Ellen Teyssier Personal Chef Service

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Frequently Asked Questions
About Personal Cheffing

What does a Personal Chef do?
We are a group of professionals who LOVE food…planning for meals, shopping for food, and preparing it. A Personal Chef prepares and packages a number of meals on a single day, in your home. You choose when to enjoy it.
How does a Personal Chef know what to prepare?
We meet with a potential client and conduct an in-depth interview, in their home. During the interview, the client will be asked questions about their food preferences, and their nutritional needs. The kitchen will even be interviewed, so that the Personal Chef can see where they will be working. After the interview, a first cooking date is agreed upon. (The interview costs nothing, and the potential client can choose at the end if they want to hire the Personal Chef.)
How do I choose what to eat?
You have the choice of picking from a menu, one week before the cooking date, or allowing the Personal Chef to suggest your meals for you. Thanks to the interview, I will know how to plan meals for you. If this is the case, I will contact you the Friday before your cooking date with the menu. If there are any changes to be made, you’ll let me know as soon as possible (at least 48 hours before the cooking date).
Can you deliver food to our home or office?
Due to Health Department regulations, which are in place for the safety of the public, this is not possible. Personal Chefs should be cooking in the clients’ home, unless they have a licensed kitchen.
How often does a Personal Chef cook for clients?
This depends entirely on each client. I can cook on a weekly basis, every other week, or even once a month. We can explore your needs during the interview.
What do I have to do to prepare before my Personal Chef arrives?
Please leave your kitchen clean, with no dishes in the sink, clean countertops, and make sure there is room in the freezer or refrigerator. Your Personal Chef will check this during your interview.
Do I need to be at home while the Personal Chef is cooking?
No. Most clients are at work and provide their Personal Chef with entry to their home, which is discussed during the interview. Your kitchen is my office on the cooking date, and in order for me to prepare the best meals I can, I appreciate working alone, without family members (including pets) in the area.
How long will you be in my home?
This changes each day, based on the menu, and can be anywhere between 4 and 6 hours.
How are my meals packaged?
This will be discussed in the interview, and depends greatly on the following:
-number of people sharing the meal
-type of meal
-frequency of cheffing
Each meal is different, and you will be provided with complete heating instructions for each one. No matter how the food is packaged, clean up is quick!
Can I afford this service?
If you take into account the cost of groceries (including those that are impulse buys, or the ones that sit in the fridge until you realize they’ve gone bad), time for planning healthy meals, food shopping, cooking, and cleaning up, the price is quite affordable. The food you’ll be eating will have been prepared in your home, based on your preferences. And if you are like most busy people, you eat in restaurants or order take-out a few times a week. Once you add all of this up, you may find that a Personal Chef is very economical, and tailored to your individual needs.
I’m following a special diet. Can you help me stick to it?
Having healthy food prepared and waiting at home for you is a wonderful way to stay on track. You should discuss this with your Personal Chef during your interview.