Aren't You Just A Caterer?

Absolutely NOT!  Read the following:

Top 10 Reasons why a Personal Chef isn’t a caterer:

#10    We focus on the family weekday dinner - A caterer typically is hired for a special one-time occasion, a holiday, birthday, anniversary, etc.
#9     There are no delivery or gratuity charges - A caterer typically charges a delivery fee for the food and usually expects a monetary tip.
#8      You know where the food is prepared, right in your home - When you "order in" from a caterer, you're not really sure where, how, or even by whom your food has been prepared!
#7      Our overhead is minimal, so your cost is reasonable - By law, when food is prepared for delivery to the customer, it must be prepared in a commercial kitchen.  These are kitchen facilities built to certain specifications, with requirements such as fire suppression, and minimum size.  They also must be periodically inspected by the health department.  The cost to build and operate such a facility is substantial and adds significant overhead expense, which the caterer passes on to you!
#6      Your personal chef develops a relationship with you and knows your individual likes and dislikes – it’s a personalized service - Although you can order specific dishes from a caterer, you typically can't request minor alterations in the recipe. A Personal Chef learns exactly what you like and dislike,  I've changed menus and individual recipes to satisfy the wants and needs of my clients.  This is especially valuable when the client has specific dietary restrictions!
#5      Your personal chef can cook for special dietary needs - Low fat, low carb, high protein, food allergies, whatever your particular dietary restrictions are, a Personal Chef can adapt the recipes to fit.
#4      Only ONE person handles the food and that person is trained in food safety and hygiene - Expanding on #8, you know exactly who will be preparing your food - this is something you usually don't know even when you go to a restaurant.  And that person has been trained in safe food handling, many are even ServSafe certified.
#3      You get several weeks’ of meals with lots to choose from when you're hungry - With the standard 5 x 4 service, you will get 5 entrees, with 4 servings of each.  So if you want Chicken Marsala, and your spouse wants Roast Beef Wellington with Horseradish Sauce, no problem, you each can have your own dish!
#2      Your personal chef develops meals that are delicious and nutritious, but not high in fat - Again, your meals can be completely customized to your particular needs.  The recipe resources available to the Personal Chef are enormous, coupled with their own experience and skill in adapting recipes, result in foods that are high in flavor.  Great tasting food does not have to be bad for you!

And last but not least…

#1     When you come home to dinner after your personal chef has been cooking in your kitchen, IT SMELLS GREAT! - Do you know how great it smells many times when you walk into a restaurant?  Imagine coming home after a long day having your home filled with the aromas of a full day of cooking by your very own Personal Chef - NOT A CATERER!

What is a Personal Chef?

A Personal Chef is someone with a deep love of fine food, who comes to your home to share that passion with you and your family. After meeting with you, they will design a menu to your specific dietary needs and preferences, schedule a day to prepare your meals, do the shopping, come to your home with all the utensils, cook in your own kitchen, package each meal in handy microwaveable containers labeled with heating instructions and nutritional information, and clean up.

Consider this:  You come home from work at 6PM, 7PM or later, the family is patiently (yeah, right!) waiting, and you still have to deal with the question "What's For Dinner?" 

I just want a delicious dinner, NOW!  (Check out some mouth-watering samples!)

  Do the math...

Let's say you pay yourself $20 per hour, not an unreasonable amount, to perform the above tasks.  It could easily take you 10-12 hours per week to accomplish this!  That's already $200-$240!  Now add the cost of groceries -- easily another $80-$100 per week!  Well guess what...you've already justified hiring a Personal Chef!

Now factor in what you could do with an additional 10-12 hours per week!

Do you always personally do the following chores?

Of course not!  You realize that your time is valuable, and that it's more cost-effective to hire professionals to do these types of tasks.  Planning meals, shopping, cooking, and cleaning up are no exceptions!  These are all chores that can be done more efficiently by a professional!  That's why it just makes sense (and cents) to hire a professional Personal Chef. 

I'm sure you’ll find the pricing to be very affordable! 

To calculate how you're currently spending your time and money on food and eating, check out this form.

You and your family can dine in the comfort of your own home, on delicious, healthy food, prepared to your specific preferences, at your convenience!  What could be better? 

Questions To Ask A Personal Chef...

The relationship between you and your Personal Chef is most often of a personal nature. You will want to talk with the Personal Chef as well as meet with him/her as you would with any other professional service. Some areas you might want to ask about are:

A Personal Chef's Background
Experience in cooking is key to a successful Personal Chef Service. Ask how your Personal Chef has acquired their cooking experience and how their service differs from others. You'll find that Personal Chefs will have a wide variety of backgrounds. Some began their love for cooking by providing for their families while others polished their skills in the restaurant industry. For many, transitioning to a second career as a Personal Chef is a natural process as it incorporates their passion for food, creativity and cultural background. Knowing more about them can help you decide if they are the professional you are looking to hire.

Liability Insurance
Just like other professionals who come and work in your home, you want to be sure that in the unfortunate and rare event that your Personal Chef's actions cause injury to you, your family or your property, that your Personal Chef has the appropriate insurance to make it right. Every USPCA affiliated Personal Chef participates and is covered by a one million dollar liability insurance policy.  Chef Ted has additional insurance to cover all aspects of his business.

National Organization Affiliation
Knowing your Personal Chef is affiliated with an organization such as the USPCA or CPCA can reduce concerns of whether the Personal Chef is proficient. Being affiliated with a professional organization communicates that the Personal Chef is interested in:

Membership demonstrates that the Personal Chef understands the importance of continuing education through professional affiliation.

Client References
Personal Chefs should be able to provide references, testimonials and endorsements from contented clients.

Sample Menus
Asking to review sample menus can provide insight to the Personal Chef's style of cooking. A sample menu is not always an indication that the Personal Chef will prepare only those types of foods. USPCA Personal Chefs specialize in satisfying the customers needs no matter how diverse.

 So, if this is you, and you need a little help by having your dinners ready when you come home, AND having some extra time available to you during the week, find out more and download my brochure, or contact me now!

Click for a few recipe descriptions!