Personal chefs that's a luxury reserved for the rich and famous, right?
Well, yes, jet-setters and members of the Hollywood crowd like Arnold and Demi likely enjoy the services of their own personal chef.
But these days, so do regular people like Mark Ezell and Marianne Berry of Lawrence, both associate professors in Kansas University's School of Social Welfare.
Berry laughs at the idea that her clan must be really living the high life over at their house.
No, she insists they're just an average family with two working parents and a couple of busy children, ages 14 and 11.
Having a personal chef in this case, Mike Levy of Lawrence come to her home and do all the cooking doesn't break the bank, and it frees time in the family's crowded schedule.
"It's convenient, and it's decreased the stress in my life. I don't have to think about dinner anymore or plan it. Mike types up a menu every week, puts it on the refrigerator and nobody has to come ask me what we're having," Berry says. "As a family of four we could easily pay a lot more eating out. And we have saved an incredible amount of time."
Ezell and Berry spend between $120 and $150 per week to have Levy prepare four dinners for the family ahead of time and place the meals in the freezer or refrigerator.
Levy, who trained at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vt., runs a business in town called Chef Mike, Personal Chef & Catering.
He plans menus for his clients for two weeks, based upon their meal preferences.
Then, on an appointed day, he comes to the client's home with all the ingredients and cooks the meals at once.
He packages the food, puts it in the freezer or refrigerator, and leaves detailed instructions for reheating.
Levy brings his own pots, pans and utensils and puts everything away when he's done.
"All they have to provide me with is a clean kitchen," he says.
He usually charges about $9 per meal per person, which includes an entrwith a meat, vegetable and starch. Meals often come with a side dish, bread or fresh salad.
Levy will make whatever dishes the clients want from meatloaf to fancier fare.
Variety, convenience
Levy's not the only personal chef in town.
Stephanie Robbins of Lawrence runs a business called Daily Gourmet Personal Chef Service.
She gives clients a food questionnaire to learn their tastes and needs, as well as some sample menus to consider. Once the client approves menus for a certain number of meals, Robbins sets up a cooking day at the client's home.
Like Levy, she brings everything she needs to cook several meals at one time and then packages it with reheating directions.
She charges $225 to prepare 10 meals for one person. The 10-meal cost is $275 for two people and $315 for three.
So her clients have a menu of five meals, repeated twice during the course of two weeks.
Robbins, who has taken chef's apprentice courses at Johnson County Community College, makes all kinds of dishes.
A two-week menu she recently prepared for clients featured Italian chicken bundles, eggplant rolls with marinara sauce, orange-cumin beef stew, grilled pork chops with molasses barbecue sauce, and stuffed Mexican shells (ground beef, corn, chilies and black olives in pasta shells).
Every entr except one-dish meals like turkey potpie, comes with a side dish.
Her clients range from a family of four with two young children to an 87-year-old man on a low-sodium diet.
"Having a personal chef is convenient, and it also gives people variety. Most people either go out to eat, or throw something together they know how to make," Robbins says. "But when clients hire me, they get different meals all the time. And they don't have to go to the store, cook or clean up."
Organic and local
Carole Boggs of Lawrence has a personal chef's business called More than Food, where the emphasis is on healthful eating.
Boggs, who has extensive training in health-supportive and macrobiotic cooking, prepares lunches and dinners for clients.
She delivers lunches to a client's home or workplace. Most clients pick up their dinners at Boggs' home.
Her meals are made from organically grown whole foods obtained locally whenever possible. She uses high-quality oils, salt and sweeteners.
The dishes she makes are rich in complex carbohydrates, minerals and fiber, while low in sodium and fat.
One adult-size dinner costs $15, though the price is reduced for orders of four or more meals. A lunch is $8, including delivery.
Who are her customers?
"You'd think it would be people who were in health crises, but they're not. They're people who've read about proper eating and would like to get back to it or at least try it," Boggs says. "Most people that I deal with are just curious, and then they wind up staying because they like it."
Kim Forehand, a Lawrence singer and songwriter, is a satisfied customer.
"Carole cooks for me whenever I'm tired of cooking myself. I try to eat really healthy to keep my immune system working at maximum capacity," she says.
"I like to get a grain dish rice, millet or wheat berries a bean dish or vegetable dish and a salad. But with Carole, I just say 'food for two days,' and whatever she cooks, I love."
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.