Executive Chef Patricia to judge local Culinary Competition

Atlanta Personal Chef Service's Executive Chef Patricia Homma will spend next weekend juding the 2013 Georgia Culinary and ProStart Management State Championships at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school.  This one day competition is a chance for aspiring young chefs to compete for the chance to move on to the National ProStart International competition in April in Maryland.  The competition is judged by some of Atlanta's top chefs, including Master Chefs, Executive Chefs, and restaurant executives.  Winning young chefs will receive thousands in culinary scholarships.

Chef Patricia started Atlanta Personal Chef Service after working in some of the fine dining restaurants of Atlanta.  Having received a culinary scholarship herself from winning the "Best Teen Chef in America" competition, the chance to give back to the community in this sense is extremely meaningful.  Patricia was the first-ever female winner of the national competition, which she won in 2003, which earned her a full scholarship to the Art Institute of Atlanta.

Interested in having Chef Patricia or one of Atlanta Personal Chef Service's team of chefs cook for you in your home?  We cook family dinners during the work week, and also serve up fancy, multi-course dinner parties to make that special occassion really memorable.  Contact us here for more information on our personal chef service.

A Great Valentine's Day with a Personal Chef

Looking for a unique, personalized, and romantic gift for Valentine's Day?  Surprise that special someone with a private four-course dinner prepared by a personal chef in the comfort of your own home.  Don't fight the crowds and lines of the restaurants on the 14th.  Enjoy fine-dining from the comfort of your own dining table.  This year, we've put together a menu that provides a tasting of Atlanta Personal Chef Service.  The menu is below:

Valentine’s Day 2013

Soup

Tomato Basil Bisque with Manchego Crostini

Salad

Red Wine Poached Pear Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese and Cranberry Walnut croutons tossed with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Entrée

Seared Filet Mignon with Cabernet Sauce over roasted Root Vegetable purée with sautéed Asparagus

(Herb Crusted Lamb Chops $10 additional)

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Seared Salmon with Beurre Blanc sauce over Mushroom Risotto with Brocollini

Dessert

Chocolate Lava Cake with Assorted Berries and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

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Crème Brûlée garnished with Fresh Berries

Your chef will arrive about 2 hours before your scheduled meal time, with fresh ingredients in hand, and prepare your dinner in your own kitchen.  That means you'll need to have a working oven and stove, and some extra space in the fridge.  All you'll have to do is pick out your favorite bottle of wine or champagne, and enjoy the meal.  Your chef will do all the cooking, serve each course of the meal as if you were in a fine restaurant, and clean up everything afterwards.  The cost of the service, food included, is $350 for two.  (Please contact us for special rates for dinners with multiple couples. Dinners held outside the Perimeter will incur an additional $20 travel fee.)

We only have a few reservations left for the 14th, so contact us or call us today to schedule your Valentine's Day Dinner!

Dinner Parties by Atlanta Personal Chef Service

Dinner parties with Atlanta Personal Chef Service will ensure great food and good time for everyone, including the host.  Here, we'll walk you through one party from start to finish.  This dinner party in Buckhead, hosted by Atlanta Personal Chef Service, highlighted cuisine from the French tradition.  As guests arrived, they warmed up their taste buds with the following:
 

Hors D’Oeuvres:

Crostinis with Chicken Liver Pate garnished with Shallot Marmalade

Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus Tips

Spinach and Artichoke Gratin in Quiche Shell

Atlanta Personal Chef Service - Hors D'Oeuvres before the meal

Following the Hors D'Oeuvres, guests made their way into the dining room, and were introduced to tonight's menu at their place setting.

Menu made by Atlanta Personal Chef Service

Next, the four course meal was plated and served as it would be in a fine-dining restaurant.  Here's a sneak peak at each course!

