Remarkable Personal Chefs

I recently read Jeff Haden’s article, 8 Qualities of Remarkable Employees, on inc.com, and it really is so applicable to nearly any job or position, across any industry, including the personal/private chef world. As Atlanta Personal Chef Service interviews and hires personal chefs to work in client’s homes, we are looking for chefs with skills that aren’t limited to food preparation expertise, but who also demonstrate the intangible attributes outlined in Haden’s article. To summarize, those traits are as follows: 1. They ignore job descriptions. 2. They’re eccentric. 3. But they know when to dial it back. 4. They publically praise… 5. And they privately complain. 6. They speak when others won’t. 7. They like to prove others wrong. 8. They’re always fiddling.

While all eight outlined characteristics hold merit, I’d like to focus on a few in terms of how they relate to the Personal Chef position we’re hiring for at Atlanta Personal Chef Service. Great personal chefs are both eccentric, and know how to dial it back when appropriate. Eccentric personalities (in a good way) will “shake things up,” “keep work fun,” and add “flair and flavor.” Clearly, our clients want flavorful food, but as a personal chef is a frequent figure in the house cooking regular meals, we’re looking for chefs with pleasant and interesting personalities. At the same time, great personal chefs will know when to “dial it back,” both on the personality and the flavor and flair. Sometimes comfort foods and traditional recipes are the best way to go, and sometimes a more reserved personality is appreciated after a client’s long day at work. Our best employees know when to be playful and when to get down to business, a balance that, for some, can be a challenge to find.

Another trait that Haden emphasizes is that great employees like to prove others wrong. This trait is all about self-motivation. Regardless of what culinary degrees our chefs have, what chef competitions they have won, or which big-name celebrity chefs they have cooked with before, it’s all about drive. The best personal chefs have a deep-instilled desire to not just do the job, but to impress others by proving that their cooking talents far exceed what others might expect.

The desire to prove others wrong leads to the final quality I’d like to touch on, which is that “they’re always fiddling.” Some people are satisfied with completing tasks according to instructions, but great employees are always looking for ways to improve processes, or, in the world of personal chefs, to make recipes, cooking techniques, and presentation of even higher quality. Being a chef requires a mix of technical expertise as well as an artistic flair. Great employees can’t restrain from producing the best possible outcome. Great chefs can’t help but deliver the highest quality food possible.

The “remarkable” qualities outlined above are thought more highly of at Atlanta Personal Chef Service than perhaps, ten years experience as a personal chef. We’re looking to hire not good, but great, chefs in the Atlanta area. For a listing of our current job openings and instructions on how to apply, please click here.

Hosting a Dinner Party in Atlanta

Duo of Lamb Chops and Duck Breast

Are you thinking of hosting a dinner party, and just can’t decide on the perfect menu? Let’s face it, there are so many different tasty dishes that you could serve, but then again, your guests all have various food preferences. Why not consider impressing your guests with more than one main course option? The picture on the left was a meal prepared by Atlanta Personal Chef Service recently, which features both lamb chops and duck breast, served elegantly side by side on the same plate. While all main courses are served with accompanying sides, sometimes one option is simply not enough. Atlanta Personal Chef Service doesn’t prepare meals like this as part of their regular weekly dinner service (unless it’s a special request), but when it comes to hosting dinner parties, we want to ensure that your guests are truly blown away by all aspects of their experience, from the taste of the food, to the presentation, the service, and even the personality of their chef.

At Atlanta Personal Chef Service, we are always coming up with new and unique options to make your dinners, or dinner parties if that is the case, memorable and enjoyable. Can’t decide between beef or seafood? How about a surf and turf duo? How about lobster and filet mignon? What about scallops and NY Strip? In the mood for salmon? Lamb shank? Atlanta Personal Chef Service has some sample dinner party menus displayed here, but we also work to customize the menu for each and every event. Contact us to find out what we can cook for your next dinner party.

Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding Recipe



Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream



Atlanta Personal Chef Service will start to post a series of recipes that you can try yourself at home.  We've cooked these for clients, and they're absolute favorites.  The first recipe, posted below, is a recipe by Chef Patricia Homma, who designed this special chocolate treat for clients she regularly cooks for.  While Challah bread pudding has recently gained popularity among the Jewish community as a different spin on a way to break the fast held over the holiday Yom Kippur, this comforting dish is a warm treat for anyone, on any occasion.

Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding - makes 6 individual servings

· 1/2 of a loaf of Challah Bread
· 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
· 1 cup of heavy cream
· ½ cup of milk
· ¼ cup of condensed milk
· ¼ cup of walnuts chopped
· 1 whole egg

Preparation:

· Dice the Challah bread and let it sit over night or until it gets stale
· Combine the cream, milk, and condensed milk and bring to a simmer
· Pour the chocolate chips into a bowl and pour the milk mixture on top
· Stir until the chocolate chips are melted and well incorporated into the cream mixture
· Whisk in the egg
· Fold in the chopped walnuts and the Challah bread
· Place in individual ramekins and bake on a sheet pan at 375 degrees for 15 minutes

Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Stock -- Why its worth the trouble

For many people, the thought alone of homemade chicken soup is soothing to the soul.  Especially in the fall and winter time, its a dish that can warm you up quite nicely from the inside out.  We've all heard how chicken soup is great for those who are sick with a cold or the flu, but chicken broth itself is in fact an ideal food to intake regularly, mainly for its many health benefits.

There are so many dishes which call for chicken stock, and many folks don't even realize it.  Many soups, risottos, chicken pot pie, stir frys, and other chicken dishes all call for chicken stock.  While you can buy chicken stock in the store, there are a few drawbacks.  First, the chicken broths are typically made in such a way that the true nutrients of the chicken bones aren't maximized.  Also, they are lacking in taste, and extremely over-priced when compared to making it at home.  Further, be always cautious of the sodium content in store bought chicken broths.  Often, the store bought stocks are full of salt, MSG, or other additives to enhance the coloring or mask the poor taste.

Making homemade broth is downright more nutritous and comes with many health benefits.  Calcium as well as other minerals are extracted through the chicken bones during the simmering process.  For those people who do not consume much calcium through dairy products, broth offers another healthy and natural method to improve bone health.  The broth also aids the digestive system, liver function, and overall joint health.

Another benefits of homemade broths are that it enhances the flavors of any homemade dish.  Store-bought broths don't come close unless you pay top dollar for the more natural offerings.  At Atlanta Personal Chef Service, we always prioritize both the flavor and nutrition of every dish.  Our chefs will make homemade broths to use in those recipes which call for broth.  Your personal chef will typically make large batches of broths at a time, and freeze the leftover broth for use in future dishes.  Stored properly, frozen broth can last a few months in the freezer, without losing nutritional quality or taste.  While many people simply don't have the time or know how to prepare their own broths, they end up losing out in taste and nutrition in their diets.  When you have an Atlanta Personal Chef preparing your meals, you won't miss out in either.  To view some of our sample menus, click here.


 

Meaty facts on US Protein Consumption

The Nutrition Action Newsletter ran a very interesting article last year about how protein over-consumption is negatively impacting the environment and our natural resources.  According to the article, the US produces over 9 billion animals for food each year. (That breaks down to 100 million pigs, 35 million cattle, and over 8 billion chickens.)  While the animal meat does provide our population with needed protein, as a society we are severely over-eating protein, and not consuming the best kind there is.

The average male intakes 70% more protein than is needed on a daily basis.  For women, the over-consumption is at a rate of about 25%.  And, most of our protein comes in the form of animal products, whereas we could be easily getting more protein through vegetables, nuts, and other non-animal meat sources.  There are a few problems with over-eating animal protein.  First, it causes a drain on our nation's resources, since it takes significantly more water per pound of protein compared to the water required to generate an equivalent amount of non-animal protein.  When you think of the water that it takes to grow enough grain to feed to the 9 billion animals we eat each year, you'll start to get a sense of impact on our water supply.  Further, the animal waste generated by the large amount of animals, is now a major pollutant in our land's water, soil, and air.  Animal waste was once a great source of fertilizer, but this much only becomes a pollutant.

While the article explains the movement of "Meatless Mondays" as one way to remind us to consume less protein and help the environment, that is just one possible action to take.  At Atlanta Personal Chef Service, we serve only the highest quality meats, and in healthy portion sizes.  Our conscious decision to make smarter,  healthier choices, not only benefits your health, but it also controls food cost, eliminates wasted food, and helps the environment.