Wouldn’t it be great to have someone plan, shop, and cook all your dinners? Yeah, and then I woke up from that dream. In reality, a personal chef can save you time and money, and you don’t have to be rich.

What is a personal chef service (PCS) anyway?

A PCS is a meal service customized to you and your family’s tastes, eating habits, diets, and schedules. It is usually owned by the chef, and the chef is the one planning, shopping, and cooking for you. The chef may send you a customized menu with an option to change items or give you a list of items that fit your profile, and you choose what you want. The chef shops for all the groceries and comes to your house and cooks approximately 2 weeks of dinners (if you ate it every week night, which you don’t have to do). Some of the meals go in the refrigerator and the remaining go in the freezer, or they can all be frozen.

So how do you know if a PCS is a good fit for you? Do any of these statements pertain to you?
•  I hate to cook.
•  I’m stressed about what’s for dinner.
•  I have no time to cook, let alone plan dinner.
•  With all good intentions, I plan and shop for the week, but much of the food ends in the trash because I am too exhausted to cook.
•  I only have 30 minutes when the whole family is together for dinner, especially when school is in session.
•  I consume a lot of take-out and fast food.
•  I want to eat healthier but don’t know how or don’t have the time.

You can see how time is a prevalent theme here. Is it worth it? So how do you figure out if you should have a personal chef? Ask yourself, “what is my time worth to me?” It can be your hourly work rate or whatever value you want. There are online calculators (search “value of your time”) that help you determine that value. Then determine how much time you spend on getting dinner on the table – including the planning, shopping, and cooking. That time spent multiplied by your time value lets you know how much you “spend” on getting dinner together.
Also consider how much you spend in dining out, take-out, and fast food. And add any groceries you purchased that get tossed because you never got around to cooking them.
Besides the money aspect, consider the psychological aspect. Do you hate to cook? Will it save your marriage? Review the money analysis along with the psychological to help you make
a decision.

If you have decided it’s time to outsource the cooking, what kind of background should your chef have? She or he should have at least 10 years experience cooking. A culinary degree, while not a necessity, is valuable. She can cook varied cuisines and be certified in safe food handling. Client references should be available. Belonging to national culinary organizations shows that the chef is committed to growing in their field and expanding their education.

Below are some questions you should ask and the answers you should receive:

Can you accommodate the different tastes of our family?

Yes, the chef should interview the whole family to get everyone’s input (although mom usually knows everybody’s tastes). The chef creates menus that fit all likes and dislikes. If that seems impossible, a mix of dishes could accommodate several family members, with the remaining ones geared toward the others.
Our schedule is crazy. We don’t all eat at the same time.

Can you work with that?

The chef should package to your needs, whether that is family style or individual servings. I only have 15 minutes to eat.

Can I have everything ready to heat in the microwave?

The chef wants to make your life easy. If that’s all you have time for, then the food needs to be ready when you are.

How often do you come to cook?

The service should fit your schedule and budget. It could be every 2 weeks, once a month, or whenever you need help.

Can you deliver?

Only chefs with commercial kitchens licensed and inspected by the health department can deliver. It is illegal to cook from the chef’s home and deliver.

Can you cook for my special diet or food allergies?

A chef should be upfront with you on whether they have cooked your requested diet. It would not be uncommon for the chef to ask for more information from your doctor and/or dietician. For food allergies, if the reaction is severe, the chef should only use your pots, pans, and utensils to cook your meals.

Can I sample your food before I decide to use your service?

For most chefs, this would be cost prohibitive. They do not keep an inventory of groceries on hand. Try a mini service if it is offered.

What if I don’t like the food?
A chef should guarantee the food. The meal should be replaced or money returned.

What if I don’t want my food frozen?

Ask the chef about a weekly fresh service.

I hope I’ve armed you with enough information to determine if you need help in the kitchen.

Lisa Brisch is the chef/owner of Dinner Thyme Personal Chef Service www.dinner-thyme.com.

Chef Lisa, a transplant to Middletown, DE from Phoenix, AZ, started her customized cooking business in February 2000 while in Phoenix and introduced her service to Delaware in early 2002.

