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I always thought personal chefs were for movie stars and the ultra-wealthy. Geez, with the amount a babysitter charges these days, I thought affording a personal chef for my family of 5 would be way out of reach. I was wrong.
Let’s backup a bit: May is just the pits for me. My allergies wear me down, my life is in chaos with end of school activities pulling me in too many directions. Sports are still going strong and I am generally a scatterbrain, and a cranky one, at that. So, I met with Kindy Girdley at the beginning of May on the recommendation of some friends. I had heard that her food was incredible and also healthy. I decided that instead of eating out on average 7 times a week –because I simply don’t have the time to cook in May– I would offset that cost by hiring Kindy to come cook for us each Monday and some Thursdays, as well.
Kindy at work in my kitchen.
Yes, we really do eat out that much. Usually, we eat out for lunch both Saturday and Sunday (not just in May). Then, we eat out probably 3 nights a week on top of this. 1-2 weekend nights and then either eating out or picking up on another weeknight. In May, add two more times to this: we pick up a breakfast about once a week (through a fast food window…guilt is surrounding me right now) and then have an additional dinner out.
When I do get to the market, I always pick up a little something extra here and there, and I always over-buy, as I think, “We won’t eat out as much next week and I will make my family eat all these vegetables!” And then we go out, the vegetables rot, and I add more guilt to my crumbling psyche.
Does this resonate with you? Maybe not. However, if it does, you may want to consider a personal chef.
Days before she comes, Kindy sends a list of 5-7 meals to choose from and I pick three and make any changes if needed. I’m gluten-free and my kids can’t tolerate a bunch of dairy, and Kindy is great at accommodating dietary restrictions. She grocery shops for the food needed to make our requested menu items and then comes straight to our house to cook and prepare our meals.
Our bounty after one Monday with Kindy. This doesn't show the chopped veggies in the refrigerator and the extra granola she made.
Zucchini Lasagna (made using zucchini as the noodles)
Chicken Enchiladas
Fresh made salsa for the enchiladas
Freshly made chips for the extra salsa
Rosemary chicken with lemons, olives and onions
Mashed potatoes
Broccoli -- made with herbs and Braggs "aminos" (which Kindy has introduced us to and we LOVE.)
I promise you this is cheaper than the money we would have spent out, it's healthier and it saved me sanity and time I desperately needed back in my life.
Each Monday Kindy would also make some snacks and homemade granola that would help us through the week. She sometimes came back on Thursday for a second dose but it was mainly a Monday thing. This gave us three meals, sometimes four, and enough of each for me to munch on for lunches. Every time she came we made the three meals into four nights of meals. When she came on Thursdays, we didn’t even go out for lunch on the weekends, and rarely for dinner, except with friends.
With a clean kitchen, practically zero prep time, an organized refrigerator and pantry AND the ease of knowing dinner was planned, I found myself SO MUCH MORE productive! I got ahead on StyleBlueprint work and I got back to getting 7-8 hours of sleep. I was no longer depressed by the thought of dinner — and this from someone who likes to cook! A more-than-full-time job with StyleBlueprint (we’ve expanded to 4 other cities and are launching our Louisville deal site – yay!), three kids and a husband who to travels quite a bit makes for one very tired me, and Kindy has been the perfect solution to a problem that I didn’t realize needed fixing. Simply stated, she’s been a total blessing to my family.
Another week, Kindy made us:
Ginger steak "fried" rice.
Moroccan Chicken Soup (which we'd already eaten half of by the time I took this picture!)
Pesto gluten-free pasta.
Kale "chips"-- my kids even love these.
Peanut butter rice krispy treats (made with Justin's peanut butter and brown rice syrup).
So, Kindy is mine on Mondays from now on. You can’t have her. Well, she can probably leave here and come to your house. She usually is here for about 4 hours, sometimes 5. At $45 an hour, that’s $180. Believe me it is worth it: a clean kitchen, meals, snacks, homemade granola, and time saved. I love knowing a healthy, homemade meal is waiting and I’m not throwing unused food away that I was too busy to make into something. This is not the answer for everyone, but for some, it is. We’ve even dropped a few pounds.
Other meals made include these sweet potato pancakes with BBQ chicken and spicy coleslaw. We had enough to make 20 of these.
Salmon with roasted vegetables.
Several times we've asked for a big salad. This one includes grilled flank steak and bunches of vegetables including eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes with feta cheese and a homemade dressing.
