Oprah Winfrey has one. So does the Queen of England. Some movie stars will not travel without theirs. No, not personal trainers or hairdressers, but their own chef.
These personal cooks are not found only in homes; many of the larger corporations have their own kitchen staff, as does the diplomatic corps.
Victoria Thomas oversees the boardroom-cum-dining room at Price Waterhouse at the top of Prince's Building. She loves being her own boss, arranging her own schedules and constantly inventing new menus: there's a choice of six starters, soups, fish, poultry or meat main courses and desserts every month. She shops in the markets for fresh ingredients, returns to her kitchen, dons her chef's garb and begins to prepare the lunches. Occasionally there may be a special dinner or cocktail party.
Of course Ms Thomas faces the challenge of getting all the dishes out in unison and at the same temperature. But, with two assistants and two waiters to help, it all works like a charm.
She came from England with no idea where she would find work. But her pal, Liz Seaton - a private chef for another large company in the same building - thought Ms Thomas had the perfect resume for the job: three years at hotel management school, a stint at the Cordon Bleu, time spent whipping up gourmet goodies in French chateaux, Swiss chalets and posh shooting lodges in Scotland.
Ms Thomas has her ambitions: 'One day I'd like to have my own cookery school. But for the moment I'm staying as long as they'll have me. I really couldn't be happier. I'm a lucky lady.' Equally delighted at being the 'boardroom chef' for the 'largest law firm in Hong Kong' is Ms Seaton. A diminutive Scot, she left her hometown after years of training in a hotel that had been feeding guests for more than 11 centuries. She was the only female on a staff of 17.
