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FAQ
The Answers You Need
Does Healthy living With Jess Personal Chef Service cook gluten-free on request?
For those clients who are gluten intolerant or simply would like to limit their intake of gluten, we are more than happy to prepare all gluten-free meals. While a number of our regular meals offered are gluten-free already, we can easily provide a varied, tasty, and nutritious gluten-free diet for those who request it. Just let us know you are interested and we can further discuss how our chefs can cater their menus to accommodate your preferences.
Can I request certain meals?
Of course! And we encourage you to do so. If we’re cooking for your special event, you’ll consult directly with our team to determine the perfect meal for the special day. For our weekly clients, we’ll ask you to complete a food preferences inventory, which will allow you to note foods you love, foods you are no so crazy about, and any of your favorite dishes. With this information, a chef will prepare a proposed meal plan each week for you to approve. Craving something in particular? Just let your chef know before the end of the week and it will be on next week’s menu. It’s a simple as that.
How long will my personal chef be in my house each day?
For the weekly dinner service provided by Healthy Living With Jess Personal Chef Service, you can expect your chef to be in your home cooking for approximately two to three hours each day. Depending on the exact meal (or meals) your chef is preparing that day, it may take longer. On days when your chef will also be serving dinner and clearing the plates afterward, you can expect them to remain for an additional hour or so. Dinner parties hosted by HLWJess Personal Chef Service can vary widely, depending on the number of guests, number of courses ordered, and the menu chosen, but typically the chef will be in your house for between four to six hours. Please keep in mind that a chef’s work day starts well before they reach your front door, since they must first plan and shop for all the needed ingredients before they arrive to cook in your kitchen.
This sounds great! How long will I have to wait to get my own personal chef to cook weekly meals for my family?
Right now we are able to start a new family with personal chef service in as little as 5 business days. We have trained chefs on our team with availability so we are able to get started very quickly. We will need to meet with you in person, view your kitchen, and have you fill out a food preferences form. There are certain times of the year, however, when we have high demand and there may be a waiting period of a few weeks. These times are typically around the start of the school year and early January.
What is the difference between a personal chef and a private chef?
While the terms private chef and personal chef are used largely interchangeably, the main difference is that a private chef is employed full-time by one household. A private chef will often cook three meals a day, and may even live in-house. Personal chefs, however, serve multiple clients, and typically will only prepare dinners unless other meals are specifically requested. Many personal chefs will visit a house on one day for many hours, and prepare many meals (usually up to 20) to be frozen and consumed later. A personal chef may only visit each client’s house once or twice a month. At HLWJess Personal Chef Service, we offer a unique hybrid option that encompasses a blend of the aspects of both a personal chef and a private chef. Our chefs are paired with no more than three to four households. This allows your chef to visit your house on a daily basis to prepare fresh meals, but without the price and commitment of employing a full-time private chef. Our chefs are also available to cook for dinner parties on the weekends, for either our regular clients or other people in Carolinas who desire to host a dinner party with a personal chef.
What happens if we need to reschedule our date?
We always do our best to work with clients who need to change their event date or cook date, whatever the reason may be. All deposits and payments that are made always transfer to the new date. However, we cannot guarantee that the original contract will remain the same. We address each date change on a case-by-case scenario to make sure that everyone is well taken care of!
What is your cancellation policy?
All of our deposits are non-refundable. All of our cancellation policies are clearly outlined in our contracts that you will get to review before ever booking a date with us. Depending upon how far out you cancel your event before the date, a sliding scale of fees will be assessed.
What is required to book the date with you? What is your deposit?
In order to reserve a date with us, we require a 20% deposit on the catering, and rental bill (if applicable), along with a signed copy of the contract.
Should I have a budget before contacting a caterer?
Do you offer menu tastings?
It certainly helps. Think of the budget as a road map that indicates where we should go with the menu and services. Knowing how much you want to or can spend on food and services for your event, helps us prepare the perfect menu and event plan. For weddings, couples should plan at least 30-35% of their total wedding budget for food and service.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept the following forms of payment cashier checks, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. You will receive a detailed price quote during the planning stages and an itemized invoice for your records. A credit card agreement will be required for new clients. There is a 4% processing fee for credit card orders.
Absolutely! Tasting fees start at $150 for a chef’s sampling hosted in our commercial kitchen. Why the fee, you ask? One thing you should know about HLWJESS is that we take pride in all we do. A private sampling for you and up to 3 guests allows us to demonstrate our expertise as we set up and serve food items that represent the menu you are considering or that the Chefs think you will enjoy. The samples are prepared fresh and from scratch just for you.
We will share with you our portfolio of past events we have produced, review our policies and procedures and put your mind at ease that we are the right people for the job. In fact, we encourage you to try HLWJESS last. We will not disappoint!
For Couples, if you book with us at the sampling and pay your retainer fee, the tasting fee will be waived!