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As Seen in The Wall Street Journal read now
As Seen in Brutus Magazine read now
Various Quotes and highlights from BBC America read now
As Seen in Go Magazine read now
As Seen in Gothamist read now
As Seen in The Wall Street Journal
Cranky Consumer—Outsourcing Your Family Dinner
By EILEEN GUNN
Many alternatives to both cooking from scratch and eating out are springing up. One of the most popular is a new kind of personal chef. These are not live- ins who devote all their time and energy to one wealthy household—or someone you hire to cook for one special dinner party. This new breed of personal chefs has anywhere from a handful to two dozen clients. Some stop in once a week to cook up to a week's worth of meals in your kitchen. Others cook for several clients at a time in their own kitchen and deliver, letting themselves in to stock your fridge or leaving a well-iced cooler on the porch.
This new business model brings the price of a personal chef within reach of the middle class—but it's still not cheap. The chefs we tested charge anywhere from $40 to $90 a meal for dinners that fed two to four people (albeit almost always with leftovers).
All but one of the five we tested sent us a questionnaire or interviewed us about out likes and dislikes, allergies or medical conditions, and how we like to eat—for example, are we trying to eat fewer carbs or more fresh veggies. Hefty portions seemed to be the norm with all of the chefs, with most meals stretching well beyond the two, three or four people they were intended for. And the chefs seem to like to throw in extras, particularly for new customers.
The meals overall were healthful—the chefs generally avoid diet-busters like cream or saturated oils—and featured a wide range of seasonings and fresh ingredients. Most chefs ask that you order a minimum of two or three meals for at least two people, and they'll cook up to about a half dozen.
Sitting down to a few of these meals gave us the feeling of eating restaurant food in our pajamas. But you might feel a lack of hominess sitting down five nights a week to dishes like seared scallops in a lemon-saffron sauce.
Choice Cooking in Brooklyn, N.Y., a delivery service, worked with us to find a time of day we'd be home to receive our package. It offered to pack the dinners in coolers that could sit outside for a few hours if we weren't home. The chef, Ryan Brown, offered complex fare such as chicken in a yogurt and cashew sauce with a brown-rice pilaf and roasted cauliflower with coriander. He also added a sweet touch: extra dessert.
The delivered meals were prompt and food was well-chilled. The meals were well-labeled, easy to reheat and came with interesting sides like quinoa pilaf and sautéed fennel. Recyclable oven-proof cardboard trays were ecofriendly, and reheating food in the oven provided nice aromas.
As Seen in Brutus Magazine
Tired of Eating Out? Get Your Meals Delivered
Looking for a healthier altenative to take out or restaurant food?
For those New Yorkers who want nutritious food personalized for their tastes, Ryan Brown's job is to offer delicious, restaurant quality meals, but with a decidedly healthier bent.
After graduating form the famed French Culinary Institute and working at the renowned Jean Georges, Chef. Brown left the long hours and stress of restaurant kitchens to become a personal chef.
Chef Brown says, "It is incredibly rewarding to help overworked people and those with health issues have the chance to enjoy flavorful but low fat food at home."
Various Quotes and highlights from BBC America
(In New York) people tend to forget about their health and go for the quick and easy option instead.
Demand for a personal chef is growing as people recognize the need for a healthy diet despite the pressures of life in a busy city.
(With a personal chef service you have) control over what you put in your body. You can ensure you're getting a variety of nutrients on a daily basis and it makes your lifestyle a lot more healthy
The cost of employing Choice Cooking Company is less expensive than eating out every night. They charge $195 for 6 meals they prepare in advance and leave in the client's refrigerator. It's worth thinking about; and living well.
As Seen in Go Magazine
The Marrying Kind
By DIANA CAGE
...The food, however, they left up to the pros. “We are both total foodies and wanted good food to be a central part of the beginning of our new life together,” says Chrystal. “We hired Choice Cooking to cater our wedding.” They opted for a Latin-inspired menu with avocado and mango chutney, arepas and spicy potato pancakes. The entrée was a choice of plantain crusted bass or spice-rubbed prime rib. “Our caterers were fantastic, the meal was absolutely delicious. One of our guests even commented, ‘This fish is like a pair of tits.’ I don’t know exactly what that means, but I’m sure it’s a good thing.”
As Seen in Gothamist
By JEN CARLSON
Chef Ryan Brown and his Brooklyn-based Choice Cooking company provide both catering and personal chef services. For the personal chef service, Brown works with clients to develop custom-designed menus and each meal includes soup/salad, entree and dessert. We tried some of his offerings, which come pre-cooked in eco-friendly packaging that can be heated up in either the oven or microwave, and found them healthy, hearty and delicious—with plenty for leftovers, too. Brown recently told us where the best place to get groceries in New York is, what the personal chef business has been like during these financial times, and a story about catering for a famous client who brought a hooker to dinner...