Everyday Gourmet, A Personal Chef Service

Welcome to Everyday Gourmet By Chef Lynn

A Conversation with Chef Lynn Davy

Good morning Chef Davy.
Good morning Rai.

Rai: Chef, alot of us don't understand what a Personal Chef does or how you can help us save valuable time in our day-to-day lives.  Perhaps you can share with us what it is you do and how you can help us achieve a healthy well -balanced meal that doesn't cost us too much in terms of time, money and stress?

Chef: There's no doubt about it Rai, today we live in a very stressful society where eating a nutritious, well-balanced meal with the family is hard to come by.   People just don’t have the time nor do they want to take the time to do groceries, cooking and cleanup every single day. It's so much easier doing a quick pickup at a fast-food joint then it is to shop, cook and clean. Meal planning alone is stressful because someone has to decide everyday and answer that age old question:  “What’s for dinner?”  It's a question that I myself ask everytime I go into the grocery store looking for tonight's meal.

In order to feel good about ourselves, about our bodies and keep our minds clear and focused, we must have proper nutrition. Food is energy which is the fuel that we need everyday to keep ourselves strong, vital and healthy.  Without our health we have nothing and I believe this is where being a Personal Chef can help people achieve a level of balance in their lives.

Rai: Can you tell us Chef Davy what is the difference between a personal chef and private chef?

Chef: Sure. A private chef is employed full-time by one individual or family and is often considered to be living with the family. A private chef will prepare up to three meals per day. A personal chef serves several clients - usually one per day – and provides multiple meals that are custom-designed for the client’s particular tastes and dietary and food allergy requirements.  Meals are prepared in the clients home and a personal chef will bring with him/her all of their own equipment, utensils and dry pantry.

Rai: It’s been my understanding Chef that personal chefs are for the rich and famous?

Chef: Not too long ago Rai, we thought the same thing about housecleaning and landscaping services. Today, these services are now considered affordable luxuries. Put it this way, when you consider the cost of groceries, the time involved with planning a variety of healthy meals, shopping, cooking and clean up, you will find the price of a personal chef service to be quite affordable.

Rai: Looking at Everyday Gourmet’s fees, the cost seems to be about what I would pay in a restaurant. Why is that?

Chef: Our fee represents all of the components that make up the professional personal chef service. This includes a detailed assessment of needs and dietary requirements, special diet research, menu planning, shopping for ingredients, meal preparation, and if requested, packaging and storing selections.

When you go to a restaurant you must drive there, wait for a table, take a chance your server is having a good day, hope that your special requests are honored, pay for it, tip the server and drive home. You're paying anywhere between $18 - $30 for an entrée without any alcohol.  So having a personal chef come into your vacation cottage, create a beautiful entrée that has been thoughtfully and carefully prepared to your palate makes our services quite unique. Besides, you get to enjoy your food in your most comfortable clothes and in the comfort of your vacation home.

Rai: Do you think that everyone needs a personal chef?

Chef: I would like to say no, not everyone does. However, I've noticed that being here in the OBX is a little different.  When you have a family to feed and you're on vacation one of the last things you want to do is have to wait for a seat in a restaurant. We get so busy during the summer, the idea of having a Personal Chef come to your vacation home, cook the foods you want to eat, do the shopping and kitchen cleanup is becoming more and more of a reality. I now provide a service called Rent-A-Chef in which all of your evening meals will be provided according to your taste, your time schedule.

If you are fed up with fast food, commercial frozen foods loaded with sodium and preservatives, or take out, then the answer is yes you do need a Personal Chef.   If your busy life doesn't give you the chance to shop for and cook healthy meals for your family, you should seriously consider how Everyday Gourmet can help. Busy, career-minded individuals, dual-income couples with limited time, new mothers, those recuperating from illness or hospital stays, and senior homeowners who find it difficult to prepare the nutritious meals they need, can all use a personal chef. Everyday Gourmet can change the way you experience your dinner hour.

Rai: How many people can you cook for in a vacation home?

Chef: Let's face it - some of the houses here in the OBX are bigger than most of our restaurants. To be able to provide quality food and service I can cook for upwards of 25 people in a vacation home.   Evening meals for that many people usually consists of an appetizer, salad, two main entrées including one starch and one vegetable side dish and dessert.

Rai: Where do you prepare the meals?