Dinner Thyme offers customized meal service for those individuals and families who are too busy to cook, don’t like to cook, or don’t know how to cook. Chef Lisa is able to provide optimal results by inquiring about your likes and dislikes and any specific dietary requirements you may have. From this information, she develops a personalized menu for your approval. Chef Lisa comes to your home armed with groceries and cooking equipment and prepares personalized meals in your own kitchen. Each meal is labeled, packaged, and stored in your refrigerator and freezer with detailed reheating instructions to ensure your satisfaction. For more information, contact Dinner Thyme at 302-275-7401 or email Lisa at lisabrisch@verizon.net.

She graduated March 2001 with highest honors from the Art Institute of Phoenix culinary program. She also has a B.S. in General Business from Arizona State University.  Brisch belongs to the United States Personal Chef Association, a leader in the personal chef industry, and became a USPCA Certified Personal Chef (CPC) in December 2001.
Her CPC designation is an industry endorsement of professional expertise, showing her commitment to excellent customer service. She is also a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and is president of her local USPCA chapter, Mid-Atlantic chefs.

Testimonials:
“The veal was so wonderful last night. You make the end of the day so delightful with your wonderful food. I still cannot get over the pork chops from last time. I think you got a 5 star rating on that one.”
~Robin & Marshall K.

“Lisa is an outstanding chef with a unique ability to identify personal tastes and budgetary needs in order to customize menu options. Her meals were delicious and her catered dishes were the highlight of our parties. Lisa is a valued ‘sourcing partner’ for our household and I highly recommend her services to anyone who wants to eat healthy, delicious, fresh meals without having to do the shopping, prep, cooking and clean up!”
~Jill R.

By: Lisa Brisch, Certified Personal Chef Dinner Thyme Personal Chef Service

Wouldn’t it be fun if you invited a bunch of your girlfriends over to eat some great food and hang out for a few hours? Oh, but then you have to plan what to serve and spend time making that great food. You could make it potluck but maybe you want to do something different. What if you could have a chef come to your house and show you how to make some amazing food? That sounds like a party!
Here are some ideas for themes – appetizers, tapas, mezethes, soups, desserts, 4-course meals of ethnic cuisine like Thai, Mexican, Spanish, etc.
Once you decide on a theme, your chef should come up with recipes that can be done by your group in the time allotted and taste great. You can either eat as you go or complete all the recipes and sit down for a feast at the end. No matter what, you should have fun and learn something new about cooking. Maybe you’ll even learn something new about one of your friends.
I love the flavors of Asian food. Each area of Asia has a different cuisine but they compliment each other so that it wouldn’t be odd to put together a meal with a Thai dish, a Chinese dish, and an Americanized-Asian dish. Doesn’t this sound fun to make: Thai Shrimp Bisque, Ginger Flank Steak with Sake-Glazed Vegetables, Egg-Fried Rice, and Ginger Ice Cream with Orange-Chocolate Sauce.
So maybe you don’t feel like cooking at all but still want to have your friends over at your house. Why not have a chef come cook your meal? Enjoy your guests without worrying about the food. It’s more fun than going to a restaurant because you can stay as long as you like and play the music as loud as you like. You can also have the menu customized to your preferences.
About Chef Lisa
Lisa Brisch is the chef/owner of Dinner Thyme Personal Chef Service www.dinner-thyme.com
Chef Lisa, a transplant to Middletown, DE from Phoenix, AZ, started her customized cooking business in February 2000 while in Phoenix and introduced her service to Delaware in early 2002.
Dinner Thyme offers customized meal service for those individuals and families who are too busy to cook, don’t like to cook, or don’t know how to cook.  Chef Lisa is able to provide optimal results by inquiring about your likes and dislikes and any specific dietary requirements you may have.  From this information, she develops a personalized menu for your approval.  Chef Lisa comes to your home armed with groceries and cooking equipment and prepares personalized meals in your own kitchen.   Each meal is labeled, packaged, and stored in your refrigerator and freezer with detailed reheating instructions to ensure your satisfaction.
Lisa graduated March 2001 with highest honors from the Art Institute of Phoenix culinary program.  She also has a B.S. in General Business from Arizona State University.  Brisch belongs to the United States Personal Chef Association, a leader in the personal chef industry, and became a USPCA Certified Personal Chef (CPC) in December 2001.  Her CPC designation is an industry endorsement of professional expertise, showing her commitment to excellent customer service. She is also a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and is president of her local USPCA chapter, Mid-Atlantic chefs.
For more information or to schedule an in-home cooking class, call 302-275-7401.