Atlanta Personal Chef Service -St. Jacques Provençales                                            

Atlanta Personal Chef Service -Red Wine Poached Pear Mixed Green Salad with Buttermilk Blue crumbles, Raisin Bread croutons

Atlanta Personal Chef Service - Beef Bourguignon with Whipped Potato and sautéed Brussels Sprouts 

Atlanta Personal Chef Service - Crème Brûlée garnished with Fresh Berries

 Lastly, take a sneak peak in the kitchen... where the magic happens!  Atlanta Personal Chefs are hard at work preparing all the food from the finest, freshest ingredients.

Atlanta Personal Chef David keeps a close eye on the stove

Atlanta Personal Chef Patricia prepares the Creme Brulee

Atlanta Personal Chef David seasons the potatoes

Are you interested in having Atlanta Personal Chef Service cook for your next dinner party?  Give us a call today!  Please keep in mind that much preparation goes into each and every party, so its best to reserve you party at least two weeks in advance.  Also, visit our website for more pictures sample menus.

Behind the Scenes of a Dinner Party with Atlanta Personal Chef Service

So, while you are enjoying your company and the great food being prepared, what’s taking place in the kitchen to make it all happen?  See below for a sneak peak!

Chef Patricia starts sauteeing the root vegetables

Chef Patricia and Chef David making Butternut Squash soup

Toasted Baguettes ready for the Cheese Board

Atlanta Personal Chef Service Chef David makes sure the temperature is just right

Chef David prepares the Goat Cheese Tarts

Chef Patricia and Chef David plate the main course

 

Chef Patricia tops of the Chocolate Lava Cakes with Creme Anglaise

 

Our chefs will arrive about 2-3 hours before serving time to make all the courses of your meal, typically consisting of a soup, salad, entrée, and dessert.  Basically, we’re bringing the restaurant to your home, so you can enjoy your time with your guests.  We’ll set the table, pour the drinks, bring out each course, and clear the plates.  When we leave, the trash is already taken out and the dishes are clean and put away.  We making hosting parties so easy, you won’t have to deal with restaurant crowds again!

Each course is shown below:

Atlanta Personal Chef Service Goat Cheese Tart with Roasted Tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, and Arugula

 

Atlanta Personal Chef Service Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Nutmeg Cream

Atlanta Personal Chef Service American style Wedge Salad with Apple Smoked Bacon and Blue Cheese

Atlanta Personal Chef Service Filet Mignon with Cabernet Sauce over roasted Root Vegetables and Asparagus

Atlanta Personal Chef Service Chocolate Lava Cake with Creme Anglaise, Fresh Berries, and Vanialla Bean Ice Cream

Interested in having Atlanta Personal Chef Service host your next dinner party?  See our Services page here or call us at 404-913-4633.  We look forward to hearing from you!

What's cooking at Atlanta Personal Chef Service?

This week will be another busy week for Atlanta Personal Chef Service!  Among many of the fine dishes that our personal chefs will be cooking this week for our clients are these two-course meals:

 Baked Brie with Orange Marmalade

Seared Seabass with Edamame, Succotash, and Butternut Squash Puree

 

Veggy Slaw with Lemon Vinaigrette

Grilled Pork Loin with Chimichurri Sauce, Potato Hash and sauteed Yellow Squash

 

Grilled Corn Salad

BBQ grilled Salmon with Sweet Potato Puree and Roasted Asparragus

 

Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese 

Cilantro-Lime Marinated Flank steak with Brown rice and Caramalized "Burned" Broccoli

 

Caesar Salad with fresh Croutons

Homemade Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Sauce, Linguini Pasta and sauteed Snow Peas

 

Each family has one chef paired to cook their dinners during the work week.  Personal Chefs go grocery shopping each day, arriving to our clients homes with the freshest produce, seafood, and ingredients available.  With a chef in your home, that means no menu planning, shopping, cooking, or clean up!  Just time with the family at the dinner table, and the enjoyment of home-cooked food.  Oh, and of course a kitchen filled with the aroma of home cooking.  For more information about our services, click here.



Executive Business Dinners - The New Way of Business Entertaining

Atlanta Personal Chef Service preparing Seared Scallop Appetizer

A new spin has emerged in the realm of business entertaining--invite guests into your home for a personalized meal. A dinner hosted in your home is a sincere way to show your hospitality, and exudes confidence as well.

