Not everyone does. But if you are fed up with fast food, commercial frozen foods loaded with sodium and preservatives, or take out, and then the answer is yes. If your busy life doesn't give you the chance to shop for and cook healthy meals for you and your family you should seriously consider how a personal chef can help.
Busy, career minded individuals, dual income couples with limited time, new mothers, those recuperating from illness or hospital stays – A Personal Chef can change the way you experience the dinner hour. No more rushing around, eating poorly and facing a kitchen to clean up. A personal chef will provide you with nutritious and wholesome home-cooked meals.
A private chef is employed by one individual or family full time, and is often “living in” and preparing up to 3 meals per day. A Personal Chef serves several clients, usually one per day, and provides multiple meals that are custom designed for the clients’ particular requests and requirements. These meals are packaged and stored so that the client may enjoy them at their leisure in the future.
Yes! Having your own personal chef is very affordable; especially when you consider how much your time is worth. We do all the shopping, cooking and cleaning; you heat the meals and enjoy fine dinning in your home. Add up all the money you spend on restaurants and take-out food, including taxes, tips, parking fees, etc. In the end, you get a better deal with a personal chef. Best of all, your dining experience will be the way you want it to be!
It usually takes approximately five to six hours to cook the meals, package them and clean up. I cannot say exactly how many hours since each menu is different, but I will be happy to make arrangements in advance so that my cooking fits into your schedule.
This can be a delicate situation, as I will be preparing several different recipes simultaneously and cannot be distracted. It would be too easy to forget an ingredient or forget about something in the oven, but more importantly any distractions could result in accidental injuries. I would be happy to chat or answer any questions for a few minutes before or after. Please keep in mind that extended conversation or many interruptions will slow down the cooking process considerably and will interfere with the quality & timing of preparation and cooking.
Uniform size containers and vacuum-packed items take less storage space in your freezer, and I can bring the appropriate containers for items I am preparing at each cook date. Depending on the service you request, you can pay a one-time fee for reusable containers or $15 per session for disposable containers. Reusable containers can be glass Pyrex (or similar), which will require a $60 deposit. This amount generally covers a set of 8 to 10 containers. Any unused amount will be refunded to you and any additional pieces that are required, costing more than $60, will be added to your second payment. Our most popular option is vacuum-packing; it takes up less space in your freezer and/or fridge and food stays fresher longer; cost is $20 per cook date.
Heating meals is very easy and convenient. I will leave clear and easy-to-follow heating instructions for each entrée and side dish. Any entrees that have been stored for you in your freezer should be defrosted overnight in your refrigerator, and heated, to be enjoyed at the peak of their flavor. Most dishes can be heated simply in a microwave.
Absolutely! I love to prepare new dishes. If you have a favorite recipe or a special diet request, I’ll cook it!
No, my fee is my day rate plus the cost of the groceries. The cost of groceries varies on your selection of menu items. Obviously lobster or filet mignon will be more costly than some other menu items.
I wish I could make that available to you, but the service doesn’t work that way. For this to be a profitable business, I cannot take the same amount of cooking time and produce half the amount of food. It takes the same amount of planning, shopping and preparation time to cook 10 portions of food as it does for 20 portions of food.