D.C. Restaurant Chef available to teach Cooking lessons as well as prepare family meals.

[Anonymous]

I am a D.C. Restaurant Chef with 13 years of professional cooking experience and a Culinary Arts Degree. My culinary experience ranges from preparing family style meals to Fine Dining. I can offer nutritional alternatives without cutting flavors, can teach you how to minimize your time in the kitchen and can offer ways to get children involved with certain cooking preparations in any cuisine. I am able to prepare anything from an elegant dinner for two to private parties for up to 50 people. I am willing to grocery shop with you in order to plan weekly meals with written and verbal recipes. I can be contacted at: [phone] or [e-mail].
Chef James Phillips

[Anonymous]

I don't think I could afford to do this... but how awesome!

[Anonymous]

Chef Phillips,

This sounds fabulous - but can you give us an idea of what you would charge? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I am Chef Phillips' wife, my husband is currently at work. He is available on weekends to assist in any culinary needs you may have. He would be interested in learning more about what you are looking for before he could determine a reasonable price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am Chef Phillips' wife, my husband is currently at work. He is available on weekends to assist in any culinary needs you may have. He would be interested in learning more about what you are looking for before he could determine a reasonable price.

I need a weekend class or two to learn some cooking techniques. I know my way aroung the kitchen but want to fine tune my skills, eg:

How do I deglaze with getting a bitter taste in my sauce.
How do I saute fish without getting it stuck to the pan to breaking apart

Thanks,
Donna

[Anonymous]

I know my husband would be happy to help you perfect your culinary skills. I was intimidated by the idea of cooking a meal until I actually began to watch him prepare meals for our family. He has a way of making everything seem so much easier as opposed to the way I approach a recipe. He has a true passion for food and is a great teacher. He has even managed to get our three year old son excited about helping out with preparing meals. He always looks forward to sharing his love of food with others. If you are interested in contacting him, he can be reached at [e-mail] or [phone].

[Anonymous]

how much lead time does he need? I would be interested in the following things--dinner party for a few people. And..don't laugh some cooking lessons on how to hide healthy food so my husband will eat it as he is worse than a kid.. I am at a loss. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Here's a challenge for you, DC Chef: How about helping me put together a delicious "diet" menu for a week that provides 1200 - 1500 calories a day, includes primarily healthy fats, keeps sodium at an average 1200 - 1500 mg per day but still tastes great, has plenty of fiber, and includes 100% of all essential micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) without my having to take a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement? I have the nutritional software we need to do the calculations, but lack the culinary imagination and training to make this task fun and easy.

Signed,
A Mom Who Wants to Be Healthy AND Enjoy Her Food

[Anonymous]

OH MY GOD I would pay for the menu service....at a higher calorie threshold, and with the added requirement that it all be easy to cook with minimal time and with a toddler afoot.

[Anonymous]

Count me in. I did Thyme Out, and found it too expensive for the quality and I didn't learn anything.

[Anonymous]

In regards to menu planning, I am able to accommodate any dietary needs that you may have without sacrificing the flavor. My mother in-law is a diabetic and when I prepare meals for my entire family, I always make sure that they are "diabetic friendly." I am able to suggest healthful substitutions when preparing your meals and am willing to assist you in planning weekly meals that would best suit your dietary needs. In regards to private parties, I would need two weeks notice to allow us the time to review any specifications you may have. I would be more than happy to grocery shop with you if you would need any assistance in purchasing your product. When it comes to cooking lessons, I would prefer to speak with you personally so we could discuss what exactly you are interested in learning and how many lessons you would like before I would determine a price. I look forward to assisting you in any culinary needs you may have and sharing my love of food with you. I can be contacted directly at: [e-mail] or [phone].
Sincerely,
Chef James Phillips

[Anonymous]

Chef,
What restaurant do you work at?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OH MY GOD I would pay for the menu service....at a higher calorie threshold, and with the added requirement that it all be easy to cook with minimal time and with a toddler afoot.

This, and several other responses, does not seem like a typical DCUM response. Hmmm.....I wonder who the poster is?

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm the OMG poster. I'm a mom of an 11 month old and a WOHM (though I get to telecommute a couple days a week). An attorney at one of the big DC firms. I don't want to pay for a full chef service frankly, but find that my head hurts racing to plan shopping and meals for the week that will be healthy, seasonal, different from last week, etc etc. So I thought the person who posted about wanting the perfect menu service was kinda genious, that's all. I'm not a sock puppet. Jeff can check me out if he wants.

[Anonymous]

I am posting from 2 different computers though; I was home yesterday and in the office today. I have a username (clarabow) but don't log in anymore. Happy to log in and confirm if this will quell your suspicions.

My bigger question for the OP -- you really do need to give some thought about the services you want to provide and your pricing for them. There are actually lots of personal chefs in DC who charge an arm and a leg. You need to figure out how to differentiate yourself.