I recently had the honor of being awarded “Best Personal Chef” by North Shore Magazine.
As I begin to recover from the litany of award ceremonies, late-night after parties, press junkets, reality tv show pitches, and a barrage of invites to join Jeffrey and Ina Garten in the Hamptons for dinner I am finally able to sit back and reflect on just how I got to this point in my career.
In addition to the many culinary hats, I’ve worn over the years being a personal chef has always been one of my favorites. Offering a personal and customized service where I arrive at a client’s home armed with groceries and a few knives. Over the course of a few hours, I prep, prepare, and package, leaving a fridge full of meals that contain their favorite ingredients, and dietary preferences. Dishwasher loaded and kitchen cleaner than I found it, I slip out the door like a culinary ninja only to return the following week.
Occasionally, while standing at the kitchen sink, he would enthusiastically hump my leg and bark which I can only interpret as the canine equivalent of a James Beard nomination.
The type of person who hires a personal chef might surprise you. I’ve cooked for single individuals, large families, people who don’t know how to cook, and those who simply don’t have the time. There are people with dietary restrictions, health goals, and ones who want cake for breakfast. I’ve had clients who asked me to sign a confidentiality waiver, who have asked me to cook at faraway destinations; who needed me to count Weight Watcher points and calories. I even had one client who purchased me a completely new set of pots, pans, and equipment so that I could prepare Kosher meals for them. While my clients have come in all shapes and sizes, I believe a seminal point in my career was when I began cooking for a client named “Skittles” (not their real name). Skittles was an overweight Pomeranian. While “Skittles” had an unseemly habit of drinking from the toilet, he also had an exceptional culinary palate - or so his people assured me. For two years I prepared “Skittle’s” meals of brown rice, ground lamb, turkey, diced veggies, ground beef with carrots, and beef stock. I was informed that “Skittles” got bored easily so menu variety was key to keeping him happy. I must have been doing something right because, in the two years of being “Skittle’s” personal chef, he never complained, not once. Occasionally, while standing at the kitchen sink, he would enthusiastically hump my leg and bark which I can only interpret as the canine equivalent of a James Beard nomination.
Most of my other clients pale, by comparison, walking on only two legs and requesting banal dishes like turkey meatloaf and chicken enchiladas. Nevertheless, they have been a big part of my journey and I’m deeply grateful.
With clients like “Skittles” and my recent Best of The North Shore award, it will be tough to stay humble but I’m committed to trying.
If you would like information on my personal chef services, please email or text my agent at chris@tablemanners.shop or 978.500.5569.