“But I’m not a great cook--and I don’t really want to cook either.”

That’s where companies like female-owned Atlanta Personal Chef Service fill the gap. They specialize in business dinner parties, and allow the business to take place over a menu of sophisticated food served with perfect timing to create an environment suitable for the dinner’s agenda.

The chef team may have drafted a sous-chef, serving help, or even a professional sommelier. The sommelier, which only some folks opt to have, can present and explain wines as they are paired with courses. A server ensures that all glasses are filled, plates are cleared, and warm food is served without anyone needing to leave the table. Its just like a fine dining restaurant, except you don’t need to worry about spotty service.

Personal assistants and event planners are turning more and more to personal chefs to provide a unique and personal touch on business entertaining. Even the fanciest of restaurants can be

loud, crowded, and lacking in privacy for any confidential business discussions that may need to take place. Personal chefs can provide more a personal touch to an event, with customized coursed menus and the wonderful aroma of the food cooking the home kitchen. With groups with fine tastes in liquors, a personal chef can even be a cheaper option, as the beverage mark up in a restaurant can be outlandish.

“We will recommend wine pairings, but our clients purchase their own alcohol. Most clients prefer this, since they don’t have to pay restaurant prices, yet still have their drinks served to them,” Chef Patricia of Atlanta Personal Chef Service explains.

Atlanta Personal Chef Service makes hosting a dinner party easy. They will suggest menu options, that you can then customize or tweak to your preferences. The chef will come to view your kitchen prior to the event, to make sure to bring any missing equipment that will be needed. On the day of the event, the chef will do all the grocery shopping and arrive about 3-4 hours before the scheduled dinner time. You’ll be served an appetizer or hors d’oeuvres while your guests arrive and mingle, followed by a salad, entree, and dessert.

“The best part of serving a meal is hearing the guests reactions. Just last weekend, I heard a client say, ‘Now I’ve had plenty of great halibut in my day, but this is by far the tastiest.’ When you hear comments like that, it motivates you to keep cooking bold food with high-quality ingredients,” Patricia recalls.

If you are searching for a class way to receive important guests in your home, consider hiring a personal chef team. Contact us today to learn more about how it works.

Atlanta Personal Chef Service Welcomes Chef Mayhayla to the Team!

We are excited to introduce our newest Chef, Mayhayla, to the team.  She’s been cooking in Atlanta for over 9 years, and now she’s joining our team as a personal chef, cooking dinners during the work-week for our clients around the city.  Read more about Mayhayla below: 

From a young age, Mayhayla had a passion for cooking. Growing up, she would often cook dinner for her family and test out new recipes on them. She knew she wanted to be a chef from childhood.

Mayhayla graduated in 2005 from the Art Institute of Atlanta with an Associate degree in the culinary arts. The Associate Degree program covers skills such as knife handling, food safety and sanitation, international cuisines, nutrition, and food industry management. While receiving basic overall culinary training and cooking techniques, Mayhayla completed her degree with a focus in Nutrition.

Mayhayla launched her culinary career at the Westin Atlanta Hotel full-service restaurant Palio. While there, she gained experience in sautéing, grilling, pastries, and banquet parties. She later left the kitchen to become a shift manager in the front of the house. She loved the customer service side of the business and was good at it too.

In 2009, Mayhayla become the general manager at Boneheads in the Peachtree Battle Shopping Center, where she worked with ordering and receiving product, profit and loss, marketing, and advertising. Mayhayla’s responsibilities included overseeing the chefs and training new chefs as they joined the team.

With Mayhayla’s passion for food, culinary knowledge, chef experience, and food industry management experience, she has the unique set of skills it takes to be a great personal chef. She loves to prepare fresh salads with homemade dressings, grilling of any kind, and preparing wild game.

In her free time she loves gardening, canning, pickling and reading.

Read more about our team at Atlanta Personal Chef Service here!