Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What does a Personal Chef do?
A. A Personal Chef helps people with busy lives eat better, healthier and most importantly – with ease and convenience.  Gourmet food is prepared in your home and stored in the refrigerator or freezer based upon your lifestyle needs.  All menus are custom created just for you based on your dining preferences and dietary requirements. A Personal Chef also helps people that want to hold dinner parties and special events in their homes without sacrificing their time in the kitchen or the quality of food.

Q. Who needs a Personal Chef?
A. Families today with jam-packed schedules who are too busy to cook, dislike cooking, or are tired of the hassle and cost of restaurants and take out can benefit from Belle Cuisine. Today many people find they cannot manage a home without a housekeeping service.  It’s becoming the same for putting quality food on the dinner table. Busy individuals, couples and families are hiring personal chefs as their schedules become over-crowded and time becomes more scarce and precious.

  • Busy Professionals, Couples and Individuals
  • Active Families
  • Independent Seniors
  • New Parents
  • People on special diets or with special dietary requirements
  • People with weight loss/health optimization goals
  • People recovering from injury or illness
  • People searching for that special gift no one else has thought of
  • When you want to enjoy (rather than work) your own dinner party
  • Those who do not know how to cook
  • Those who do not like to cook

Q. What does a Belle Cuisine Dinner Party or Event look like?
A. It is the complete gourmet experience in your own home with your own personal chef. First we uncover what you would like the evening or event to look like, taste like and feel like. A customized menu is then created based on your needs and the number of guest. On the day of the event, Chef Jennifer arrives at your home and prepares everything for the meal in your kitchen. Based on the size of the party, she may have a sous chef assisting her with meal preparation and serving. The dinner party or event will flow smoothly and you will have the opportunity to enjoy every minute with your guests.

Q. How does the meal service work?
A. First we meet to conduct a detailed food questionnaire and understand your food preferences and dietary needs. Customized menus are then researched, developed and created for your approval.  Next, Chef Jennifer does all of the grocery shopping and meal preparation in your home.  Your gourmet dinners are packaged, labeled and left in the refrigerator or freezer with complete instructions on how to enjoy. When Chef Jennifer leaves, your kitchen is spotless and the house is filled with the aromas of home cooking.

Q. How often will I need your services?
A. Some families need weekly service while others prefer every other week or even every thrird week for service. It depends on your unique needs. This is a flexible service. After you have tried our service, we can discuss what is right for you.

Q. What does the service cost include?
A. The price of the service includes:

  • Client consultation, food questionnaire and kitchen review
  • Personalized menus research, planning and creation
  • Grocery shopping for the very best, freshest ingredients
  • Cooking, packaging, labeling and storing
  • Kitchen clean-up and sanitization
  • Pantry items such as oil, flour, spices, etc.
  • Groceries are additional as menus vary with each service

Q. Do you cook in my kitchen?
A. Yes, all meals are cooked in the safety of the client's kitchen. I review your kitchen and cooking tools during our consultations and then bring any additional tools and equipment that is needed for the meal preparation on the day of service. Your kitchen is left spotless and smelling of delicious food.

Q. How long will you be in my kitchen?
A. That depends on how many meals and the menu that has been selected for the cook date. Typically, the service takes about 4-6 hours from start to finish.

Q. Why do you have to use my kitchen? Why can't you use your kitchen and deliver my food?
A. Legally I cannot prepare or sell anything out of my own kitchen. With me cooking in your kitchen, you know where your food is coming from. It also keeps the overall cost of this service affordable by eliminating the overhead costs that would be incurred by the use of a commercial kitchen

Q. Do I have to be home when you come to cook?
A. No, you do not have to be home on your scheduled cook date as long as appropriate arrangements are made in advance for me to gain access to your house.

Q. How is the food packaged?
A. A variety of containers are used depending on the food and client preferences. We discuss this at the consultation.  Belle Cuisine utilizes pressed paperboard, aluminum and CPET plastic packaging with recyclability in mind.  Most are microwavable, stackable, refrigerator-freezer friendly, leak-resistant, durable and economical. Food can be packaged in individual or family containers. Other packaging options are available but may require an investment by the client to cover special packaging needs.

Q. How do I get started?
A. Call or email Chef Jennifer today! We will schedule a complimentary in-home consultation. She will sit down with you to complete a comprehensive questionnaire detailing your dining preferences, dietary needs and lifestyle requirements.  From there, custom menus are created by Chef Jennifer, approved by you and a service day is scheduled. So what are you waiting for?

Q. What is the United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA)?
A. The USPCA is the world’s largest and most recognized professional association for Personal Chefs.  For more information on the USPCA, click the logo on our home page to be guided to the USPCA web site.
Other questions?  Please contact Chef Jennifer.