BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Personal Chef New Personal Chef Editor

Hey My Fellow Foodies!!!

I'm really excited to be the new editor of the Personal Chef Site. I think it's going to be a lot of fun and that we're going to be able to delve into the food world and see what it has to offer the novice as well as the well seasoned chef.

One thing I've learned about food is that there's always something new you can do with it, so I think that will be a great premise to approach this topic with.

What do you think?

I'll tell you a little about myself [just enough to not glaze you over ]:

I'm a vegetarian, straight foodie and I grew up in the kitchen watching my Great-Aunt prepare the most amazing dishes from various cultures. [I've got her recipe box now and we still keep in touch ]

Besides educational programming [PBS style] FOOD TV is my thing. I purposely don't keep a TV nearby to keep from getting mesmerized by my favorite programs: National Geographics; Nova; Good Eats; Emeril; Iron Chef; $40 a Day; No Reservations; Kitchen Nightmares; Dinner Impossible; Top Chef; I'll stop there, but truthfully that's just the literal tip of the iceberg.

DON'T GET ME STARTED!!! FOOD IS BEAUTIFUL and IT'S ART!!!

I wasn't always a vegetarian... actually I was the farthest thing from it. I didn't start eating things that remotely looked like salad until the end of my 8th grade year.

Go figure!

I grew up around extreme culture. Within a 1/8 mile radius our friends and neighbors represented 16 different nationalities, of which we ate a considerable collection of foods, joined in on the cultural and family get togethers and developed a lot of likes on my dinner plate.

I'm a flavor and spice junkie! I love the versatility seasonings from all over the world bring to a good dish. Over the years I've eaten, rather, devoured and relished in some 45 cultures exploring new and exciting dishes. I regularly design my own seasoning blends to meet my needs or the needs of those I cook for.

Give me a good rare or not-so-rare spice, foodie book, item, etc. and I'm sure you'll be in the running for my next best friend.

Anyway, I think I just got in under the wire of glazing you over with my rantings, but that's part of who I am when it comes to food and food things.

I'll tell you these last things...

I think that one of the most important things I can offer you on my site is a series of processes that can provide a bridge from where you are currently to where you want to be. Regardless of your level of expertise. That's the beautiful thing about timeless principles...

They work all the time!

So let me know where you're at, what you want to know and I'll tell you this... if I don't know the answer... I'm more than sure it's just a phone call or a google search away; and if it's humanly possible, God willing, I'll get it to you.

I'm not afraid to ask others in the know.

So talk at me!
Let me know what's up with you!
Shoot me your questions, comments, tips, tricks, etc...
and
I'll talk back atcha!!!

I really think we're gonna have a good time with this!!!

P.S. Now's the time to catch me with your stuff. I'll be able to really talk about the things that matter most to you along with my own musings of the subject matter.

P.P.S. Just to let you know... I am going to be going off in a bunch of tangents. That's just how food is in my opinion. So if that doesn't work for you, you're gonna have to put in your bid early for a more contained 'straight arrow site' and I'll see what I can do.

Hey Jason,
Welcome! So nice to have someone enthusiastic here.

First question - how did you get started? I'm having a heck of a time getting the word out about my business. I've just committed to a series of locally targeted magazine ads that are ludicrously expensive, but that's the only way I've found that even comes close to reaching the demographic audience I need.

Second question - where do you get your BEST ideas? I know chefs steal from each other all the time, but do you have other sources that you like (besides the cookbooks, websites, etc,) I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want really unusual recipes, and some new takes on tried-and-true favorites to offer my clients, and they're few and far between.

Thanks,
Beth Schwind Greenbaum
Buon Gusto
Personal Chef and In-Home Catering

Ha! I thought that was you, LOL!

I am Soooooooo glad to see someone good and talented in this position!

I grew up a caterer's daughter and my brother went on to be a chef. I worked my entire teen years with my Mom, and part of my adulthood running the business end of her business. But ultimately it came down to, I'd much rather make food for my friends and my own parties than someone else's. (Plus I always detested cleanup time!)

Catering and Personal chefs are not the same, but I'd say we are close cousins at least.

Hey Chelle!!!

Thanks for the compliment. And I agree with the clean up statement... It can really put a damper on the fun of creating the mess.

You're right about the close cousins between the catering and personal cheffing. What would you say was the most endearing part of what you did running the business end of your mom's catering business and the thing [aside from the clean up ] that left the most to be desired?

I'm so glad you stopped in. I'm really looking forward to sinking my teeth [pun intended ] into this site.

I loved planning weddings. Trying to create someone's fantasy day is always such fun. The best one was when we did a very late night wedding, and it was an all dessert buffet with a Victorian theme. Becuase I also love donig home decor-so this one just got to combine 2 of my loves!

But we had lots of unique weddings that were always fun.

Then we had some that were not so much, where the MIL was trying to take over the wedding from the MOB and the bride and there was lost of tension- and of course WE were the ones caught in the middle. But as professionals, you never let on that anything was wrong.

The thing that was the worst was that with catering, you left your kitchen and supplies behind. So if something got messed up (Like an entire pan of spaghetti sauce was dropped) -then you had no backup. And it could get really, really stressful. Also, the hours were crazy. My mom had to finally resign because she could not keep her diabetes under control. She could not eat on a normal schedule-because we were always working when she needed to be eating and taking care of herself.

It is a very stressful job. I never take for grantedany chef or waitress in a restaurant anymore. On the other hand, I don't stand for rudeness from one either.

Hey Chelle,

I can relate to a lot of the things you've mentioned here. The food industry can be a very demanding one and as they say for good teachers, good food professionals really feel the crunch when they're in the throws of work.

There's a fine balance between accommodation, client satisfaction and the professionalism of getting the job done at the highest levels possible. When you're dedicated to all of the above and you pull it off, it makes it very difficult to tolerate rudeness from other food professionals.

I bet those weddings you've planned were out of this world. I know you put a lot of care in whatever you do. What would you say stood out the most in them?

My mom is meticulous about her weddings - and as far as the reception goes, she feels like it is "hers" as much as it is the bride's. The only difference being she holds the responsibility instead of the enjoyment.

She handmade and decorated all of her cakes. All of our food was from scratch. We did everything from decorating the tables to packing a picnic basket for the bride and groom to take with them in the limo at the end of the reception.

But I think the thing that has always impressed me the most is that my Mom still remembers every single bride she has ever had. She knows the grooms most of the time, but she has never forgotten a bride's name. We are talking almost 25 years worth of weddings.

It was that kind of personal attention that always made Mom's catering so special.

Chelle,

That's an awesome legacy to remember your clients names. it shows that it went deeper than just another job.

I think that's the big picture statement of the year. To really approach your craft with love so that ALL of the details stand out to you. The more value you put into what you do, the bigger the impact you'll have on those you work with.

Life can be so busy that we can easily lose sight of the core reasons why we do the things we do in life. If it's for the love of it then bravo, let's talk about how to convert the things we love into our careers without cheapening and losing the passion for it.

Any feedback on this?