HEY HONEY, WHAT'S FOR DINNER? - Don't ask me. Ask our Personal Chef

To determine if you're a good candidate for hiring a Personal Chef, pose the following questions:

  • Look at how much processed food you're eating.
  • Does your food have more additives than substance?
  • Do you eat at fast food and chain restaurants more than you'd like?
  • Do you think it would be stressful to take the time to plan and prepare more healthful meals on a regular basis?

Cast aside those visions of champagne wishes and caviar dreams -- personal chef service is no longer reserved for the yacht-owning, globe-trotting few.

Richmond Chefs of APPCAThe personal chef service is a blossoming sector of the culinary industry. Entrepreneur Magazine recently designated the field as one of the 12 fastest-growing businesses in the country. At time of print, there were six active Richmond members of the American Personal Chef Association and six Richmond members of the United States Personal Chef Association. But these numbers are increasing rapidly.

For services of a personal chef, expect to pay approximately $15 to $18 per entree. That works out to about $300-$360 for two weeks' worth of evening meals for two, not counting weekends. You wouldn't have to take the time to create menus, compile a list of ingredients, do the shopping, haul in the bags and actually prepare the food. Plus, you'd get a break from night after night of lukewarm delivery and same-old restaurant offerings and service.

Clients of personal chefs range from retired people looking for easy, healthy meals that coincide with restrictive diets to swamped stay-at-home moms not the least bit interested in June Cleaver's lifestyle. They also include busy professional couples and those who just want to eat better but feel stressed devoting the time to preparing meals on a daily basis.

A personal chef determines your needs and prepares a week's or two weeks' worth of food for you and your family. The chef purchases ingredients, brings equipment to your kitchen, prepares the meals, packages them and includes heating instructions, fills your fridge and freezer, cleans up -- and voila -- you simply heat and enjoy.

CUSTOMIZED COOKING

Dianne and Frank Hoppes know firsthand the benefits of hiring a personal chef. Dianne, who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer, learned about Gene Castelluccio's personal chef service, My Executive Chef, through a mailing. While family and friends have been extremely helpful during the course of her illness, she decided some assistance with the preparation of healthy foods for herself and her family would be envaluable.

"It's been very helpful -- he's really good at working with my needs," says Hoppes, who has found Castelluccio's soups particularly palatable during chemotherapy. The rest of the family raves about his meatloaf and jambalaya.

Her chef puts the personal into his efforts by responding to specific requests and adjusting accordingly. When Hoppes said some of the spices were a bit much for her, he suggested preparing the dishes without embellishment but including the sauces on the side for other family members. "It's not about me, it's about you," explains Castelluccio, adding, "This is a flexible thing -- if you want it, you can have it."

Castelluccio has been a chef for more than 20 years and before his most recent post as executive chef at the Omni, he worked at numerous five-star establishments, including The Mirage in Las Vegas and the Marriott Marquis in New York City. He enjoys the one-to-one contact of being a personal chef. "It gets you back to the reason why you got into the business in the first place," says the chef.

Like many other personal chefs, Castelluccio also offers cooking lessons, held in the client's own kitchen with several of the client's friends participating. His classes take two to three hours and range in price from $25-$40 per person.

"It's a hands-on, fully participatory class where you will learn how to make food, not just watch somebody make it," he says. "You will know how to cook these items when you go home."

CARING FOR THE CLIENT

After earning a degree at L'Academie de Cuisine in Washington, D.C., and cooking at Georgetown's 1789 Restaurant, chef Michele Humlan started her business, The Good Eats Company: A Personal Chef Service. "I love the aspect of taking care of people -- this to me is the coolest thing -- providing clients with something good to eat...nourishing them," says Humlan, who left a decade-long career as a pediatrician to become a chef.

A few of her most popular creations include Southern meatloaf with barbeque glaze and lumpy mashed red skin potatoes, turkey basil lasagna and sesame Parmesan-crusted chicken. So busy is Humlan, she's no longer accepting regular clients, though she still offers gift certificates for a day of personal chef service.

