My Chef

Life Changing – A Personal Chef

Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by Justine in Articles, Lifestyle

It is easy for most of us to understand how a personal chef can change our lives. There is the health benefit of having fresh meals prepared from scratch using the best ingredients and professional techniques. There is the time benefit that results from having someone plan, procure and prepare your family meals. That can result in more time with family or to work on that project that may define you in your field. What many people don’t realize is that having a personal chef has added benefits. One of the often overlooked advantages is the entertaining aspect.

In my experience my clients were very aware of how I could shop and prepare delicious and healthful dinners that even a kid could love. They were also pleased when they realized how cost effective it was to have light lunches and whole grain breakfasts prepared for them as opposed to eating take away. What they didn’t realize was that I was also a secret weapon when it came to entertaining.

How many people do you know who have designed and installed amazing kitchens that were completely decked out but not fully utilized? I have seen many. It has been my absolute pleasure to break some of these dream kitchens in. It was at one of these clients’ homes during a meal planning session when we discussed hosting a very important dinner party. They had discussed restaurants…but that had been done and this dinner was for a group of hard core foodies. I asked my clients if any of their guests had ever been to their home. They did, after all, have a kitchen any foodie would envy. No, they said. We usually entertain away from home. After all, they liked to cook but both had high pressure Washington DC jobs that didn’t allow the time for shopping much less cooking. They wanted to do something different. Something that would initiate conversation, something that would put everyone at ease.

Hosting the Perfect Dinner Party

“That’s it! Let’s host a dinner party in your home! We can begin the evening in the kitchen. It is, after all the most comfortable room in the house”. We decided to set up a simple but sophisticated cocktail bar. A very good scotch, vodka, gin and whiskey. Dry and sweet vermouth, some imported olives, homemade simple syrup, fresh lemon and lime juice, tonic, sparkling and still waters. We also added a fresh ginger lime punch. We then moved to the cocktail hour. I decided to do a few very exciting small plates that utilized some interesting techniques. All of the ingredients for cocktail hour and dinner were displayed in baskets as if from a farmers market or on crushed ice platters. Veggies were trimmed and washed and perfectly appetizing.

My assistant had already set up a lovely dinner table with crimp linens and clean burning candles, so as the guests arrived and made cocktails we were ready to begin the food preparation and cooking. You could see the faces of the guests go from apprehensive to delight when they arrived and were taken to the kitchen where others were gathered around the island and food was being prepared. Some of them talked amongst themselves, many wanted step by step of what we were preparing. As a small plate was completed it was plated and passed to each guest. The dinner was also being simultaneously prepared and was the dessert.

Nothing in the world brings people together like food. I could see that the hosts were so at ease as were the guests and I know that the evening was an absolute success. We printed recipe cards for guests that were served with dessert, thanked them all and received a great round of applause. It was a satisfying experience for all of us. The hosts were able to show off their beautiful home, the guests were at ease and comfortable, and we got to showcase our talents. When my assistant and I left that evening the kitchen was back to its beautiful state, the table was cleared and the candles had been moved to the garden where the guests were still discussing dinner. Sigh… a perfect night.

Tags: health, personal chef