Cleveland personal chefs discuss their services
Who we talked to
Anne Lancione, owner
Dinner Is Served!
31730 Maritime Court
Avon Lake, Ohio
440-541-6060
Carolyn Hamilton, owner
Carolyn In Home Cuisine
9716 North Blvd.
Cleveland
216-795-0228
Michelle Louise Jalowiec, owner
Michelle Louise Personal Chef Services
1285 Arlington Road
Lakewood, Ohio
216-308-1165
michelle-louise.com
What services do you offer?
Anne Lancione: "I cook meals in my clients' home. I also do dinner parties and cocktail parties."
Carolyn Hamilton: "I usually cook for a week or two for a family. I do catering in home for up to 100 people. I also fill refrigerators and pantries."
Michelle Louise Jalowiec: "I offer personal chef services. I do dinner parties and catered events. I've also done cooking lessons."
How do you charge for your services, and what's the cost?
Lancione: "My fee for five dinners is $250 plus the cost of food. Four dinners are $225 and three are $200."
Hamilton: "It's a fee plus groceries. For catering, it's hourly plus groceries. A week's worth of meals ranges from $175 to around $300, plus groceries."
Jalowiec: "An average cost for five dinners serving four people starts at $385, and that includes the cost of groceries, meal planning, shopping and food preparation."
What's your experience in the industry?
Lancione: "I joined the American Personal and Private Chef Association about a year ago. I'm a self-taught cook. I'm a mom of four, and I've been cooking for my own family since I was 12."
Hamilton: "I went to cooking school in the 1990s, but it's hard to raise kids and work in restaurants, so I became a personal assistant and got bored with that. So I started to do in-home cooking as well."
Jalowiec: "I got started almost six years ago. I've always enjoyed cooking and entertaining."
What types of food do you make?
Lancione: "Home-cooked meals such as pastas, chicken entrees - homestyle cooking."
Hamilton: "There's no particular genre outside of healthy and delicious comfort food with an exotic twist."
Jalowiec: "I guess it leans more toward a California fresh cuisine with a lot of fresh herbs."
What dish is your specialty?
Lancione: "I would say my turkey-apple meatloaf. I usually make that first and people tend to love it."
Hamilton: "Beef. When you get a piece of good beef in your mouth it's like really good sex."
Jalowiec: "I do enjoy cooking Mexican food. I love to make pulled pork tacos with a green salsa."
What's one spice or ingredient you couldn't live without and why?
Lancione: "It would have to be garlic. I'm married to an Italian and he could eat it breakfast, lunch and dinner."
Hamilton: "Fresh herbs. Fresh is something that makes everything just taste better and on a higher note. I grow my own."
Jalowiec: "I love my fresh herbs so I think without them I'd be pretty limited. Special salts and fresh cracked pepper is pretty good, too."


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