These workers can make $100 an hour or more at their Hamptons summer gigs
Marc Weiss, a private chef and DJ, works a bachelorette party in Montauk. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
Many of the region's 15,000 seasonal summer workers earn relatively low wages, but for some with special skills, the next three months will be especially lucrative. Meet three Long Islanders who can earn $100 an hour or more, catering primarily to Hamptons and Montauk vacationers.
Jessica Taccone, East Hampton
Job: Private chef
Pay: Industry average is $55 to $175 an hour
“Summer is easily 75% of my income,” private chef Jessica Taccone said.
Taccone, 47, of East Hampton, has been a chef for 15 years — 12 of them working for private clients. She also works year-round as food production manager at South Fork Bakery in Amagansett, a nonprofit commercial baking operation that hires adults with disabilities, and sells vegan burgers through her line The Complete Burger.
She said the summer season has only become a bigger source of income for her over the years.
“The summer is a make or break, especially in the private chef industry out here,” Taccone said. “If you’re good at what you do, out here there’s a ton of money on the table.”
While rates vary due to the nature of a private event, the experience of the chef, or the number of diners in attendance, Taccone said private chefs during the summer can earn “anywhere from $55 an hour to $175 an hour.”
The work does come with challenges, though, she said, like scheduling, long commutes to the East End, and more recently, the rising cost of ingredients.
Rates paid private chefs also go toward paying for raw ingredients and transportation expenses, she said.
The majority of her clients are Long Islanders or visitors to the East End looking to host private family dinners without having to worry about cooking.
Taccone said the flexibility of freelancing makes the challenges worth it. “I definitely prefer working for myself and having that freedom as opposed to being under someone’s thumb,” she said. While her time in restaurants “was definitely a valuable experience and gave me the skills I have today, I don’t think I would ever go back.”
Alyson Follenius, East Hampton
Job: Swim instructor
Pay: $100 to $200 per half-hour lesson
For the last two decades, Alyson Follenius has carved a seasonal niche for herself teaching locals, tourists and part-time Long Islanders how to swim.
“I got into it in my early 20s when I got certified and I’ve been teaching every single summer since,” said Follenius, 40, of East Hampton.
“There is a significant amount of money to be made with what I do during the summer season,” said Follenius, who teaches swimming for four to five months a year. She said the influx of Manhattanites with summer homes and tourists with long-term rentals means there is a constant revolving door of children in need of swimming and water safety lessons. The lessons usually take place at clients' private pools.
While it’s not her only gig — Follenius also works as a health coach and yoga instructor, and has a year-round job in local government — she said swim lessons account for up to a quarter of her annual earnings.
Rates can vary among instructors. Follenius said when she started 20 years ago, she charged around $60 for a 30-minute lesson. Over the years that price has more than doubled, with $100 to $200 being a pretty standard rate “across the board for the more experienced instructors out there.”
Even though the money is good, Follenius said what keeps her coming back is the sense of satisfaction she gets from helping turn children wary of the water into capable swimmers.
“I love what I do," she said. "I’m a 40-year-old woman who essentially gets paid to swim and teach in a pool with kids.”
Marc Weiss, Long Beach
Job: Party entertainer
Pay: Industry average is $175 per guest for chefs, and $1,500 base rate for weekend DJs
Being the life of the party might not sound like a sustainable business, but for Marc Weiss, a local entertainer and professional cook who goes by DJ Chef, it seems to be.
Weiss, who started as a disc jockey in Long Beach before becoming a classically trained chef, fills his days and evenings throughout the summer with visits to private gatherings, mostly bachelorette and birthday parties, spinning records and entertaining guests as he prepares meals.
What started out as a way to liven up corporate events in 2003 continued to grow, even landing him a winner’s spot — on Food Network’s "Cutthroat Kitchen."
“It just kept snowballing,” Weiss said.
Weiss said his culinary entertainment work, boosted largely by the East End’s booming summer population, brings in around six figures annually.
“Summertime, people like to celebrate,” he said. “Every day I have three party times. A day party, a pregame party, and a night party.”
Some summer weekends are so busy that he rents Airbnbs in Montauk or the Hamptons to fit in more events.
“It’s really a calendar game. You try to road map it out, so it physically works best,” Weiss said.
As for how he's able to balance the work of both feeding clients and keeping them dancing, Weiss said it all comes down to his culinary training.
“As a chef, you always have at least 10 things going on,” he said. “So changing the record is not a big task for me.”
Many of the region's 15,000 seasonal summer workers earn relatively low wages, but for some with special skills, the next three months will be especially lucrative. Meet three Long Islanders who can earn $100 an hour or more, catering primarily to Hamptons and Montauk vacationers.