Testimonial:
“Lisa Brisch enjoys a renowned reputation for creativity and superior presentations when it comes time to: entertain guests, take care of a homebound loved one and more. Her “personal chef” skills and talents warrant return visits as she delights small and medium sized guests with succulent and affordable dinner delights. If you want and need a professional chef who enjoys her work and who takes time to listen, is prompt and reliable, than look no further.”
~ John S.

The holidays are over, and the school/work routine is back in full swing. Perhaps one of your New Year’s resolutions was to eat together as a family at your own dinner table more often. That can be hard between making sure homework is done and getting your kids to their after school activities. Deciding on what’s for dinner can add more stress to your already overloaded day.  Here are some tips on getting a handle on dinner.

A well stocked pantry is the key to getting dinner on the table fast. Things that you should have on hand (assuming you like these and no food allergies):
•  Tomato products such as canned diced, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and jarred marinara
•  Canned beans
•  Pasta and rice
•  Condiments such as olives, roasted red peppers, capers
•  Onions and garlic
•  Olive oil

This is a small sampling of what your pantry should have but just from that list, you could make dinner. Besides the pantry, items that should be in your refrigerator and freezer are:
•  Eggs (breakfast for dinner, anyone?)
•  Bacon
•  Butter
•  Milk
•  Good cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano (a bit pricy but will
last if stored in wax paper and
a zip-top bag)
•  Seasonal produce
•  Frozen vegetables

From the pantry and refrigerator list, you could make Pasta Carbonara (eggs, pasta, garlic, bacon, olive oil or butter, Parmesan cheese). Have a grocery list template. The list is divided into sections of the grocery store (produce, dairy, meat, etc). The list always has items I keep on hand like the above pantry and refrigerator items. I leave room to add ingredients that I will be using for meals for the upcoming week.

Collect recipes that appeal to everyone in the family. There are so many ways to get recipes – cookbooks, cooking magazines, newspapers, and the internet. Having a system to keep recipes categorized is essential. It could be as low-tech as a notebook binder with tabs separating the categories (poultry, beef, pork, vegetables, etc.) or as high-tech as investing in recipe software. With recipe software, you are able to search recipes based on ingredients you have on hand or want to buy (big sale!). Then create your meal plan and shopping list with a push of a button.

Get your family to help in deciding meals. If your kids are picky, let them help in the meal planning process. If they are old enough, let them help cook. They are more likely to eat what they make since they know what ingredients went into the recipe. Get a calendar, get your recipes and mark which days you will eat at home. Assign recipes to the calendar and make your grocery list (what you have on hand and what you need to buy). For the coming week, put all pantry items that will be used on an assigned shelf so everyone knows it’s the dinner shelf and the items will be right at hand when you go to prepare dinner. You could do the same thing for the refrigerator. Especially if you have fridge fairies that steal food you knew you had and needed for dinner.

If you have the time and inclination, do all your cooking for the week on one day and freeze what will be eaten toward the end of the week. Set up reminders to thaw that food or heat it up from frozen if you prefer. For more efficiency, cook double the servings of your family and freeze for a meal next month.

Still too busy to meal plan? Chef Lisa is here to help. Not only does she plan your meals, she shops and cooks it for you. All customized to the way you want to eat.

