Wednesday, March 21, 2001
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Wednesday, March 21, 2001 |
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Home cooking with a twist Personal chef whips up meals at customers' homes By MONROE ROARK
Pauli Reep is right at home in the kitchen any kitchen. In fact, she'd just as soon cook in your house as in her own. The Peachtree City resident and Ohio native is the owner of Pauline's Cuisine Personal Chef Service. Her job is helping busy people fit home-cooked meals into their weekly schedules when they don't have time to do the cooking. What is interesting about Reep's business is that, while it initially sounds like something only the affluent could afford, it actually is a service utilized by a wide range of working folks. Her client list ranges from doctors to postal workers. "A typical client is a professional individual or couple who is concerned about health and wants to have delicious, preservative-free dinners but doesn't have the time to plan, shop for and prepare them," she said. "As a personal chef, I plan menus, shop for groceries and prepare nutritious dinners for busy people." Having been cooking most of her life, she ran a catering business in Ohio for ten years. While the work was enjoyable, she grew tired of the constant weekend work that business thrives upon, such as weddings and other group functions. It was at a wedding that someone told her about an organization called the United States Personal Chef Association, a nationwide group that helps connect personal chefs with potential clients and allows chefs to network with each other and learn ways to improve their businesses. When her husband's career led her family to Peachtree City last March, she decided to give it a try in Fayette County. Actually, her clients are spread out from Newnan to Stockbridge. Several of them found out about her on the USPCA Web site. What they have in common is the idea that using Reep's services is a good way to manage time efficiently while eating healthy meals during their crammed daily schedules. Switching from a catering business to personal chef meant a huge drop in food volume, so she has no need for a lot of food storage in her home or a commercial kitchen to prepare food in. She actually prepares the meals in each client's home. With an average of one client per weekday, Reep prepares menus in advance and then shops for a client's groceries the day she prepares that person's food. After whipping up that day's dishes she usually prepares ten meals at a time for a client she gets back home in plenty of time to greet her three children as they get home from school. Each client's needs are closely scrutinized, beginning with a questionnaire that each one fills out. "This is where my clients let me know they hate broccoli, don't want just soup for dinner and need to eat foods low in saturated fats and salts," she said. Other special needs, such as medical conditions that prohibit certain foods, are taken into consideration as well as popular dietary trends. One of Reep's current clients is on the well-known "Sugar Busters" plan. Depending upon their individual needs, clients use Reep's services on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. She pops into the home, prepares and packages the food, leaves reheating instructions and is out the door until next time. "No two clients have the same menus. I have an ongoing communication with clients to make sure they are satisfied," she says. "Unless they want to be surprised, most clients receive their menus in advance. They can make changes or suggestions and also let me know if they will be having guests for any of the meals." Reep stresses that this is not just a service for the well-to-do. Any working person can take advantage of Pauline's Cuisine and possibly save money. "One client told me he was spending $150 a week eating out" before hiring her, she said. Being a member of the USPCA has helped her stay in touch with what she needs to continue being successful, providing mandatory classes and certification. Meeting with other chefs in the metro Atlanta area on a regular basis is also a big help, she said. Potential clients needing a personal chef can go to www.hireachef.com and type in where they live. Entering "Peachtree City" will bring up only Reep's name, while a "Fayette County" search reveals a few others as well. To reach Pauline's Cuisine by phone, call 770-632-8973.
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