"We enhance the home environment by making sure the refrigerator and freezer are stocked with fresh, preservative-free foods that are custom-made for clients, so they can get what they want, how they want it prepared and when they want it prepared," explains Humlan. Depending on individual needs, clients rely on a personal chef's services to varying degrees. Some count on a chef for all their evening meals, while others simply supplement their own cooking, says Humlan.

HEALTHY HABITS

Dr. Swati Deb and her husband, Dr. Sumitra Deb, rely heavily on their personal chef, Carla Mentry of The Dinner Belle. As researchers in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia and the Massey Cancer Center, their respective research programs focusing on the molecular biology of cancer demand around 10 hours a day.

The challenge of preparing healthy meals is even greater because of her husband's special dietary needs, explains Deb. He suffers from migraines triggered by various foods so cooking requires more planning than usual. Mentry's services have offered relief on multiple levels. "It provides me two extra days for my work, and also some rest," says Deb.

"For us middle-class academicians, Carla's service is very affordable," says Deb, who appreciates her chef's willingness to try new recipes. "I give her some family recipes [from India] and she has introduced Western items," says Deb, who learned about The Dinner Belle online. "She's open to change -- she will modify her recipes to our personal needs." While Deb savors low-fat dishes like salmon with Eastern spices, she also adores treats like creme brulee.

Mentry launched her career as a personal chef last June following eight years in special events production in the Washington, D.C. area. Her menu options include "lightened comfort-food favorites" like chicken Parmesan, Swedish meatballs and whiskey-flavored pork chops. Many of her clients, most of whom are married working couples, provide family recipes that she prepares for them.

Along with the Debs, Mentry has many clients with special dietary needs, such as gluten allergies and low-sodium requirements. "It provides an extra challenge but the reward far outweighs any of the extra effort it creates," says Mentry.

"These people are really held hostage to their special diets and their health depends on what they put into their bodies."

FRIENDS OF WEIGHT WATCHERS

Though not bound by specific food restrictions, many face the daunting challenge of changing their eating habits to lose weight. Courtney Mathews of the full plate has a host of clients, including stay-at-home moms and parents of grown children. One of her clients participates in Weight Watchers' but has grown tired of the pre-packaged meals, so Mathews provides her with dinners including a detailed written "points-preserving" breakdown of each meal prepared. She even includes a Weight Watchers' dessert such as chocolate layer cake, cheesecake or apple cake.

A client of chef Blair Grossman's is also focused on exactly what he puts into his body; he's training for a triathlon. Grossman, whose personal chef service is called Appetite for Life, acts as a sort of personal trainer in the kitchen for his client, Jim Conaway. Grossman urges people in search of a personal chef to find someone they trust.

Grossman holds a degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and gained hands-on culinary training as an assistant chef in restaurants in his hometown of Honolulu and in Portland, Oregon. Grossman says a personal chef service can be beneficial for weight-conscious consumers because dishes are pre-portioned.

While some chefs gear their menu plans and portions toward couples and families, Grossman is not neglecting hungry singles. He offers his services at a reduced rate for busy single people tired of take-out and mounting restaurant bills. "You can't eat pizza every night."

Remember these tips when selecting a personal chef:

  • Expect an initial assessment interview.
  • Be prepared to answer detailed questions about your tastes and dietary needs.
  • Check credentials and references.

Most personal chefs, though trained and experienced, are not registered dietitians, nutritionists or medical personnel. Many are well versed at developing tailored menus that conform to dietary restrictions and requirements outlined by health professionals. If you have specific dietary concerns, consult your physician.

Just like caterers and kitchen staff members at restaurants, some personal chefs have years of formal culinary school training while others have hands-on training. Ask for credentials and references to find a fit that's right for you.

While professional paths may vary, be sure the personal chef you select is certified in safe-food handling and is bonded and insured.

TO CONTACT THE CHEFS MENTIONED IN THIS STORY:

by Erin Tilley
(photos by Elaine Odell)