Chef Janine - Curriculum Vitae
This is not a regular CV and there's no formality in structure. Because that's exactly what a personal chef is all about - especially this one. The thing is, there's more than one kind of personal chef, and I'm the other kind. We may share the same job title, but beyond that, what we do is worlds apart.
A personal chef is someone who comes into a client's home, usually during the day while the client is away, and prepares a week or two weeks' worth of dinners, packages the meals into containers and then stores them in the refrigerator or freezer for the client to reheat later.
People are busier than ever, with many dual-income families finding that their hectic schedules leave them little time to prepare wholesome, healthy meals. Eating at restaurants every night isn't feasible, and attempting to subsist on a diet of fast food is clearly not a good idea, either. Add to that the growing numbers of people on restricted diets because of food allergies or other health issues, and the many others who choose to limit their consumption of meat or dairy for personal reasons
I've spent 33 years cooking with passion and 8 years as a freelance personal chef. Based primarily in Cape Town. Most of my work is at private holiday villas and guest houses.
In the early 90's I started a catering business. My target market was business lunch service and corporate functions. I did this for a year and then ended it. I lost my passion, well, because there is no passion in mass producing platters and lunches. I had no room for creativity.
For the same reason, I could never work in a restaurant or hotel. Unlike cooking in a restaurant, I'm able to see the guests enjoy my food, and hear their "Mmmm"s with my own ears. I've been toasted, I've received rounds of applause. And believe me, it never gets old hearing from guests that I've just served them the best meal they've ever had. Being a Dietician and having done various nutrition courses, I'm often approached to design meal plans and specialised diets. I LOVE entertaining (dinner parties) and have been contracted for many private parties. My specialty is cooking for private dinner parties, with the number of guests ranging between 8 and 12 people. Often the occasion is someone's birthday or anniversary, and the traditional holiday season can get pretty busy as well. Many of my clients are businesspeople looking to do something nice for their clients. They find the quieter, more relaxed atmosphere (not to mention, the privacy) of their own homes preferable to noisy, crowded restaurants where the wait staff start giving them the evil eye as soon as they've finished their desserts. At home, they get to linger as long as they want, enjoy as much wine as they want, listen to whatever music they want, and so on.
I do more than just the cooking in these instances. I'm not just making dinner - I'm also part of the entertainment. Part of my job is presenting each course to the diners, explaining what it is, answering questions and so on. It's the "personal" part of being a personal chef. I contribute towards the general theme, not just with my choice of cuisine (which is extensive) but even in my attire and table settings.
I've written many articles and blogs on the effect of our diets and illness. How changing our eating habits can enhance our health and in some cases even cure people with serious illnesses and/or conditions. I consider myself as a lifestyle consultant as well as a Personal Chef.
I currently work from home and freelance. I run a wine club/business on the side as the two go hand-in-hand. In many cases, the client may be a wine collector, and will have certain wines in mind for the meal. For these dinners I'll try to match the menu with the wines the client wants to serve. Other times, clients may ask for wine pairing suggestions for each course, or simply a recommendation for a nice white and a nice red. Besides this I also market holiday accommodation, tours, safaris and work out holiday itineraries. It would seem that anything involving hospitality seems to gravitate towards me. I love it!
