herself: going to the gym, showering, making breakfast and running her 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 her life. She tells PEOPLE that she had always wanted to attend culinary school, that she was already studying physical therapy when she was a teenager, and that pursuing formal culinary training didn’t seem like the right decision at the time.

Instead, Victoria, who passes by @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 was following a lot of recipes online and experimenting too,” she says.

Eventually, Victoria, who is also a certified yoga instructor, started posting her culinary creations on social media, and a few people asked if she could prepare meals for them. This led her to meet her first client, a fashion influencer, for whom she began preparing and delivering meals.

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

“I did a two-week trial and they loved my food,” says Victoria, who moved to Florida for the job. “After the trial, they decided to keep me, but they wanted to hire me privately. They didn’t want me to stay with (the agency), which I was happy with. But I said yes, and now I cook exclusively for the customer as part of my own business.

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“Coming into this role, I was nervous because my client is quite high-profile and I didn’t know what to expect. I thought maybe they wouldn’t be as friendly,” she adds . “But they’re actually really 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 overcooked a Thai-inspired dish, crying tiger steak. But “that’s the only time something like that happened,” she shares, adding, “they were very nice about it. They were like, ‘The flavors were great. We just prefer our steak a little less cooked.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, noted.’ “

The day before a typical work day, Victoria spends time developing a menu. What she loves most about her clients is that they give her complete creative freedom, which she describes as “a chef’s dream.” Of course, she is careful to avoid any ingredients that her client is allergic to or doesn’t like.

Victoria doesn’t prepare breakfast for her clients and their families: they prefer to keep it simple with eggs and fruit. Instead, when she arrives at their house, she focuses on preparing meals, which often consist of protein, salad and a few vegetables. She always makes sure to have homemade salad dressings in the fridge.

“The meals are very healthy, nutrient-dense 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.”

After cooking lunch, Victoria spends the rest of her time preparing fresh dinners, which she says can sometimes be the hardest part of her day.

“I need to make sure that after I make lunch, I have enough time to make dinner,” she says. “I always like to make a starter, a main course, and then some nights I make a dessert. So 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 have everything ready at that time. I don’t like to keep them waiting.”

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

“I try to keep these meals lighter because it’s very late at night and they go to bed shortly after,” she adds. “So I just make sure it’s high in protein, lots of vegetables, and I try to keep it pretty low in carbs just so it’s easier on the stomach before bed.”

His schedule varies depending on whether his client is in town or away for a game. When she goes to the grocery store, she says she typically spends between $300 and $500 each time, depending on how much food is needed. On the days she works, which averages about 18 to 22 days per month, she goes to the store regularly.

“I know it seems like a lot, but I don’t just feed one person,” she says. “She’s my client, his wife, and sometimes they have guests over for dinner: friends, family or business partners. So, I cook for them too. They also have a nanny, so I make sure that ‘There’s enough food for the nanny too.’

She adds that even if the client’s kitchen is equipped with brand-new, high-end appliances, if something she needs is missing, she will ask her client’s assistant, and they will get it for her.

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

Since starting her job, Victoria has continued to create content from her work on her TikTok And Instagram accounts, where she has gathered more than 676,000 and 444,000 subscribers respectively.

Victoria adds that before sharing content, she asked permission from her clients; they agree as long as she doesn’t show them on camera.

“Reading the comments, I’ve received a lot of good feedback and support recently, which I love,” she says. “It really pushes me to keep creating content. There are times when I get negative comments, and it’s not the best feeling, but I try not to focus on the negatives and focus only on the positive.”

On her days off, Victoria also tries to do some meal prep for herself. If she doesn’t have time to do this, she will quickly prepare something simple at her client’s house. “I’m taking a little break to eat,” she says. “I’ll just throw a steak on the grill, maybe some veggies, or cook a salmon with veggies and eat it quickly for dinner.”

“I also like to relax,” she adds. “I love what I do, but it takes a lot of work and can get a little exhausting. So it’s great to be able to stay at home and relax. I always make sure to go to the gym. I practice also yoga, which It helps a lot I’ve also recently been enjoying getting IV drips for my health, so lots of self care and just taking care of things around the house like cleaning and making sure. that everything is in order.