And, for someone who is sick, or parents of a new baby? This may be the better way for friends to chip in than bringing another chicken salad casserole…
Kindy also provides a meal delivery service on Mondays and Wednesdays for those not wanting to commit to a regular schedule. Many get these meals on both days. Please email her for details and her delivery range: [email protected]
There are several personal chef services in town, and the ones we know and can recommend are listed below. (All are able to accommodate dietary restrictions, as well):
Kindy Girdley: http://thechicpeacateringco.blogspot.com/; [email protected]
Callie McMillin: http://calliemcmillin.com;
Tina’s Table: http://www.tinastable.com/
Simply Sarah: http://www.simplysarahnashville.com
Each of the above will cater small to large parties and dinner parties.
So, what do you think? Tempting isn’t it?
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20 Responses to “Can You Afford to Hire a Personal Chef?”
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Yum–it all looks delicious!
Random question: what kind of wood are your kitchen cabinets? Sorry; we are about to do a kitchen remodel (one track mind :)). Thanks!
No idea… they were put in right before we bought the house. I think Maple… pretty sure. Def. not oak and not cherry (but we have cherry in other places!). Good luck with the kitchen re-do. They are hard but worth it!
Will she share any of her recipes?
She has many of her recipes on her site:-) http://thechicpeacateringco.blogspot.com/
Oh my gosh Liza. I want this. Ever since having the baby I just can’t seem to get my life together. Between working full time, my blog, and taking care of the baby, there is practically no time for cooking! We’ve been doing take-out so much, and I feel so guilty about it.
Thanks for sharing. Now to calculate the budget and see if this makes sense for us!
Beth, seriously, try her out. And, I know she makes organic baby food:-) I wish I had known about this when I had babies as the constant guilt combined with little energy can really wear you down. She is great. Contact her soon as I know she’s getting lots of emails. My husband looked at our budget and we are not spending any more, but we are a family of 5, with a 13 year old, and that may be different than a family of 3!
I was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in March, and one of my best friends came over almost every day to do my shopping and cooking for me. After six weeks, I hired her to continue as my personal assistant and chef. If not for her, I wouldn’t have been able to live on my own. Plus, she loves to cook and she’s way more creative than I am. We eat organic, healthy food every day. The medicine is helping diminish my cancer, but Sharon’s cooking is helping me get back my HEALTH.
So glad your cancer is diminishing. Organic healthy food, good doctors and loving friends are a good prescription. A big hug of warmth from all of us at StyleBlueprint.
I swear girl, are you psychic?!?!? NO joking, just last night I was ranting about trying to get dinner thrown together at 8PM!! This is not the first time I have had a major hiccup in life and I wake up the very next morning and you have a SBP post on that very issue!
Does Kindy or another of the chefs plan meals based on ingredients I would have on hand? For example, I buy a CSA box from Green Door gourmet every week and would like to have my meals planned based on that. Plus, I have a lot of wild game and seafood in the freezer.
I think all the chefs listed do a free consultation and I would assume so:-) This has been a game changer for our family!
I would absolutely love to work with your CSA box as I use local Ingredients as often as possible! My personal chef rate is $45 per hour plus groceries so if you already have the groceries it saves me time and you money! Give me a call or email to set up a schedule. Thanks!
As one of the other chef’s from the list at the end of the article, I too would work around the ingredients you already have on hand, or receive through your CSA. I love the opportunity to work with local ingredients and support other local businesses. Or in the case of wild game, ones that aren’t always readily available at the local market.
If I was still local, I would have called one of these talented folks the second I saw this post!!!
This is some of the best advice ever! I am always urging clients (and reminding myself) to outsource anything that takes time, energy and money away from the things you’d really love to be doing. Thanks for all the great resources! :))
I am so glad you are featuring an amazing woman like Kindy on your site! Kindy (ChicPea Catering) just catered my wedding reception this past Sunday and made it Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and Scrumptious! Our guests are still talking about the menu items and her flavorful new takes on traditional items like fruit salad and deviled eggs. She is incredibly talented and a sweetheart as well. You will love what she can create for you!
I’ve never heard of Braggs’ amino. What is it and what do you do with it. Looks interesting. Thank you.
I have had on and off personal chefs who do this sort of thing. I live in Minneapolis. Firstly, she has the most beautiful food! Secondly, her pricing is affordable and probably will keep her super busy! thirdly, Cant we get someone to be as creative and healthy as she is in our town? Way to go!!!
My sister in law is having a baby and this would be the perfect gift! Any recommendations in Atlanta?
We used Kindy last week and she was PHENOMENAL. My son, who is on an anti-meat kick, raved about the beef tenderloin. We all appreciated the change-up from the old standbys. Kindy is lovely and great to work with, A real treat!
Martha, I’m so glad she is working for a family as great as yours! I hope that with you back at work this proves to be as much as a lifesaver for you as it has for me!
Liza