Time to Pretend . . . Hiring a Personal Chef that can handle Gluten Free & Casein Free

This is the scene outside my front door. The city of Cincinnati has declared a level 3 snow emergency; no cars on the roads unless you are emergency personnel. This winter wonderland consists of 6" snow with 1-2" ice layer in the middle, topped with another 4" snow on top. I'm glad to be inside where it's warm with electricity (I'm keeping my fingers crossed no trees fall on the lines), and I have my computer on-line and my kitties are being cute and affectionate. The past few days I have gotten buried by my Culinary studies assignment and have not had the chance to blog. Ending my Personal Chef Principles class, I have come to realize this will be my primary focus of my starting my business.

I want to hear from all of you - What would look for in a hiring a Personal Chef? Let's pretend money was no object; and you know exactly what a Personal Chef does because you looked at my business web site and it says,
"The Sensitive Epicure,
Personal Chef & Chemist Service,
is a unique service providing gluten free, mostly milk free & yeast free meals that are customized and prepared for you in your home. Take a look at the benefits:

Eat Safe... a safe gluten free meal made by a trained Chemist & Chef who has Celiac & milk allergy and understands dietary restrictions.

Save Time… you have no planning, shopping, cooking or cleaning up. It’s all done by your Personal Chef which means extra time in your schedule.

Eat Healthy… the freshest and best ingredients are always used without preservatives—a great value.

Have Dinner at Home…back to the basics. Your family can enjoy a meal with quality time at the dinner table—priceless.

Additional Services That I provide:

  • Grocery shopping / Consultation for your dietary needs
  • Dinner parties /Catered events
  • Cooking Classes
  • Restaurant & Catering Consulting for meeting food allergy/intolerance needs
  • Recipe & Food Development"
Now I want you to "interview me" as if you were considering hiring me as a Personal Chef.
  • What is important to you?
  • What questions would you ask me?
  • What questions would you want me to ask you?
  • How do you think a Personal Chef could improve your life?
  • Do you have kids? If so, how do their dietary needs/habits differ from you?
  • What are your major concerns with hiring a Personal Chef?
  • What are your hopes in hiring a Personal Chef?
Please post your comments. They are very important to me. Thanks!


-Erin Swing
The Sensitive Epicure

Comments

Anonymous said…
I would have a personal chef so I could free up time I spend preparing meals to do other things (work, kids activities, etc). I'd probably be happy with dinners only as lunch is usually pretty light. I'd try to eat healthier with a personal chef, so I would ask what your idea of a balanced meal is and have you give me an example of a week's menu. I would want you to ask what foods are totally out of the question (i.e. the family is not into sweetbreads, ugh). With kids, I'd like you to be able to accommodate their preferences. Sometimes they like food without sauces and for the youngest one, food that could be pureed for baby food. Other than that we make them eat what everyone is having.
Anonymous said…
important - healthy and happy kids

questions -
- can you make delicious, kid-friendly meals that are gluten/dairy/soy/corn/peanut and mostly egg free?
- have you passed a criminal background check - if you are going to be in my home near my kids

improve my life -
- greater variety of food that is geared specifically for my family's health challenges
- better able to meet all the dietary nutrition standards on food different from the 'food pyramid' scheme


kids -
- yes, ages 5 and 8, similar dietary issues - celiac and delayed response food allergies including gastrointestinal, dermatological, and behavioral
- no autism

concerns -
- money (even though you said not to consider this, diets off the mainstream are already expensive without someone else preparing the food)
- accidental exposure to allergens

hopes -
- more time to spend with my family instead of preparing all meals from scratch
- a few dishes in the freezer to take out on what used to be called a 'pizza night'
Anonymous said…
Hi Erin! If money were no object I would LOVE a personal chef, as cooking is one of the things I struggle with what to cook on a daily (or weekly, as I make my meal plans once a week) basis.

What is important to me is having healthy meals for my family, one that everyone will eat and enjoy.

My question for you would be what are the benefits (if any) of eating gluten free if no one in our family has a sensitivity? Also, how long is the meal preparation and is it done completely in my home? Do you prepare all meals or just dinner?

I think having a personal chef would improve my life drastically as it would free me up from trying to figure out what to make and allowing me to spend more time my family. It would also be nice to be exposed to a different variety of foods.

My only concern would be the presence of someone else in our small kitchen, but since I know you it would be okay ;-)

My hope is that having a personal chef would free up a great amount of time for me that could be used elsewhere and could possibly even improve my family's eating habits.

Good luck Erin!!
H.Peter said…
I would hire the one chef that promises to cook what we want to eat. Not what he/she wants to cook....
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