A personal chef is different from a private chef. A private chef is an employee of an individual or family and is much more expensive. A personal chef is a business owner who serves numerous clients, generally one per day, providing multiple custom-designed meals for the client’s particular tastes and dietary and food allergy requirements. The meals are packaged and stored according to the client’s needs to be enjoyed at their leisure.

I do have a trusted staff of employees that I have trained to use my process, methods, and style to mimic the personal chef services I would offer myself in person. Because of Add Spice 2 Your Life’s busy schedule, I cannot guarantee I will be your personal chef for the day. But rest assured, you’re in good hands with whichever personal chef I place you in contact with.

Different from catering, all the meals are prepared in the safety of your own kitchen according to required food safety guidelines. I will bring all the ingredients, utensils, and equipment needed to prepare your selections on our agreed-upon cooking date.

At the end of the day, your kitchen will be left clean with nothing left behind except your mouth-watering meals and the aroma of good home cooking.

The health department and zoning laws prohibit it. If a personal chef offers to deliver your meals, there is an important question to ask: Are they preparing them in a licensed, health department-approved commercial kitchen?

Cooking everything at your home instead of preparing it offsite and delivering it provides you with the freshest, safest food possible. Although working directly in your home is preferred, I have limited access to a licensed, health-department-approved commercial kitchen.

An additional charge to cover the cost of the kitchen will apply. A Thought For Food will make each service date as accommodating and unobtrusive as possible when working in your home.

Because all your meals are prepared from scratch with great care and attention to detail, I will be at your home anywhere from five to eight hours, depending upon the number of entrees. I am willing to accommodate whatever works best with your schedule or situation.

So that you can quickly try and evaluate my service, I provide disposable containers free of charge for the first service date. After that, you can select from several options, such as disposable or permanent Pyrex containers.

Pyrex containers are popular because they are a one-time, versatile, and eco-friendly investment. A basic set of ten containers for family-style service is about $150. For individual or double portions, Pyrex requires more pieces and is about $200. Plastic containers are a less expensive alternative.

However, you will need to transfer the meal to an oven-safe dish for heating in a conventional oven. You will be responsible for washing the containers in your dishwasher after enjoying each meal and having them ready each service date in a predetermined location. The containers belong to you if you discontinue the service.

Yes. The entrees and side dishes should be heated using the approximate heating instructions I provide. Heating instructions are approximate because all ovens and microwaves vary in performance. I recommend using a meat thermometer to accurately determine when the dish has been heated to the correct temperature.

For services that include side dishes, you may request a specific item or allow me to pair an appropriate side dish with the entrée. Side dishes may be a seasonal fresh vegetable, a potato, rice, pasta, grain or bean dish, salad, quick bread, or light soup.

The fee represents all the components of a professional personal chef service: A detailed assessment of your needs and dietary requirements, special diet research, menu planning, sourcing and shopping for ingredients, meal preparation, packaging your selections, and cleaning up.

For most services, the cost of groceries is over and above the fee. By paying a separate cooking fee, you hire me to cook groceries you would have to purchase anyway. This allows you to make premium selections such as prime beef, veal, lamb, and seafood. With those services, you also have the option of organic fruits and vegetables, organic and grass-fed meat and poultry, and wild-caught fish and seafood.

When you go to a restaurant, you may need to drive there, find parking, possibly wait for a table, take a chance your server is having a good day, hope that your special requests are honored, pay for it, tip the server, and drive home. If you have a personal chef, you can heat a beautiful entrée that was thoughtfully and carefully prepared to your palate and dietary requirements and enjoy it in your most comfortable clothes in your own home.

My professional personal chef service may even help you control your food costs as you will be less likely to impulse-buy in the grocery store or resort to low-quality fast food or frozen processed food. Remember all that produce you purchased intending to make home-cooked meals and then had to throw out because you never got to it? That won’t happen anymore with a personal chef!

As quality ingredients make for quality meals, I or a member of my team shops for all ingredients. This includes fresh produce, meat, fish, and poultry.

I purchase general grocery items at HEB for most clients and meat, seafood, and poultry at Whole Foods, farmers’ markets, co-ops, the local butcher shop, through fishmongers, and other artisanal resources right before our scheduled time together. However, I will be happy to shop wherever you would like within reason.

Because I shop just before arriving at your home, I am glad to pick up any six or fewer incidental items you need (milk, diapers, pet food, cereal, etc.) – for reimbursement only.

I would still have to charge my minimum fee. This is my business, and to be profitable and offer my clients the best value, my fee starts at $350 plus groceries.

It will depend on how many nights you eat at home and the number of entrees and servings ordered. Whether weekly, biweekly, monthly or as needed, we’ll make sure it works best for you and supports your lifestyle without putting pressure on you. Service dates are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, and occasional service and gift certificate purchases are scheduled around regular clients.

Before the cooking date, a check for my service and the grocery deposit is required. Payment is required in advance because I am reserving an entire day for you. I will guarantee the cooking fee for one year, after which it is subject to increase. Because our relationship is based on mutual trust, please have a check ready for me when I arrive on each subsequent cooking date.

There is no contract, and you are not locked in for any period of time. Either of us can terminate our mutual arrangement at any time with advance notice.

However, I have a service agreement that outlines the terms of service along with our respective roles so that the service runs smoothly.