Kitchen wizards establish on-demand careers

She now offers services within a 10-kilometer radius on weekends and during school breaks. Before each visit, she discusses food preferences with her clients and asks them to supply ingredients and seasonings. After preparing the meals, she tidies up, washes the dishes, and even takes out the trash for her clients.

Ding receives 80-100 yuan for a typical order of three dishes and a soup. Most of her clients, she notes, are young people juggling hectic schedules. One repeat customer, a 30-year-old office worker, has hired her more than 30 times. "The customer and her husband are too busy to cook," Ding explains.

Statistics show that China's busy urban workers have long relied on the country's sprawling food delivery sector, which employs over 10 million couriers, but Ding's case reflects a consumption upgrade, with a sizable number of urbanites willing to dig deeper into their pockets for healthier and bespoke alternatives.

Li Xiaoyang, a 30-year-old from Wuhan, says this novel service has become essential for him.

"Having someone cook for you means personalized dishes, better hygiene and a more relaxed atmosphere, whether it's a family dinner or a classmate reunion," Li says.

Hu Quanyu, founder of Chef51, an on-demand platform that connects professional chefs with customers, says the service now operates in over 50 cities nationwide and partners with more than 1,500 chefs.