Nashville Personal Chefs Nashville, TN

Nashville personal chefs discuss their services

What services do you offer?

Julie Cicero: "I offer weekly, bi-weekly or monthly services. I shop, cook, package and label the dishes with cooking instructions and then deliver them."

Robyn Barber: "I offer a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly service where I come in and spend a day cooking about a week's worth of dinners and then package it and freeze it with heating instructions on the labels."

Larry Price: "We go in to the client's home and prepare meals that will cover the family for two weeks to a month depending on their lifestyle. I also offer cooking classes, private parties and interactive dinner parties."

How do you charge for your services, and what's the cost?

Cicero: "My standard service starts at $275 plus the cost of groceries. I used to be all-inclusive but the price of food has gone up so much I have to charge for it."

Barber: "The 20-meal package is $395 and that includes planning, cooking, containers and groceries for five meals with four servings each."

Price: "I charge $375 for five meals of four servings each. It's $75 for each additional family member or individual who is eating. Our average is about $475."

Do you have a dish you prepare that's the most popular with your clients?

Cicero: "I do a salmon with a crushed pecan topping and a balsamic chicken with mushrooms."

Barber: "Eggplant Parmesan and turkey corn chowder seem to be real favorites."

Price: "We do an aromatic yellow rice that's very popular and an island pork tenderloin, which is sweet and has a bit of a bite to it."

Where do you prepare the meals?

Cicero: "I cook them in my commercial kitchen."

Barber: "I cook everything in the client's home."

Price: "Everything is done in the client's home."

Will you cater to people's special diets?

Cicero: "Yes, I have clients who need gluten-free, low-sodium or yeast-free diets."

Barber: "Yes. I had a client once that had a thyroid condition. She got a cookbook from her doctor and I cooked her meals from that."

Price: "Yes. We have a client who is gluten-free so we've learned to do gluten-free baking."

What's one spice or ingredient you couldn't live without and why?

Cicero: "Probably garlic. It just rounds out everything so well."

Barber: "It would be have to be canned diced tomatoes. They're an emergency item that will help fix everything."

Price: "I would say cumin. It's such a wonderful spice to add to a variety of cuisines."