A Day with a Personal Chef

What's it like to be a personal chef? Take a peek inside one of my days cooking for a client family. I'll share the menu I prepared including a delicious recipe for Baked Salmon with Creamy Coconut Spinach Sauce.

>>Scroll down for my step by step video<<

Hello friends! I'm changing things up a bit from my normal recipe posting. I get many questions about my personal chef service so I'm giving you a peek inside what it would be like to have a personal chef cook for you.

For the past 14 years, amycaseycooks has cooked for over 100 families with every imaginable dietary requirement or request. Paleo, gluten free, keto, low fat, low salt, nut free, low carb and grain free are just some of the diets I have cooked for my clients.

I cook for clients weekly or every other week and prepare 2, 3, 4 or 5 meals. A meal consists of an entrée and a side dish.

what should you expect from a personal chef?

Each client family that I cook for has different requests. But the process for preparing their meals is the same each time. For each client I....

• interview the client to find out their taste preferences and dietary considerations
• plan a unique menu for the client
• grocery shop for all the ingredients to cook the menu
• travel to the client's home to cook in their kitchen
• prepare all the meals
• package the meals ~ either individual or family style servings
• tuck the delicious meals in the refrigerator or freezer
• clean up and leave the kitchen spotless ~ yes I do all the dishes!
• leave a detailed menu with heating instructions

what is a personal chef service?

The photo above is a recent menu I planned, grocery shopped, cooked, and packaged for a client family. I love my job because each time I cook for a client, it's a new and unique menu. The possibilities are almost endless of what I can prepare for my clients. I once cooked for a bachelor client and did not repeat a recipe for over 9 months! That's a lot of new recipes for a weekly client ~ over 150 of them!

During a personal chef service in my client's home kitchen, I've got several dishes cooking at one time. As an example from this menu, while the salmon bakes, I am preparing the chicken for the stir fry and simmering rice for the fried rice. Having some dishes that cook on the stove top and in the oven makes my cook day run smoothly.

So let's dive into the menu I prepared!

The menu included a delicious Baked Salmon with Creamy Coconut Spinach Sauce. I'll include the complete recipe at the end of this post.

personal chef recipe for baked salmon

• salmon
• extra virgin olive oil
• Old Bay seasoning
• scallions
• garlic
• Italian seasoning
• red pepper flakes
• spicy mustard ~ I like Dijon mustard for this recipe
• coconut milk
• fresh spinach
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• fresh parsley

personal chef cooking tips for baked salmon

• Each piece of salmon should be about 6 ounces. This is a nice serving size ~ not too big and not too small. Skin on the salmon is fine as it will slide right off after baking.
• Bake the salmon to an internal temperature of 140 to 145 degrees. The fish will be just moist and delicious and not dry and flaky. This quick read digital thermometer is one of my go to kitchen supplies. I use it all the time while cooking for clients and at home.
• The sauce comes together quickly so all the ingredients prepped and ready to go. This large sauté pan is one of my favorites. I love the straight sides when cooking recipes with lots of sauce. Also it can hold all the fresh spinach without tumbling all over the stove.
• This dish reheats beautifully. I recommend using a lower power on the microwave to heat and not cook the fish anymore. Use 60% power for about 1 minute. Then continue heating at 30 second intervals at the same power until the fish and sauce is warm.

my cooking videos

For this client, the salmon dish is served with my Cauliflower Rice Pilaf. I left the spinach out of the recipe as it was already in the sauce of the entrée. I include an easy method for making cauliflower rice along with the recipe.

Next on the menu was my spicy twist on an Asian classic. Jalapeno Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry is a healthier version of the Chinese takeout version.

Vegetable Fried Rice with peas, carrots, and sesame scrambled eggs was served along side the chicken and broccoli stir fry. My posted recipe includes chicken in the fried rice, but it's not needed for this side dish.

A cool and crisp Balsamic Steak Salad with Roasted Red Onions and Blue Cheese adds variety to this client's weekly menu. I love the contrasting flavors in this recipe. The marinated steak can be reheated or served cold atop the greens. Also, the family members can add more or less of the ingredients depending on their tastes.

Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Fries accompany the steak salad. These fun to eat "fries" are roasted in the oven and are a tasty alternative to fried potato fries.

Something for the kids in the family, but the adults love them too, are Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders. As the name implies, these crispy chicken fingers are tender because the recipe calls for perfectly portioned chicken tenderloins.

A two bite side to go along with the crispy chicken tenders are my Mini Mac and Cheese Bites. This client family loves these cheesy mini muffins and orders them frequently.

Every so often a client requests an "Add-On" to their menu. This client is a fan of my rustic and tender Irish soda bread. So on this day, their home was filled with the delicious aroma of baking bread.

how does a personal chef package the meals?

Most clients like their meals packaged in these glass storage containers. They are durable and can go from refrigerator to oven to table. All I ask is that the client has the containers clean and ready for each time I cook for them. Some clients prefer the convenience of plastic to go containers. With the plastic containers, the client has the convenience of recycling them after use.

I post daily to my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts with cooking tips, recipes, and my cooking musings as a personal chef. Stop by to see what is cooking. I'd love to hear from you if you prepare any of my recipes.

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