Part tradition, part cliché, New Year’s resolutions are inescapable. We vow to eat healthier, exercise, and in general seek self-improvement–and often lapse. But there’s something cleansing, optimistic, and inspiring about resolutions. And they help guide us to better decisions–whether personally or professionally.
In that spirit, we asked several APPCA members for their resolutions. And what we got back is indeed inspiring. We hope you’ll read these thoughtful remarks, then weigh your plans for 2018 and how you can make your life richer, happier, and more meaningful.
Anne Blankenship
Designed Cuisine
It has been a good year for me and it is SO ironic that when I finally get my business to where I want it, I’m having to slow down. Very happy with my current client base and have room for 1 more but have a lot to consider.
My knees have gotten pretty bad and I found out this summer that I will have to have BOTH knees replaced when the time comes. That will be April, 2019, after I receive Medicare. Simply waiting for that to happen right now and trying to get by as best I can. What’s so funny to me is that I can stand and prep/cook for 4-5 hours but trying to get off a curb is another story!
Therefore, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to start making plans for when I have to slow down. I have a colleague/good friend who is interested in the personal chef business and is an outstanding cook. We went to the same culinary school (although at different times) & have worked together in catering over the years. So my resolution is to help her really improve her business Facebook page and Instagram account, as well as her LinkedIn profile. I’m going to work with her on creating a Yelp business page and Google as well. Short of creating a website for her, I am going to try and help increase traffic for her so that she can grow her business. I refer a lot of inquiries to her that are for parties, since I only do up to 20 people. (That was a big decision this year).
Since I am interested in teaching when I retire (March, 2020) I worked on that this year (wrote that article for A La Minute for you about that) and am keeping in touch with the community college where I plan to teach. In addition, I signed up to help the American Culinary Federation with a project for exam questions for Certified Culinarians (I just did my due diligence this year to keep my certification). I have done the paperwork part and will be participating in a webinar in January to help with that project. This was a good refresher for me on the basics and is helpful for me if I am going to teach in the future.
I will have to take a break for rehab when I get the knees fixed in 2019, then hopefully back to my clients for 6 months and then retirement in March, 2020. So helping to get my friend’s business strengthened and keeping up with continuing education are going to be on the front burner for me next year.
Javier Fuertes
The DinnerMaker
I have already started on some “resolutions”. I have a newer, updated web site that I need to really concentrate on more for 2018 and get it to where it needs to be. Increase more traffic to it. Perhaps start a blog for it (Ohh Carol, I need some help….. haha!)
Overall, I did get complacent in recent years with the business and, well, 2018 will be a year to get back to where I was a few years ago.
Besides that, I have my fitness side of business to work on some more. I am putting an income figure as a goal for that. A 3 month , a 6 month, and by next year.
Personal goals…. to get back to running a full marathon. I am currently committed to running the Marine Corps Marathon next October. With all the injuries I had this 2017, I can really use a good, healthy injury- free 2018.
Nancy Cordi
Mediterrania Chef Services
In 2018, I am looking forward to attending the Food and Wine festival in Aspen and New York as well as graduate from Escoffier International Culinary Academy! Hope you have a prosperous 2018!
Gloria Bakst
Chef Gloria B
My resolutions for this year are to give more speaking engagements and to do more consulting. I have been honored to speak/consult at the National Institutes of Health in May of 2018 for a rare form of cancer. It is their annual conference and will be in Maryland for the weekend. I’m coordinating with the director of the program and the chef at the conference a healthy food menu (hearty appetizers)with food stations all having cancer-friendly foods. I will also be doing individual consulting with some of the guests regarding their food concerns. I will be doing a food demonstration too. There will be international guests, doctors, and patients with this form of cancer attending. I’m very excited about doing this. It is the direction I’d like to move at this stage in my life. I am still happily cooking meals for my clients who have health issues. But as we get older standing on our feet all day is more challenging to our bodies!
April Lee
Tastefully Yours, Personal Chef Services
Resolutions: (1) To honor and guard private, sacred space/time for my Self and keep firm boundaries regarding time spent between my personal and business lives. (2) To expand the reach of the charitable side of my business, the Stone Soup Project which prepares and delivers free weekly meals to food-insecure seniors and families (by cutting back the number of regular meal service clients I have), and (3) To get to bed before 1 or 2 a.m. every night! (The last one will be the hardest to accomplish.)
Context: This year was particularly bad for my family as my 14-year old nephew died in January, having suffered more than 3 years of continuous hospitalization for a very aggressive form of childhood leukemia. My father was diagnosed in late July with terminal cancer; my mother suffered a stroke 10 days later (and is still disabled, in rehab, with no more insurance extensions after Dec. 24th); my father died in October, and here we are.
