Services
Personal & Private Chef Services; Gift Certificates, Intimate Dinners for 2; Small Dinner Parties or Holiday Dinners; Baby/Bridal Showers; Cooking Lessons: one-on-one instruction, either demonstration or hands-on in your home, small groups or interactive class/dinner parties in your home, business or church & children classes/birthday parties; Chef services for Ladies' Get-togethers, Brunch, Luncheons, or Corporate Functions; Grocery Shopping Service (for additional products or shut-ins); Short-term Cooking for New Parents, Medical-Recovery Patients, or Seniors and Special/Popular Diets.
Specializing in, but not limited to: Homestyle, Southwest/Mexican, Hawaiian and Polish cuisines.
Your "What's for Dinner?" Solution!
Customized Menus - What you want, how you want it!
Our goal is to make every meal the very best you have ever tasted. In order to accomplish this, we will work with you to determine your preferences and dietary needs. We will learn what kind of foods you like, dislike and any other dietary limitations or requirements you may have and use this information to develop your personalized menu. We can prepare most any style of food or cuisine to your specifications, as well as any favorite family recipes you may have.
I Shop, I Cook, I Clean, U Eat!
What are the benefits for you?
Flexible & Convenient Service - We make your life easier!
The job of Cookin’ 4 U Personal Chef Service is to make your life easier and your meal times pleasant, so the service works the way you need it to. Most clients enjoy their prepared dinners each weekday, freeing them up to enjoy cooking for themselves on weekends. Others prefer to have meals on hand for just a few days a week, or need more meals than just dinners. Your Personal Chef will work with your schedule and communication style so that if you prefer to be phoned or if email is the way you prefer to stay on top of things - not a problem.
- No more unhealthy or trans-fat-laden fast-food or processed food
- More free time to spend with family and friends
- Complete grocery shopping for the freshest ingredients at the peak of their flavor
Do you want to eat more meals around the dinner table with your family? Are you time-challenged and resort to ordering in, or eating out often? Do you have special diet needs, or just wish you could eat healthy balanced meals? Tens of thousands of families across North America are now using Personal Chef services to help them eat healthy, regular meals at their own dinner tables, while saving time and money. Over the past 20 years, Personal Chefs have provided an attractive alternative to North America's fast-food lifestyle, at a cost of the average convenience food order or family restaurant.
What will YOU do with extra time in your schedule?
Time for that manicure and pedicure you’ve been putting off! Getting your hair restyled! Time to pick up the dry-cleaning! Get to enjoy that glass of wine and spend time with your loved ones without worrying about putting dinner on the table or washing dishes afterwards!
Dinner at Home… back to the basics.
Quality time at the dinner table… PRICELESS!
“People who like to cook like to talk about food.... without one cook giving another cook a tip or two, human life might have died out a long time ago.”
- Laurie Colwin, 'Home Cooking'
About the Chef
Growing up in Chicago offered Personal Chef Donna Ondriska the opportunity to develop her love of all things culinary early on. When Donna was only six years old she already had her first client--her family. She helped her mother make multi-ethnic family-style food. Blending Polish, British, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian and Russian cultures, Donna learned to prepare a variety of dishes. Every day after school, Donna would rush home to see what she and her mother would be making for dinner. Thus her love of food ignited. Later on, further fueling the fire was her exposure to a variety of foods and cultures via fine dining and travels to the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, the Southwest, Mexico and the Caribbean. Vacations often centered on checking out the best local restaurants. Food was much more than a necessity; it became a passion!
All of her life, whatever job she held, Donna managed to incorporate her passion for food into it. From cooking and organizing potlucks as motivation for volunteers or employees, she always was in the kitchen tweaking recipes and passing them on to others. Many relied on her ideas to make something new for their families or to serve a different appetizer or dessert at their next party. Over the years, Donna attended numerous cooking classes in wok cooking, soups, Italian cuisine and desserts at Moraine Valley Community College. Even one of her travel courses when she wanted to become a travel agent, involved making and eating various International dishes to learn about other cultures.
Turning 50, Donna threw herself a Hawaiian Luau for almost 50 friends and family. Even though it was a lot of work, she realized the pleasure it was to share her passion and have them experience the Aloha and cuisine. Donna reaccessed her life and felt her passion for food re-ignited. Within a few months, she became a Homemade Gourmet® distributor, selling pre-packaged, preservative-free easy meal solutions to help time-deprived families. She also obtained a position at Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. as a housewares demonstration cook, which allowed her to experiment with numerous recipes prepared with their kitchen products. Donna’s choice of recipes and creativity led her to develop a “following” of customers who would make a point of stopping by on a weekly basis to pick up the recipes and learn a thing or two about cooking. She would later be asked to cook and perform demos for special events at the store. When CPS decided to remove the demonstration kitchen in Fall, 2008, Donna left to become a sous chef/class assistant at Williams-Sonoma in Orland Park during the holiday season.
