Yesterday I received my first order from my personal chef. If you have never done this before, you must try this. It is, perhaps, the only way to live.

To find a chef, I used findachef.com (see my earlier article on locating personal chefs). I contacted about 5 chefs and most replied within 24 hours. One chef stood out (the domestic goddess) as being particularly detail oriented, attentive, and ready to get the job done. I later found out she lived a previous life as a product manager. It made sense.

We setup a date to meet at my favorite restaurant and she emailed me her food survey. It was a 4 page comprehensive questionnaire isolating my preferred foods, cuisines, dietary habits, and flavoring options. Being a vegetarian with a palette for the world made the process quick. If I was a picky eater, I could easily un-check anything I didn’t want to eat.

One of the key benefits of using a personal chef is the ability to define the terms in which I eat and then have food prepared in this manner. My diet is void of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils when possible. I prefer meals rich in vegetables highlighting greens and cruciferous vegetables. For spices, I like to eat fresh garlic and ginger. Being a vegetarian I also like to include items like flax seed and walnuts to increase my omega 3 intake. These intricacies were easily captured, and in 10 minutes, she understood my wants.

She showed up on time and with a bag full of apple cinnamon muffins for me. We checked off boxes and ate our food. I took my excitement and muffins with me, giving samples to my friends, piano teacher, and roommates. All approved. Pam, you had me at “I brought you these muffins.”

What happens next is she goes home, comes up with a custom menu, and emails it to me for approval. Of course I approved this.

Usually she arrives at a clients home and does all the work there. She cooks the meals, packages, and stores them in the clients fridge. I am seldom home, and really, would rather just have food delivered. She graciously accommodated this request.

Within two days she was at my doorstep with a bright red 30 gallon cooler full of packaged gourmet food. The food was carefully packed in throw away ziploc containers, aluminum trays, and resealable bags. Each item was labeled with a branded sticker and a printed description of each item. Accompanying the shipment was an information pack detailing the courses for each meal, preparation methods, and storage recommendations.

There are 5 meals with 4 hearty servings each. 4 of these meals go into the freezer with one being in the fridge. That gets consumed right away. By right away I mean, she’s still putting her cooler in her car, and I’m salivating over a plate of mixed baby green salad with walnuts and blueberries topped with a pomegranate vinegarette. To the side was a quinoa salad with chopped mango, oranges, green onions, sliced almonds, and something red, perhaps cranberries. This was matched with a thick roasted tomato soup with floating cheese tortellinis. I grinned ear to ear as I devoured this meal.

Oh, and she brought me a 1 gallon bag of homemade cranberry walnut granola as a bonus. I’m in love.