Life goes on. Life is sad, and life is sweet. Life is difficult and frustrating, and life is filled with blessings. There will always be fragrant herbs and happy flowers in my garden. There will always be good friends along with good food and wine to accompany great laughter … and tears. There will always be the hungry to feed, desperate lives that we can touch, because we can. Because we can, and isn’t that fantastic?
Happy new year to all. May 2018 bring you many opportunities to explore your passions and dreams.
Carol Borchardt
A Thought for Food and From a Chef’s Kitchen
I don’t plan to do very many things where my personal chef business is concerned. After almost 16 years, I’ve got it down pretty good. However, I’ll be continuing to work heavily on my blog. The passive income I’m receiving just because people are viewing my blog is pretty lovely.
Suzy Brown
the Brown bag; Nutrition & Chef Services
At the end of the year I will become a Certified Essential Oils Coach. With that my New Years resolution is I am starting to build the nutrition leg of my business.
The nutrition business will be called Thyme to Heal. I will be teaching classes and working with people one on one, showing them how to incorporate essential oils into their culinary creations and live a healthier life.
Shelbie Wassel
Shallots Personal Chef
For me, this coming year will be about giving back. I’ve reached a point in my business, where I’m actually happy with my client load and I’m enjoying working part time. I would like to get more involved with helping the homeless and those who are panhandling in my community. And, on a more selfish note, I plan on lots of travel! Starting with SE Asia this February… lots of cooking classes and fun eating in my future!
Jim Huff
Traveling Culinary Artist
My simple resolution for 2018: Stop saying I’m semi-retired….and actually ACT like I’m semi-retired! Or should I say: Work less…play more? I’ll pass on all the extra business that the trickle-down economics creates (tongue buried in cheek!)
Happy and successful New Year to All!
Christine Robinson and Dennis Nosco
A Fresh Endeavor Personal Chef Service
Where to start:
We are committed to organizing ourselves, honing in on more specialized menu plans and lists for Paleo, Primal, Keto, and Gluten-free menus—all areas of specialty but the lists and ideas are in mish mush lists…
Update and upgrade our website….well over due…I have already redesigned and ordered our new business cards…
Our own health and well being…after our loss in August of 2016 we were told by friends, family, and health care professionals that 2017 was for us…we got a taste of reality and had long and pointed conversations on our personal goals, as far as exercise and eating…we are currently on a cleanse for candida (revealed as a true problem for both of us—we finally landed on the right protocol,) and even in the face of holiday temptation, are doing very well and having the results we need.
Our time off…we are crazy with work and need to slow down, reorganize, learn to say “No,” and “When,” and “You have got to be kidding….”
Getting our house in order—2 years after moving we have curtains needing hanging, organizational stuff, spot painting, and all sorts of little stuff that we have put off…
So I guess the best summation is that we will be taking everything up a level or two, not in a ridiculous or unrealistic manner, but in a way that we will see results and then push forward…
The Merriest, Happiest, and Healthiest of holidays to each and every one of you…
Keith Steury
The Food Sherpa
2017 has been a solid year of business growth for me. As is so often the case in life, it is a bit of mixed blessing. More clients has been great for the bottom line, but it is quickly becoming apparent that I can’t continue to work at this pace for the long-term. So, my over-arching resolution for 2018 is to figure out how to maintain/regain the balance between my professional and personal life (and amen to April’s comment about getting more sleep – lump me in on that one too)!
My big idea for 2018 is to block out time at the start of each quarter to identify concrete and achievable steps that I can take over each 3-month period to sharpen my focus as the year progresses and keep on track toward my over-arching resolution. There is a lot of noise these days, so the more focus, the better! Big initiatives I hope to tackle in 2018 (which are all very inter-related) include:
- Business Expansion Plan
- Documenting all business processes
- Hiring a P/T Administrative Assistant
- Updating my business plan for ongoing growth
- Marketing Plan Review
- Updating my website to ensure compliance with the latest industry standards
- Refining my social media presence & usage
- Networking/Mentoring/Professional Involvement
- Establishing a relationship with the local Career Center, which provides technical/vocational programs for high school students in our County, including a culinary track. I’d like to get more involved in this area, to potentially include giving presentations, demonstrations, or other related involvement with students who are interested in a career in the culinary arts.
Best of luck to everyone in 2018. I hope business is good, life is balanced, and that you are all able to take some time to slow down and enjoy the holidays!
