I thought it would be a good idea to start off talking about my approach to creating in the kitchen. While I love looking through cookbooks and finding new recipes, I almost never cook from a recipe, except when I’m doing baking or pastry where the ingredient proportions make a big difference to the result.

What I’m usually looking for is an interesting combination of ingredients and spices that I can build from. A theme, if you will. Then I take that theme and add my own spin on it. The process is a lot of trial and error, but eventually I end up with something classic that also has my personal stamp on it.

This approach works very well, I think, in the personal chef business. I able to give my clients familiar dishes that their families will enjoy, while personalizing and customizing those dishes to their specific tastes and needs. And by essentially making every meal custom, I give my clients the variety that keeps things interesting from cookdate to cookdate. The process requires a bit more effort than just selecting and cooking recipes, but it suits my personality perfectly.

Typically, I will spend time on the weekends looking for and creating menu ideas for the upcoming week’s cookdates. This is one of my favorite activities. I do a lot of perusing the offerings at my local markets. I have close relationships with many of the meat and produce section managers, so I’m able to see what’s fresh and what’s new. My favorite local market is Sprouts. The produce and meats there are always an inspiration. Another great inspiration for me is Dallas’ wonderful farmer’s market. I love the sheer volume and variety, and I love getting local ingredients for my clients.

Reviews of my clients’ past menus and preferences also play a big role in developing new menus. I try to come up with menus that combine past favorites with new items. I strive to make every cookdate menu unique.

To me, this is one of the best things for the client about having a personal chef: the chef constantly comes up with new and interesting items that fit into the likes and desires of the client without any effort on the client’s part. While there truly is “nothing new under the sun”, I can make it sure seem like it.