On September 14, 2007 Donna graduated from the Culinary Business Academy in Rio Rancho, New Mexico as a Personal Chef and became a member of the United States Personal Chef Association. Through this national network, Chef Donna has instant access to hundreds of recipes, and daily contact with other working personal chefs all over the United States and Canada. She has attended the State of Illinois' Comprehensive Food Service Sanitation Program and has received her certificate. She is also fully insured. Now Donna has come full circle making her dream a reality and gets the opportunity to share her passion for homestyle, ethnic cooking with others.
She has since met one of her “idols”, Bobby Flay, one of the Food Network’s Iron Chefs, who has influenced her Southwest cooking, as well as, Paula Deen, who has given "words of wisdom" and encouragement to follow her dream. Meeting other FN notables such as Cat Cora, Alton Brown, Ellie Krieger, Gale Gand, Tyler Florence and Michael Chiarello have inspired her to soar. Because of her love of travel and food, she aspires to become the next Rachel Ray. Donna has had her recipes published in The Regional Newspaper’s Annual Recipe Books and in Fall, 2007, had 4 recipes published in Jim Brickman’s (“The Romantic Piano Man”) Welcome Home Cookbook – Favorite Recipes To Come Home To, a companion to his Holiday CD, Homecoming.
In January, 2009 Donna took over as the Market Manager for the Palos Heights Farmer's Market. Since then, she has attended numerous conferences and workshops to learn more about Sustainability, the Slow Food Movement and the new State of Illinois Food Policies. From the beginning of May through Mid-October, you'll find her doing cooking demonstrations at the Market utilizing ingredients from the vendors in her recipes.
Donna now promotes Epicurean travel through her travel business, Soaring Eagle Travel Services as well. "The best food makes the best vacations."
Some of the highlights of her culinary career:
- Local Cook/Chef feature column in the Southtown Star, February 2008
- Recognition for starting cooking demonstrations with the local produce at the Palos Heights Farmers Market in the Southtown Star, September, 2008
- One of four local chefs featured in a column on “10 Foods to Try Before You Die” in the Southtown Star, September, 2008
- One of four judges for the Southtown Star’s “Savvy Chef” contest held at Moraine Valley Community College on November 27, 2008
- Winner of the Southtown Star’s Holiday Cookie Contest, December, 2008
- Columnist in the Southtown Star's Food Section, December, 2008 thru March, 2009
- Named new Palos Heights Farmer's Market Manager, January, 2009
- Recipient of the President's Award by the Crestwood Chamber of Commerce for contributions to the Chamber and the community, June 9, 2009
Donations of Intimate Dinners for 2, Small Dinner Parties and/or Homemade Gourmet Products or Gift Certificates:
Together We Cope, Tinley Park
Palos Heights Art Park
Palos Heights Woman's Club
St. Alexander School, Palos Heights
Incarnation Church, Palos Heights
South Suburban Family Shelter
St. Damien Church, Midlothian
Karen's Bosom Buddies/American Cancer Society
"The fact is that it takes more than ingredients and technique to cook a good meal. A good cook puts something of himself (herself) into the preparation -- he (she) cooks with enjoyment, anticipation, spontaneity, and he (she) is willing to experiment."
- Pearl Bailey, Pearl's Kitchen (1973)
frequently asked questions
What is a Personal Chef?
A personal chef cooks for different clients in each client's home. They bring all the pots, pans, utencils, spices/seasonings and staples to work with. A private chef cooks for only one family, usually providing up 3 meals per day. A caterer cooks for parties, usually offsite at a commercial kitchen.
Cookin’ 4 U will come to your home, conduct a complimentary interview and complete a detailed questionnaire from speaking with each family member. If you decide to continue with our service, the results of the interview and the questionnaire are used to develop your personalized and customized menus.
On your scheduled cooking day our day starts early. We shop for your groceries early in the morning and then prep and cook for the next 6-7 hours. Home-Cooked Meals are then prepared, packaged, labeled (with defrosting and reheating instructions, if you choose to freeze any of your meals), and a menu of your meals for the week. We will leave your kitchen clean and your home filled with incredible aromas!
What if I am trying to lose weight or am on a special diet?