Heike Ashcroft
Just for You Personal Chef
Here is a quick response from Germany:
– I will be working on growing my regular client base
– I will be working on branching out into other directions to grow my business
– I will be working on my website and social media platforms
– and last but not least, I will be continuing to develop my culinary skills – obviously one of the most important aspects of my career.
Are you a dedicated culinarian seeking a career change? How’s this for a resolution: become a personal chef!
Not an APPCA member? Now’s the perfect time to join! Go to personalchef.com to learn about all the benefits that come with membership.
And if you are a member and have a special talent to share on this blog, let us know so we can feature you!
Last week, Christine Robinson wrote about creating a dish for a themed party. Well, we’re on a roll with this topic because I recently got an email newsletter from APPCA member Nancy Cordi of Mediterrania Personal Chef Services showing off her “Sandals & Sangria”party that she organized for the VeriDiva Business Group. The newsletter so intrigued me, with it’s beautiful food photos and interesting description that I asked Nancy if she could explain to members how to create these kinds of themed parties for clients. Here’s what she created for us. I hope it inspires you!
After they were done feasting on the savory food, I ended their journey with two authentic and decadent desserts, one from Italy, one from Greece and the Middle East. I wowed the guests with my lemon panna cota topped with chopped pistachios and pistachio oil and layers-deep of buttery baklava drizzled with chocolate ganache. I complimented these desserts with a strong Middle Eastern espresso with freshly grated cinnamon on top and even a hit of freshly grated black pepper. This culinary journey through the Mediterranean was filled with many tantalizing surprises.
Doing themed parties is very exciting and it takes being a personal chef to a whole new level. It is so much fun to create a menu around a themed party as it is based on your inspiration and allows you to be as creative as you want with both food and decorations. It’s more than just showing-up and cooking. You get to experience the fun that you give your guests as well. I would suggest encouraging your client to do a themed party for the person they are celebrating or as a group to make the time and the culinary experience that much more memorable. You can increase your cost per person when doing this as you will provide fun, beautiful table décor and many other creative surprises, which you can provide at a very low cost to you. Many of the items you can use for themed parties can be purchased at a grocery, fabric, thrift, or hobby store. Gather these party decorations and keep them to use over and over again for similar-themed parties.
When promoting these themed parties, aside from the promotion that comes from my women’s group, I also do email blasts through my website builder such as godaddy.com as well as share the events and details of each event via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I take many photos of each event, including the people enjoying themselves, décor, and especially the food, and promote them across as many social media outlets as possible. The response to these themed parties is so positive and people just love the experiences they see that I am providing my clients and want to know more about what I can do for them!
Have you had requests from clients to create a themed party? How did you go about it?
Not an APPCA member? Now’s the perfect time to join! Go to personalchef.com to learn about all the benefits that come with membership.
And if you are a member and have a special talent to share on this blog, let us know so we can feature you!
Temecula, Calif., has long been farm country. And where there are farms there’s bound to be good food, especially in Southern California, where the weather and crops take a page from the climate of the Mediterranean. Nancy Cordi, who grew up north of Temecula, just outside of L.A. in Torrance, comes from a Middle Eastern family. “I was born and raised around happy, beautiful people who surrounded themselves with laughter and, of course, fantastic cooking,” she says. “I was always drawn to cooking at a young age and as I got older, I wanted to carry on the traditions of Middle Eastern cooking, which later evolved into Mediterranean foods.”
Nancy found that many countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea use quality, healthy ingredients in their foods, bringing life into their dishes without masking the flavors. Since she couldn’t travel as often as she’d like, she decided to bring the Mediterranean to California, focusing on the foods of Greece, Lebanon, Israel, and Italy.
Like many people who found their way into life as a personal chef, Nancy originally was working the traditional 40-hour-a-week corporate job and catering on the side. That lasted for about five years. Then less than a year ago, she and her husband Edouard relocated to Temecula. After 21 years of corporate life, Nancy liberated herself and dove into cooking full time, “proudly becoming a certified personal chef through the APPCA,” she says. Her new business is Mediterranea, a Personal and Private Chef Service.
“This catapulted me to a whole new level,” she marvels. “Within a year I have gone from personal chef to also being the chef at a shop where I prepare fresh, healthy, grab-n-go lunches in their kitchen. I am now specializing in vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and paleo diets, all with that fantastic Mediterranean flare! I’m finally living the dream of making a positive impact on people’s lives by creating dishes using fresh local produce and focusing on reducing sodium levels while keeping my food vibrant and healthy by eliminating preservatives as well.
“I’m very thankful to the APPCA for offering this opportunity to become certified and giving me the boost I needed to take my skills to the next level. I’m a blessed woman and now proud chef!”
