Services
NEW for 2010
'Make and Take' parties
'Girls Night Out (In)'
'Cooking Birthday Parties' for Kids
'Let's Do Sushi'
Call 856- 220-1650 for details.
A daily question dreaded by many is “What are we having for dinner tonight?”
After spending a busy day at work the last thing you want to do is to plan a meal, stop on the way home to shop for the ingredients, deal with the checkout lines, and then come home to spend the time required to prepare the meal and clean up the pots/pans and kitchen.
Or –
You need to take the kids to dance or soccer so you stop by the fast food restaurant.
Or -
You have the ingredients you need at home but too tired to cook. It's going to be one of those nights that you pick up some take-out. Then - - a couple days go by and you remember the wasted produce and meat in the bottom of the fridge.
Or –
You are tired of going to the local family restaurants, not eating nutritiously and paying a lot for just okay food.
There has to be a better answer to this dreaded question!
I Love This Food! Personal Chef Service, is your answer to great tasting, healthy, meals in the comfort of your home with a convenient and affordable solution to the daily dilemma – “What’s for dinner?”
I Love This Love! Personal Chef Service provides menus with flavors from around the world plus cuisines of the different regions of our country.
I Love This Food! Personal chef Service guarantees you:
- Menus tailored to your dietary needs
- Meal preparation done in your home on your selected cooking day
- A variety of healthy, delicious meals
- Complete grocery shopping
- Freshest available produce, fish, meat and poultry
- Easy-to-follow heating instructions
- The precious gift of time to spend on the things you want to do
Let yourself imagine… you are at the end of a busy day, it’s time for dinner, you simply make a selection from your I Love This Food menu. Within a matter of minutes, you are enjoying a wonderful meal. The best part - - you didn’t have to shop, cook or clean up. Chef Tanya did it all.
I Love This Food! Personal Chef Service provides the following services:
Weekly, bi-weekly in-home meal preparations for individuals and families including special dietary needs. I'll take the time to learn your individual needs and food preferences. This information is used to create delicious meals personalized for you. Once you approve and a date has been scheduled, I'll shop for all of the ingredients for your meals, come to your house with the necessary equipment and prepare the meals and store them in the freezer and refrigerator with heating instructions. Your kitchen is left sparkling clean and your home filled with aromas of freshly prepared foods. All you need to do is heat the meals and enjoy them!
Dinner Parties – formal or casual sit-down or informal buffet dinners. (including weekend brunches, afternoon teas and romantic gourmet dinner for two) I can prepare multi-course dinners and serve them to you and your guests, freeing you up to enjoy the evening. You and the chef will plan the dinner together. On the day of the dinner, I'll shop for the necessary ingredients. During your party I will prepare the courses at a pace you select. At the conclusion of the meal the kitchen will be spotless! All you have to do is enjoy your guests. Wine pairing suggestions for each course are also available. Or surprise your loved one with a gourmet dinner prepared by Chef Tanya. No shopping, cooking or driving. Just relax and enjoy a romantic evening in the comfort of your own home.
Cocktail and Wine Tasting Parties You and the chef will go over a selection the hors d’oeuvres to be served at your next cocktail, wine tasting or reception. On the day of the party, I will shop for the ingredients needed and then do the preparation of the hors d’oeuvres in your kitchen. You then have the choice of the chef serving and replenishing during the party or you may do the heating/serving yourself. Suggested wine selection for a tasting can be provided.
Theme Dinners/parties You and the chef will discuss possible themes with exciting menus, decorations, and entertainment, too. You decide how much you want I Love This Food! to handle; just the menu or - all the details for your perfect theme dinner or party.
Gift Certificates. An I Love This Food! Personal Chef Service gift certificate makes the perfect gift for any special occasion. Certificates can be customized to fit any event and are a wonderful way to help a friend or family member recovering from an illness, to welcome a new mom and her baby, a workaholic, a corporate gift, employee rewards, an anniversary, birthday or anyone needing some assistance in the kitchen.
About the Chef
Chef Tanya
I have always been around great cooks while growing up. My father’s mother was a good ‘comfort food’ cook. My mother is a good southern cook who entered and won many baking contests when I was young. I have an aunt that catered weddings and I would help whenever possible.
While in high school and college I started collecting cookbooks, and at times I enjoyed reading them more than books on the bestsellers list (now have over 2,000). After receiving a degree in interior design I married and left Virginia where I had lived most of my life. My husband and I moved to San Jose for a while and then to Delaware County outside of Philadelphia. We finally settled in Southern New Jersey where we raised our two sons. While working as an interior designer I became interested in raising funds for a non-profit and made a career change which also gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my love for cooking by creating and preparing luncheons for volunteers, kick-off parties for events, and refreshments for committee meetings. I consulted with and approved menu preparation and theme selection for numerous large scale fund-raising events. During this time, I also started creating weekly meals for several families.
Over the years I’ve taken many cooking classes, but learned the most during the ten years that I was a student of Chef Fritz Blank. Chef Blank was the owner of the renowned Philadelphia French restaurant Deux Cheminees until his retirement and closing of the restaurant in May of 2007.
This prepared me for my new career as a personal chef - where my passion for great food is showcased.
frequently asked questions
Why should I use your service? You may think having your own personal chef is an unattainable luxury. Think again. Many people reward themselves with someone to clean their house, iron their shirts, care for their lawns, etc, so, why is it unreasonable to have someone nourish your family with healthy dinners? I Love This Food! can plan your menus, shop for your groceries, cook and package the food, and complete the clean up.
What does it cost to use your service? Since everyone has different tastes, pricing depends on what you select for your menu. For instance, if you want rack of lamb, filet mignon and seafood every meal then your cost will be higher. A basic in-home meal preparation service includes 3 to 5 different entrees, 4, 6 or 8 servings of each and with an appropriate starch or vegetable side dish for each. (Approx. $200 to $500) The cost of the service will vary with the selection of entrees and the number of servings and at our first meeting we can come up with the right plan for you and your family.
The cost of other services - dinner parties/wine tasting/cocktail/etc depends on the number of guests and the menu selected.
Do I need to be home when you cook? No, you don’t have to be home. Once a cooking date is scheduled, you and I will arrange the best way for me to enter your home for the time needed to prepare the meals. Remember the only way you will know I have been there will be the wonderful aromas and all the packaged entrees and sides dishes stored in your refrigerator and freezer.
How long will the food preparation take? Depending on the menu complexity, I may spend 4-8 hours in your kitchen.
How often should I use your service? This is based on personal preference. Some people enjoy it so much they want a weekly service. Others use the service to supplement the meals they prepare. Once you have used I Love This Food! Personal Chef Service, you can adjust your schedule according to your demands and preferences. There is no long-term commitment required.