Private Chef William Turner began his entrepreneurial journey “hanging on to the wing of a rocket ship as the rocket took off.”
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After various travels and adventures, Turner found himself planted in the Southwest with a curious mind backed by an insatiable talent for crafting delicious and memorable cuisine, topped with an infectiously entertaining personality.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was in between jobs, doing seasonal cheffing and I was burnt out from the road,” he says. “I came [to Arizona] and I was here for a very short period of time and quickly figured out, ‘My God; this is where I want to be.’”
Not only did Turner find his place, he found his passion — one that has payed off in dividends.
Rocket success
Once his private chef concept was solidified, Turner held even more tightly to the rocket as his business ascended at record speed.
“I built my first website, linked everything to Yelp and Google, and learned how to do it all watching YouTube videos,” Turner says.
The day after his site went live, he booked his first client.
“We did around $100,000 worth of business,” Turner explains. “That was December of 2018.”
It didn’t take Turner long to propel his private cheffing business into a lucrative enterprise. Now, almost a decade later doing business throughout the Valley (and country), Turner has earned a reputation not only for the exquisite cuisine he crafts but also for the quality and unique experiences that go with it.
“I do a ton of bachelorette parties,” Turner says. “I’ve done over a thousand. We have a really good team and we have fun.”
In fact, a bride-to-be and her bridal party have been known to invite Chef to pop bottles of Champagne and dance by the pool.
Turner’s success in the bachelorette realm led to the creation of The Bach Chef, a catering experience that pairs the best private chefs with bridal parties to cultivate the dream “bach” party.
But at the heart of all Turner does, is the food.
“I came [to Arizona] and I was here for a very short period of time and quickly figured out, ‘My God; this is where I want to be.’”
Chef william turner
You can take the chef out of the South, but not the South out of the chef
Turner, who hails from South Carolina — and has that lovely southern drawl hanging on for dear life — has held tightly to the traditional dishes and culture he grew up with.
“My mom tells stories of when she would start cooking dinner back in the South,” he says. “It was a massive production. She said my dad had to take me outside because I would be right in the kitchen just trying to grab food because I loved it that much.”
As he got older, a desire for satiating his appetite was accompanied by the drive to create.
“When I was eight or nine, I was putting potato chips on my sandwiches with hot sauce, cutting up pickles and making aioli,” he says. “I didn’t even know I was making aioli back then.”
Of course his palate and menu options are more refined now, but haven’t lost the charm and imagination from whence they came.
“I definitely brought my low country cuisine out here,” Turner notes. “We do a ton of shrimp and grits. I’m working for a client on a real southern dinner where we’re going to do fried chicken, collard greens and jambalaya with perlo rice. And my macaroni and cheese — it’s different and it’s freaking delicious!”
From the South to Southwest
In addition to his low-country cuisine, Turner has infused various other regions from his former nomadic life into his flavors, which includes cheffing in Charlotte, New Orleans, Montana, Colorado and California to name a few.
“We do a lot of Southwest fusion,” he says. “I’m often on the grill — I’d put my steaks up against anybody. You’re not going to get any better; I don’t care where you go.”
But really, Turner can make just about anything and everything his clients request, including accommodating particular dietary needs. He also travels nationally and internationally, recently catering for long-time clients on a yacht in Vancouver. His private chef adventures and expertise have also landed him on TV, podcasts, magazines and earned him various accolades (see below).
Coming up, Turner will host Phoenix Fashion Week’s VIP area, where attendees can delight in light bites curated by the chef himself — something he’s enjoyed doing for the last few years.
Dishing out entrepreneurial advice
As for passing on what he’s learned to new generations of private chefs and entrepreneurs at large, Turner is all about it.
“Perfection is the enemy of progress,” he says. “Get to 80%. Be a master of your craft. The more knowledge you have saves you more money and saves you more time. So I always suggest just being knowledgeable.”
To learn more about Chef Turner, visit chefwilliamturner.com.
Chef William Turner’s Recognitions, Praise and Certifications
Named Top Private Chef — Expertise
Member of Yelp Business Allstar
Named No.1 Private Chef in Phoenix — Phoenix Entrepreneur Magazine
Holds an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau
Rated 5 Stars on Yelp and Google
Top 20 Influencer — Phoenix Entrepreneur Magazine
Licensed and Insured
Serve Safe Certified since 1996
Frequent Guest on NBC Arizona Midday and AZTV In the Mix
Numerous other programs as well as dozens of magazines and online publications over 1000 parties served since January 2018
Soliesh Magazine