Jessica Taccone, a private chef, shops for produce at the Amber Waves Market in Amagansett on Wednesday. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
'Money on the table'
Jessica Taccone, East Hampton
Job: Private chef
Pay: Industry average is $55 to $175 an hour
“Summer is easily 75% of my income,” private chef Jessica Taccone said.
Taccone, 47, of East Hampton, has been a chef for 15 years — 12 of them working for private clients. She also works year-round as food production manager at South Fork Bakery in Amagansett, a nonprofit commercial baking operation that hires adults with disabilities, and sells vegan burgers through her line The Complete Burger.
She said the summer season has only become a bigger source of income for her over the years.
“The summer is a make or break, especially in the private chef industry out here,” Taccone said. “If you’re good at what you do, out here there’s a ton of money on the table.”
While rates vary due to the nature of a private event, the experience of the chef, or the number of diners in attendance, Taccone said private chefs during the summer can earn “anywhere from $55 an hour to $175 an hour.”
The work does come with challenges, though, she said, like scheduling, long commutes to the East End, and more recently, the rising cost of ingredients.
Rates paid private chefs also go toward paying for raw ingredients and transportation expenses, she said.
The majority of her clients are Long Islanders or visitors to the East End looking to host private family dinners without having to worry about cooking.
Taccone said the flexibility of freelancing makes the challenges worth it. “I definitely prefer working for myself and having that freedom as opposed to being under someone’s thumb,” she said. While her time in restaurants “was definitely a valuable experience and gave me the skills I have today, I don’t think I would ever go back.”
Alyson Follenius, a private swim instructor, gives a lesson to Tristan Irace, 5, at his home in Sag Harbor. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
Getting 'paid to swim'
Alyson Follenius, East Hampton
Job: Swim instructor
Pay: $100 to $200 per half-hour lesson
For the last two decades, Alyson Follenius has carved a seasonal niche for herself teaching locals, tourists and part-time Long Islanders how to swim.
“I got into it in my early 20s when I got certified and I’ve been teaching every single summer since,” said Follenius, 40, of East Hampton.
“There is a significant amount of money to be made with what I do during the summer season,” said Follenius, who teaches swimming for four to five months a year. She said the influx of Manhattanites with summer homes and tourists with long-term rentals means there is a constant revolving door of children in need of swimming and water safety lessons. The lessons usually take place at clients' private pools.
While it’s not her only gig — Follenius also works as a health coach and yoga instructor, and has a year-round job in local government — she said swim lessons account for up to a quarter of her annual earnings.
Rates can vary among instructors. Follenius said when she started 20 years ago, she charged around $60 for a 30-minute lesson. Over the years that price has more than doubled, with $100 to $200 being a pretty standard rate “across the board for the more experienced instructors out there.”
Even though the money is good, Follenius said what keeps her coming back is the sense of satisfaction she gets from helping turn children wary of the water into capable swimmers.
“I love what I do," she said. "I’m a 40-year-old woman who essentially gets paid to swim and teach in a pool with kids.”
Marc Weiss, aka DJ Chef, cooks and spins records at a bachelorette party in Montauk. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
'It's a calendar game'
Marc Weiss, Long Beach
Job: Party entertainer
Pay: Industry average is $175 per guest for chefs, and $1,500 base rate for weekend DJs
Being the life of the party might not sound like a sustainable business, but for Marc Weiss, a local entertainer and professional cook who goes by DJ Chef, it seems to be.
Weiss, who started as a disc jockey in Long Beach before becoming a classically trained chef, fills his days and evenings throughout the summer with visits to private gatherings, mostly bachelorette and birthday parties, spinning records and entertaining guests as he prepares meals.
What started out as a way to liven up corporate events in 2003 continued to grow, even landing him a winner’s spot — on Food Network’s "Cutthroat Kitchen."
“It just kept snowballing,” Weiss said.
Weiss said his culinary entertainment work, boosted largely by the East End’s booming summer population, brings in around six figures annually.
“Summertime, people like to celebrate,” he said. “Every day I have three party times. A day party, a pregame party, and a night party.”
Some summer weekends are so busy that he rents Airbnbs in Montauk or the Hamptons to fit in more events.
“It’s really a calendar game. You try to road map it out, so it physically works best,” Weiss said.
As for how he's able to balance the work of both feeding clients and keeping them dancing, Weiss said it all comes down to his culinary training.
“As a chef, you always have at least 10 things going on,” he said. “So changing the record is not a big task for me.”