Chef: All meals are prepared in the safety of your own kitchen or vacation home, according to required food safety guidelines. This is an important difference between Personal Chefs and Catering companies. I am a Certified Food Protection Manager which means I have been trained in the safe handling, preparation and food storage and also temperature safety of all foods through the National Restaurant Association. This is very important Rai, because you know that I will be handling your food with safety being my top priority.

Rai: What kind of events do people ask you to do?

Chef: I can do many events. I have catered many parties, family reunions, 50th Anniversaries, small wedding parties, birthdays, Luaus, Italian nights and Mexican sunsets - you name it. Let me know what you want in terms of a theme and I'll be happy to accommodate.

Rai: What kinds of food do you prepare?

Chef: As a chef I am skilled in many cuisines as well as cooking food for various diet plans. The variety of recipes available is endless and I am able to create any dish you may desire, including your own family favorites. My focus is on nutritional balance, quality ingredients, proper portioning and of course your enjoyment. We can also work together to have food be centered around your chosen themes.

Rai: You live in the Outer Banks Chef and the Outer Banks is one of the most beautiful places to have a vacation. How do you go about shopping for ingredients while maintaining food costs?

Chef: Good question Rai. As quality ingredients make for quality meals, I shop for the freshest ingredients such as produce, meat, fish and poultry, on the way to your home. Everyday Gourmet uses the freshest ingredients from local purveyors, farmers and reputable markets carrying high-end specialty groceries. We support local farmers to the best of our ability and the availability of crops during any given season. This I believe is one way to keep costs down. It’s not a matter of shopping at just one store because in order to achieve quality, my local fish monger just pulled into dock with a boatload of fresh shrimp so where do you think I’m going to go?

Rai: Would you mind if I watch you cook?

Chef: I usually let people know that their kitchen becomes my office. You are more than welcomed to watch and ask questions however, because I will be working with knives and hot burners, my first concern is safety. I need to concentrate in order to successfully prepare your meals. I have a lot of work to do in a relatively short amount of time and I need to stay focused. It’s important that I move quickly because I will be doing many things at once and whether you watch or there are children in the vicinity, safety for both of us is paramount.   I do take the time at the beginning of each event to see if you might have any questions and again before I leave.

Rai: So if I decide to go ahead and hire a personal chef, what's your procedure for payment?

Chef:   It's important to realize that we have anywhere between 2 - 4 million visitors each year coming to the Outer Banks and in order to secure your "Chef Dates" a deposit of $250 will be required for each of those days. A check made payable to Everyday Gourmet will assure you of those dates and will be applied toward the total cost of services. If services are canceled for any reason prior to 20 days of your event, a full refund will be given.  After 20 days, you will forfeit your deposit. If services are canceled due to forced evacuation caused by an Act of God a full refund will be given. Without any deposit, Everday Gourmet has to work on the first-come, first-serve basis but we will do everything we can to help and accommodate you by giving you proper notice.

Personal Chef fees and half of the groceries will be payable 14 days in advance of your event. Everyday Gourmet will provide you with a final invoice for the balance of the groceries and any outstanding fees which will be due on the scheduled cooking day. Everyday Gourmet does accept major credit cards.

Rai: Do I sign a contract?

Chef: No. Absolutely no contract involved Rai!

Rai: This sounds great! What is the next step?

Chef: Well Rai, anyone can call or email me to discuss their personal chef requirements. What I usually do is ask them a few questions regarding what kind of services they are looking for and how many people in their party.  I also ask whether there have any allergies and/or medical conditions that I should be made aware of because this allows me to come up with options in the menu planning process. Lastly, having a budget in mind is also helpful and too, if they have children do they want a 'kid-friendly' menu. I create personal menus for each of my clients because it helps us both in determining a final price.

Rai: Well Chef, I want to thank you for your time. We have a better understanding now at what a personal chef does for a living. The amount of time you can save people in their day-to-day routine is incredible. Just imagine, no more standing in line buying groceries, or having to decide what’s for dinner. No more fast-food, or last minute take-out and even better - no more stress! I can actually spend more time with my family and friends and doing the things I love to do. I can only imagine coming home to delicious gourmet dinners ready in under 30 minutes without having to lift a finger!  Rachel Ray eat your heart out!

Serving the Outer Banks

A Conversation with Chef Lynn Davy