We have the ability to cook not only to your tastes, but also according to your dietary requirements. So, if you need a low-fat meal and you don't eat red meat, don't worry. We can customize the menus for diabetics, gluten-free or most allergies and can include recipes from the South Beach diet or Cooking Light. By offering the freshest vegetables, fish, herbs & seasonings without MSG or preservatives and the finest quality meat we can find, is a start in the right direction to eating a healthier menu.
How much does it cost?
Cost Effective - Saving you valuable time and money! What is your time worth on an hourly basis? How much time do you spend shopping, cooking and cleaning? If you don't know - its almost 8-12 hours weekly! How much do you spend on groceries that you throw out of the bottom of the fridge each week? How much do you spend on eating out or ordering in your weekday meals? What would you rather be doing instead of standing in line at the grocery store? Personal Chef clients who have done a cost analysis have told us they're shocked to find out how much money they save. That's before they tell us about how much time they've recovered by making a Personal Chef part of their lifestyle!
Actual cost of the service will be determined at the initial interview, based upon your requirements (likes & dislikes), type of diet, number of family members, and frequency of the service. The most popular or basic package is 5 entrees X 4 (servings) bi-weekly service, which includes choice of 3 sides for 2 people. This includes 1 - 3 fresh dinners left in the refrigerator and the rest frozen.
An all fresh service would require cooking every 3 days for an additional fee. Special request dishes you order might incur additional costs - Beef Tenderloin will be more than rib eye, which will be more than ground beef; lobster, crab or shrimp will cost more than white fish; veal more than chicken or pork, etc. A $20-40 Pantry Fee will be billed monthly for staples, i.e. flour, eggs, sugar, spices, oils, vinegars, garlic, onions, etc. provided by the Chef's kitchen, so it would not be necessary for you to store large amounts of items for the Chef's use, unless some arrangement can be made to insure continued availability. A container fee will be determined at time of initial interview based on type of service requested (fresh or frozen, individual or family portions) and method of reheating/cooking preferred. Gladware containers are re-usable (short-term); can store, defrost, reheat and clean in the dishwasher for future use (will have to guarantee that enough empty containers will be available for chef to use), Pressware (cardboard for both microwave & oven use), Versatainer (somewhat re-usable heavy duty plastic; bottom - oven only to 350 degrees or microwave) or aluminum (oven only). Seal-a-meal in plastic bags is another option. Your choice.
Services such as: marinade only/freeze fresh; fresh-frozen/fully or partial-cooked casseroles or one-dish meals and crockpot meals can also be arranged depending on your time to reheat/cook meals later on. Some clients love to grill anytime of the year, but hate the prep work. Also, as a Homemade Gourmet Distributor, I can supplement the dinner service with other quick options for breakfast, lunch, or casual entertaining. The company, in business for over 12 years, provides dry ingredient/pre-packaged, no preservatives or msg, easy meal solutions, which includes dips, breads, cookies, muffins, cakes, soups, chilis, cheesecakes and more, which cuts down all the measuring and planning time. Wine and/or beer pairing suggestions can be included on the menu for a nominal fee.
Who needs a Personal Chef?
Who doesn't?
- Anyone who would like to eat a tasty, healthy, balanced meal in the comfort of their own home.
- Those who detest cooking, shopping and cleaning up.
- Those who would like to have more time with friends, family or yourself!
- Those who have had it with fast-food and/or spending most of your paycheck on dining out!
- Busy Professionals
- Families with kids who like to hang on your legs while you try to cook dinner!
- Those with a lovely designer kitchen that's never seen the light of day!
- Singles
- Workaholics
- Retired/Senior Citizens
- New Moms and Dads!
- House Warming/Thank-You Gifts
- Corporate Gifts for Clients
- Single Parents
- College Students
- Recuperating from Illness/Post-Operative
- Restricted Diets
- Newlyweds
- Great for Special Occasions - holidays, birthdays, baby or bridal showers, anniversaries, etc.
GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE AVAILABLE!
Why should I hire a professionally affiliated Personal Chef?
Members of the United States Personal Chef Association are constantly stimulated by new trends in the industry through various networking opportunities such as conferences, forums, chats, and classes. They also have access to new and innovative recipes that are Personal Chef tested and client approved.
The members of the United States Personal Chef Association are committed to continuing their education within the industry. Our members network with others to stay abreast of current trends, food safety, and other issues relevant to providing excellent service to our clients.
"Cooking is an art and patience a virtue... Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one more thing - love. Love for food and love for those you invite to your table. With a combination of these things you can be an artist - not perhaps in the representational style of a Dutch master, but rather more like Gauguin, the naïve, or Van Gogh, the impressionist. Plates or pictures of sunshine taste of happiness and love."
- Keith Floyd, A Feast of Floyd