About Chef Lisa - Lisa Brisch is the chef/owner of Dinner Thyme Personal Chef Service www.dinner-thyme.com. Chef Lisa, a transplant to Middletown, DE from Phoenix, AZ, started her customized cooking business in February 2000 while in Phoenix and introduced her service to Delaware in early 2002. Dinner Thyme offers customized meal service for those individuals and families who are too busy to cook, don’t like to cook, or don’t know how to cook. Chef Lisa is able to provide optimal results by inquiring about your likes and dislikes and any specific dietary requirements you may have. From this information, she develops a personalized menu for your approval. Chef Lisa comes to your home armed with groceries and cooking equipment and prepares personalized meals in your own kitchen. Each meal is labeled, packaged, and stored in your refrigerator and freezer with detailed reheating instructions to ensure your satisfaction.

She graduated March 2001 with highest honors from the Art Institute of Phoenix culinary program. She also has a B.S. in General Business from Arizona State University.  Brisch belongs to the United States Personal Chef Association, a leader in the personal chef industry, and became a USPCA Certified Personal Chef (CPC) in December 2001.  Her CPC designation is an industry endorsement of professional expertise, showing her commitment to excellent customer service. She is also a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and is president of her local USPCA chapter, Mid-Atlantic chefs.
For more information, contact Dinner Thyme at 302-275-7401, www.Dinner-Tyme.com, or email Lisa at lisabrisch@verizon.net.

Testimonial:
“Lisa has cooked for my clients for years. Part of my job as a financial advisor is reviewing the expenses of my clients. My clients were throwing away groceries that were spoiling, ordering out on a regular basis and not eating healthy. After contacting Lisa, all of them were able to lower their monthly food bills by eliminating waste and they were eating much healthier. I’ve personally eaten Lisa’s cooking many times at my clients’ houses and it is delicious. Lisa Brisch will help you design customized meals for any dietary need – and possibly save you money at the
same time.”         ~ Darren D.

Lisa Brisch, Certified Personal Chef, Dinner Thyme Personal Chef Service

OK. It’s that time of year – the end of an old one and beginning of the new. Instead of New Year’s resolution to lose X amount of pounds, why not try to eat better? It’s less restrictive than dieting and you concentrate on foods you should eat as opposed to what you shouldn’t eat.  As a result, you’ll lose weight because you’ll be eating smarter.

So where do you start?

How about breakfast? You do eat breakfast, right?
If you don’t, you should. Your body and brain need the fuel. Lean protein and/or whole grains are good choices. Eggs are great and are no longer considered a “bad” food. Have a batch of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge for those fast – on the go breakfasts. I like to make muffins with whole-wheat flour, flax meal, and bran with some dried fruit. Muffins freeze well so having a dozen in your freezer means breakfast in a flash.

Lunch options may seem easy.  A salad at a restaurant or fast food place sounds ideal. But is it really? Unless you get the salad dressing on the side, you are getting more fat in your diet than you need. Make your own chicken salad – olive oil based with herbs and citrus – add some vegetables like green beans, asparagus, or bell peppers, and serve over whole grains like brown rice, barley, bulgur, or quinoa (not really a grain but a seed). Sub the chicken with tuna or shrimp. Change the grain, the vegetable, the dressing and you have so many possibilities.

Dinner is always the hardest especially if you are feeding a family. At the end of the day, you’re probably tired and hungry. You’re susceptible to eating a few cookies or chips (or the whole bag – I’ve done it) before even starting dinner. Ideally, you should eat every few hours so you are never overly hungry. Having a plan can help. Know what you are cooking for the week and make sure you have everything on hand to get dinner on the table. Buy your non-perishables on your regular shopping day plus perishables (vegetables and proteins) that will be eaten within 3 days. Make quick stop midweek for the rest of your perishables. So what about healthier eating? Where does this fit in? Well, by cooking mostly from scratch you’re already ahead of the game. Here are some tips to consider when planning your healthy meals:

• Use less butter (a little is great for flavor) and more olive oil.
• Choose lean protein – chicken (white or dark – dark is “fattier” but it’s still lean and I think it tastes better and doesn’t dry out), turkey, pork tenderloin, flank steak, top sirloin, fish, shrimp, scallops, crab, tofu.
• Use seasonal vegetables and fruits – they taste better when they are in season although some are grown year round, like broccoli.
• Incorporate whole grains – start with half “white grain” and half whole grain if you think it will take some time to get used to it.
• Limit the use of processed foods – canned soup and sauces – read the label – pay attention to sodium and fat.
• Use full flavored cheeses in small amounts instead of bland tasting fat-free “cheese”.
• Eat a salad before dinner.
• Jazz up a salad with different greens – spinach, arugula, baby lettuces – and add toasted nuts, dried fruit, and some full flavored cheese – goat, blue, feta.
• Make your own vinaigrettes – they’re easy and so much better than bottled dressing.

