Really, you’ll handle everything – menu planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning up?
I know it sounds too good to be true, but indeed, you won’t have to do anything but reheat these nutritious meals and eat them. That way you can focus on other matters important in your life.
Your name is Garden Gourmet. Does that mean you only cook fancy, gourmet meals?
The beauty of having a personal chef is that you get to decide what you want me to cook. Selecting from my vast menu or providing your own favorite recipes, I’ll cook as sophisticated or as down-home as you prefer. Many clients enjoy mixing it up: ordering a combination of comfort food and more gourmet style meals.
I have a wheat allergy, hate broccoli, green peppers and tempeh, and love Mediterranean food.
Again, one of the great benefits of having a personal chef is that all your meals are customized. I will find replacements for the ingredients you are allergic to, never use the ones you don’t like and make sure to cook the ingredients or styles you enjoy most.
Why don’t you cook the meals in your own home and deliver them to me?
California health codes require I cook the meals in your home or in a commercial kitchen. Also, cooking in your home allows you to have a home-cooked meal waiting for you in the oven or on the stovetop.
Do you only cook with organic ingredients? Do I have a choice about that?
Like everything about my service, it’s your choice. But unless you tell me otherwise, I will always choose organic, locally produced and seasonal ingredients whenever possible. I want you to have the freshest ingredients that are good for you and for the environment. In some cases I will buy produce directly from the farmers markets, supporting local farmers who use sustainable agriculture practices.
I'm not sure I can afford your service.
If you consider the amount of time you would spend menu planning, shopping, driving to and from the store, cooking and cleaning up, an average week’s worth of dinners take about 15 hours. That’s 15 precious hours you could have to pursue your other interests, take care of your life business or spend relaxing with your family. And in most cases it's less expensive than eating in a restaurant, which includes driving to and from the restaurant, waiting to be served and coping with menu limitations.
Will you pick up a few other grocery items for me while you’re at the store?
If it’s under six items, I’d be happy to pick them up for you while I’m shopping for the ingredients for your meals. If it’s more than six items, I charge a $15 shopping fee.
How do I pay you for your services?
You will leave me a check or cash on the kitchen counter to pay for the next cook date. I will leave you the grocery receipt, which you will reimburse me for the following cook date.
Do I have to commit to a certain number of cook dates?
No, there is total flexibility in how many times you have me cook for you. You may want to settle into a routine, counting on a specific cook date on an ongoing basis. Or you may only need the service temporarily, while you recover from surgery or an injury, while you are busy with a new baby or other situations where you want a chef to cook for you to ensure you eat well during stressful times. I do ask that you make a cancellation 48 hours before the cook date, since sometimes I will have already shopped for the food (this is especially likely if I purchased your ingredients at the farmer's market).
Fascinating Facts
The Benefits of Going Organic
Ø Community Supported Agriculture Farms (CSAs), where “shareholders” in the farm pay a flat fee to receive a box of produce delivered straight from the farm, began in the U.S. in 1984, inspired by similar farm-to-home services in Japan and Germany. Today there are more than 1,200.* There are many local CSAs in the Bay Area, with Farm Fresh to You and Full Belly Farm being two of the more well-established CSAs.
Ø Organic marionberries, strawberries and corn have between 30-50 percent more than the health-affirming antioxidants than conventional ones.*
Ø In one study, juice extracted from organic vegetables had up to ten times the concentrations of flavonoids, which can act as powerful antioxidants.*
Ø Organic produce contains much greater antioxidants because under the plants’ stress of defending themselves against insects and disease, they produce compounds which in turn creates the antioxidants. *
Ø The soil on organic fields is fed with natural supplements, such as manure and plant compost, which enhances the carbon in the soil and creates thousands of microbes, which feeds the plant.*
*From the book “Grub: ideas for an urban organic kitchen” by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry.