Nancy has given us a couple of refreshing summer recipes to share here for her Stuffed Grape Leaves and Classic Middle Eastern Hummus:
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: About 50 pieces
Ingredients
50-60 fresh grape leaves or 1 16-ounce jar of brined grape leaves (Note: brined grape leaves are packed by weight so the quantity will vary from jar to jar.)
1 cup olive oil, divided into 1/2 cups
1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
1 cup dried garbanzo beans
1/2 cup julienne sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried mint
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Juice of two lemons
Preparation
Soak garbanzo beans in salted water overnight or simmer beans for 1 1/2 hours until they are twice their size. They must be soft and tender before draining.
Rinse brined leaves well to remove brine and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 cup olive oil. Add rice, garbanzo beans, sun-dried tomatoes, cumin, mint, salt, garlic powder and juice of 1 lemon. Stir for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the filling to cool.
Line the bottom of a heavy saucepan with 2 or 3 grape leaves, using the broken or torn ones for this.
Rolling the grape leaves: Place a leaf with the stem towards you on a flat surface. The underside of the leaf, with the raised veins, should be face up. Using the point of a sharp paring knife, cut out the stem of the leaf. Overlap the bottom 2 sections of the leaf toward the center.
Place a tablespoon of filling in the bottom center of the leaf, just above where the stem was. Fold the bottom section up to cover the filling. Fold in the sides toward the center. Continue rolling the packet upwards toward the top of the leaf.
Place the rolls in layers in the saucepan, seam side down. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil over the grape leaves and enough water to cover them by an inch. Place an inverted heat-proof plate on top of the rolls to keep them submerged in the water. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour or until leaves are tender and the rice filling is cooked through.
Before serving, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the grape leaves.
Classic Middle Eastern Hummus
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1 cup dried garbanzo beans
1/2 cup grape seed oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon tahini (optional but recommended)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup raw pine nuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Chopped parsley for garnish
Directions
Soak garbanzo beans in salted water overnight or simmer beans for 1 1/2 hours until they are twice their size. They must be soft and tender before draining.
In a food processor, add drained garbanzo beans, grape seed oil, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, and garlic powder. Blend until smooth. Taste and add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon juice if needed. Set aside.
In a small skillet, toast pine nuts on low heat until slightly golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Add hummus to a bowl or platter and sprinkle smoked paprika and pine nuts on top. Finish with olive oil. You can also garnish with chopped parsley.
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It isn’t every day that a personal chef gets this close to hitting the big time. And, yet, APPCA member and personal chef Nicole Gaffney has made it to the final three in Food Network Star. It was a nail biter of an episode. Still in New York at the Gotham West Market in Hell’s Kitchen, each of the four remaining contestants were tasked with creating a 30-second video promo of their proposed show. Food Network execs Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson would review the promos and greenlight three of them to go on to produce a pilot. This pilot would be viewed by all of us at home. Then we get to vote and select the competition’s ultimate winner.
Nicole was up first with her promo highlighting her proposed show on global coastal cuisine. Susie like the camera comfort and down home style Nicole showed, but worried that without global expertise, which Nicole admitted she lacked. Bob, too, was concerned that her concept was too broad, and thought it should be narrowed to American coastal cuisine, which Nicole knows.
The moment of truth came after the other three contestants faced Bob and Susie with their promos and Sara was eliminated. That placed Nicole with Lenny and Luca in the final three and off they were to film their pilots, which were to feature their point of view and expertise.
And who was the Food Network director of these pilots? Robert Irvine. “I hope this isn’t going to be an episode of Pilot Impossible,” Nicole joked.
Nicole focused on Louisiana coastal cuisine for her pilot, “My Coastal Kitchen.” She got off to a shaky start by nervously reciting recipe ingredients and Irvine stopped her cold. He wanted more of her, not an ingredient list. More stories. And, importantly, he asked her if she was having fun, to which she retorted, “Not as much as I should!” This is about fun, Irvine reminded her–and that simple tip revved up her energy levels. By the time we saw the actual pilot, Nicole had fully mastered her presentation of New Orleans-Style “BBQ” Clams, telling charming family stories, taking swigs from a bottle of beer, and offering some terrific cooking tips. She was on!
And now it’s up to us. Nicole has two formidable challengers in Lenny and Luca. So, here’s the deal: go to the Food Network Star website and vote, vote, vote. Yes, you can vote up to 10 times. But it has to be done before Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Do it! Let’s see one of our beloved APPCA members showcased on the Food Network with her own show!
What’s your culinary perspective? What dishes do you love to brag about?
Not an APPCA member? Now’s the perfect time to join! Go to personalchef.com to learn about all the benefits that come with membership.
American Personal & Private Chef Association