You might be thinking this is all great information but you have no time to plan because of your family and work obligations. If there were just 3 more hours in the day. Consider getting help from a personal chef. A chef can help you make that conversion to eating healthy by doing the planning, shopping, and cooking for you. All you have to do is heat and eat.

Testimonials:
“I’ve lost 26 pounds since December 1st!!!! I’ve been going to the Weight Watchers meetings (before I was trying to follow the program but without going to the meetings). I honestly don’t know how people who don’t have someone like you can plan and cook low points meals every night. You are a godsend.”     ~ Robin K.

About Chef Lisa

Lisa Brisch is the chef/owner of Dinner Thyme Personal Chef Service www.dinner-thyme.com. Chef Lisa, a transplant to Middletown, DE from Phoenix, AZ, started her customized cooking business in February 2000 while in Phoenix and introduced her service to Delaware in early 2002. Dinner Thyme offers customized meal service for those individuals and families who are too busy to cook, don’t like to cook, or don’t know how to cook. Chef Lisa is able to provide optimal results by inquiring about your likes and dislikes and any specific dietary requirements you may have. From this information, she develops a personalized menu for your approval. Chef Lisa comes to your home armed with groceries and cooking equipment and prepares personalized meals in your own kitchen. Each meal is labeled, packaged, and stored in your refrigerator and freezer with detailed reheating instructions to ensure your satisfaction. She graduated March 2001 with highest honors from the Art Institute of Phoenix culinary program. She also has a B.S. in General Business from Arizona State University.  Brisch belongs to the United States Personal Chef Association, a leader in the personal chef industry, and became a USPCA Certified Personal Chef (CPC) in December 2001. Her CPC designation is an industry endorsement of professional expertise, showing her commitment to excellent customer service. She is also a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and is president of her local USPCA chapter, Mid-Atlantic chefs.

For more information, contact Dinner Thyme at 302-275-7401 or
email Lisa at lisabrisch@verizon.net.

Kids are back in school and the school year routine is back in full swing. After school, activities are planned and everyone knows the schedule. Oh, wait a minute. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and then the December holidays are right on its heels. Are you hosting any of these celebrations? Are you out of your mind?

OK. I’m going to let you in on a secret. Holiday dinners can be relatively stress-free. And here’s the secret: plan, plan, plan. Plan your menu now when you have some time. Shop as early as you can. Make a checklist for what you will make and when. Create a timeline for the day of the big meal – what needs to be cooked and/or reheated, how and when, based on what time you’re eating. This guarantees you won’t be trying to cook things at different temperatures at the same time in one oven.
•  Turkey
(14-16 pounds feeds 12 people)
•  Gravy
•  Mashed Potatoes
•  Sweet Potato Casserole
•  Green Beans
•  Cranberry Sauce
•  Rolls
•  Pumpkin and/or Sweet Potato Pie

Here’s what can be made ahead and frozen: Gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, rolls, and pie dough (or cheat and use the refrigerated pie dough from the supermarket).
So how do you make gravy without cooking turkey first? Turkey wings! Make a stock with a package of turkey wings from the supermarket. Don’t know how to make stock? It can take about 3 hours but it’s mostly hands-off time. You can find lots of recipes for stock making on the internet or in any basic cookbook. You will need 1 quart of stock for gravy. Once your stock is made and strained, chill it overnight. There should be a layer of fat that rises to the top once the stock is very cold. Skim that off and keep for later. Freeze the stock and fat.

Freezer mashed potatoes work best by roasting Russet or Idaho potatoes instead of simmering them. Here’s a tip to make fast baked potatoes. Microwave potatoes (pierce with a fork or knife all over first) for 10 minutes, turning them over halfway through. Then bake in a 400° oven for 20 minutes or until a knife pierces through easily. Cool potatoes for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut in half lengthwise (you may need a towel or pot holders to handle the potatoes), scoop flesh, mash, add melted butter, milk or half & half, salt, and pepper. Cool for an hour before putting them in the refrigerator. Chill overnight, wrap container in plastic wrap and freeze.

For the sweet potatoes, make your mashed sweet potatoes but don’t put your marshmallows on top. Chill the sweet potatoes, wrap tightly, and freeze.

If you like to make your own rolls, you can make your dough, let it rise, then shape, rise again and freeze. For pie dough, make it, chill it, roll out, put in pie plate, partially bake if required, cool, and freeze.

If you plan on buying a frozen turkey do it early in November along with any other items that you can get – canned pumpkin, fresh cranberries (put in the freezer as is) or canned cranberry sauce, butter, and special spices (don’t forget to check your spices that you only use once a year). Do your last minute shopping on Friday. If you are getting a fresh turkey, Monday through Wednesday for pick-up will be fine.
Things to do the weekend before: move frozen turkey to refrigerator on Saturday. Gravy, turkey fat, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes can wait until Sunday or Monday. If using fresh green beans, wash and trim them. Pull out all your non-perishables that you will need for the meal so they are ready to go. Designate a shelf in the refrigerator for your perishables.

Tuesday or Wednesday – make your green bean casserole, chill. If making fresh cranberry sauce, do it now. No need to thaw those frozen cranberries. Make your pie filling, bake on Wednesday.

Thursday – Using your timeline put the turkey in the oven. When turkey is almost done, finish the gravy. In a saucepan, make a roux by heating the reserved turkey fat (you’ll need 6 tablespoons – add butter if you don’t have enough fat). Add 6 tablespoons flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Slowly add 1 quart of turkey stock to the pan. Whisk constantly and bring to a simmer. Take off the heat and reheat when ready to serve. Check for seasoning. Once the turkey is done, bake your rolls from frozen. Your turkey will stay very hot for at least an hour if left whole. So use this time to heat the rest of your side dishes in a 350° oven or warm in the microwave. I like to take those items out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking/heating. If just reheating, give it a head start in the microwave and finish in the oven, especially if you need a golden brown top.

So that’s Thanksgiving for you! I hope I’ve given you some good tips on having a wonderful stress-free celebration. If you need help with your menu planning, want some recipes, or just want someone else to do your holiday meals, contact me.

About Chef Lisa
Lisa Brisch is the chef/owner of Dinner Thyme Personal Chef Service www.dinner-thyme.com.Chef Lisa, a transplant to Middletown, DE from Phoenix, AZ, started her customized cooking business in February 2000 while in Phoenix and introduced her service to Delaware in early 2002. Dinner Thyme offers customized meal service for those individuals and families who are too busy to cook, don’t like to cook, or don’t know how to cook. Chef Lisa is able to provide optimal results by inquiring about your likes and dislikes and any specific dietary requirements you may have. From this information, she develops a personalized menu for your approval. Chef Lisa comes to your home armed with groceries and cooking equipment and prepares personalized meals in your own kitchen. Each meal is labeled, packaged, and stored in your refrigerator and freezer with detailed reheating instructions to ensure your satisfaction.

She graduated March 2001 with highest honors from the Art Institute of Phoenix culinary program. She also has a B.S. in General Business from Arizona State University.  Brisch belongs to the United States Personal Chef Association, a leader in the personal chef industry, and became a USPCA Certified Personal Chef (CPC) in December 2001.
Her CPC designation is an industry endorsement of professional expertise, showing her commitment to excellent customer service. She is also a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and is president of her local USPCA chapter, Mid-Atlantic chefs.

For more information, contact Dinner Thyme at 302-275-7401 or email Lisa at lisabrisch@verizon.net.

Testimonials:

“Lisa, your organic spread got rave reviews last night! Both from my guests and my family.”
~ Stephanie T.

“Your food is FANTASTIC!”
~ Laura S.