Let's Eat Home Personal Chef Service
Let's Eat Home Personal Chef Service

Let's Eat Home Personal Chef Service

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Introduction: Proud to be ranked "Best of 2015 & 2016 Personal Chefs in the Chicago Area" for Thumbtack! As the owner and personal chef of Let's Eat Home!, my approach is to treat my patrons like family. When cooking for loved ones, I can't help but go beyond culinary technique and prepare meals from the heart. I can only hope the fare that I leave for my clients will not only appeal to the palate but also to our collective memory of what good food awakens in us: memories of home, hearth, loving parents and grandparents, and the joy of being taken care of. As a Let's Eat Home! patron, you will experience dishes that are inspired and influenced by the generosity and hospitality of Mediterranean cooking and culture and the gourmet approach of European cuisine. I also enjoy the farm-fresh emphasis of California cooking: food that reflects the freshest ingredients, cooked simply and beautifully; lighter sauces that enhance rather than conceal; and, most importantly, a free-wheeling spirit of adventure in the kitchen. Also reflecting our farm-fresh approach, during the summer months we grow our own herbs and vegetables...picked fresh daily from our garden. Finally, a reservoir of menus is incomplete without the food from the past that we love the most: comfort food. All of these are combined into a culinary imagination which produces meals that are always interesting, delicious and pleasing to both the eye and the palate. Growing up in New York, I was constantly exposed to the culinary melting pot that makes up that great city. Each borough is a microcosm of countries left behind in search of a better life: Greece, Italy, Eastern Europe, The Middle East, Latin America, and the list goes on. I subscribe to the "Like Water for Chocolate" school of thought: Food is a story worth telling. My dishes reflect memories of the nurturing love, passion and devotion to food that I grew up with; these have been passed down from my grandmother to my mother, to me, and now to you. If you would like to begin service or have any questions, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you. I service Chicago, IL, and the surrounding suburbs Deerfield, Elmhurst, Evanston, Glen Ellyn, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Hinsdale, Hyde Park, Kenilworth, Lombard, La Grange, Lake Forest, Northbrook, Oak Park, Oak Brook, Park Ridge, River Forest, Wheaton, Wheeling, Wilmette, Winnetka and others.
Overview

Hired 7 times

Background checked

1 employee

23 years in business

Payment methods

This pro accepts payments via Cash, Check, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle.

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Facebook, Instagram

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34 photos

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Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and responsiveness.

Exceptional 5.0

13 reviews

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pro avatar
Thumbtack Customer
Apr 22, 2015
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From Google

From Google

Having worked with Stephanie at private events catered by her business Let's Eat Home! Personal Chef Service, as well as being a long standing beneficiary of her personal chef services, I can attest to her exceptional talent as a chef. She is a rare gift; personable, detail oriented, and well worth every penny spent for her exceptional services. ..Highly recommended
Let's Eat Home Personal Chef Service's reply
Thanks so much for your wonderful comments Kenny; always a pleasure cooking for you! Stephanie
pro avatar
Amy R.
Sep 16, 2013
I would be happy to recommend Stephanie and Let’s Eat Home. Stephanie worked for our family as a personal chef for six months, bringing homemade food to our house once a week. We sometimes chose items off her website and sometimes asked her to cook recipes we found. She was always friendly and accommodating and we very much enjoyed her cooking. We ate much better food than we were cobbling together on our own, and ordered in much less frequently. We stopped when our kids both entered full-day school.
pro avatar
Thumbtack Customer
Apr 23, 2015
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From Google

From Google

I have used Let's Eat Home! many times over the past several years. The food is always inventive, fresh, easy to store and re-heat, and just great quality. And, I love working with Stephanie...she's professional and very fun at the same time. She listens to my needs and prepares accordingly. I highly recommend giving Let's Eat Home! Personal Chef Service a try. You'll be glad you did.
Let's Eat Home Personal Chef Service's reply
Thanks for the stellar review Doug! It's always been a pleasure cooking for you and your family. I look forward to cooking for you again over the holidays!
pro avatar
Nick M.
Aug 27, 2020
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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

Stephanie is amazing. She helped my daughter who has a number of food allergies by cooking delicious and healthy meals for her. She is the real deal and I would strongly recommend her

Details: Regular meal • 1 guest • Lunch • Dinner • Premium (high end ingredients) • American - casual • Mediterranean / Middle Eastern • Meal delivered • A few times per week • At the pro’s location

Let's Eat Home Personal Chef Service's reply
Thanks so much Nick. I look forward to cooking for Zara again soon!
Personal Chef
pro avatar
Natalie M.
Aug 27, 2020
Stephanie is an excellent chef (and a very kind human)! She has provided our family with meals since our child was first born and has continued to cook for us for 3 years. As vegetarians, she happily adapted recipes for us. And while we sampled just about everything, we came to love about 10 of her meals and now always request those. Fresh, homemade, and flavorful food. We feel nourished and loved eating her cuisine. Everything comes labeled with instructions. So easy. So delicious. We highly recommend her!
Let's Eat Home Personal Chef Service's reply
You're the best, Natalie. Thank you. Such a pleasure cooking for you and your family. Stay safe and stay well!
Credentials
Background Check

Stephanie Podell

FAQs

  • What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?

    I studied at the French Culinary institute in NYC - and trained under the wonderful guidance of my grandmother!!

  • How did you get started doing this type of work?

    I began cooking in my grandmother's kitchen at age 11 in NYC. It was pure joy. Cooking, singing, and dancing with family. What good be better. As the years progressed, I tried more and more recipes from my mother's cookbooks..some were successes..some massive failures. But, it all served a purpose in making me the cook I am today. Like in the Julia Child movie, "Julie & Julia", I would try different recipes, making one dish after another, till I could master all types of cuisine. After college, I moved back to NYC and worked front of the house in many restaurants while pursuing a music career. Music paid the soul, but not the rent. I returned to cooking as a Private Chef for 5 years for a family in Greenwich Village. It was my dream job. When I moved to Chicago in 1999, I started my own company, designed my website, and started on my path as a Personal Chef with Let's Eat Home! PCS. I'm very proud of what I've built, the cook I've become, and the service I provide.

  • What types of customers have you worked with?

    A Personal Chef Service dedicated to serving Chicago and all surrounding Suburbs. I provide meal service for busy people: families, couples, the elderly, post-natal, etc. I offer Classic Fresh Service and Recession Gourmet Service. CFS is designed for those clients who wish to have freshly prepared meals on a weekly basis - nothing is frozen. You may choose your own dishes from our menu pages (and change ingredients should they not appeal to you) or request dishes you would like, but do not see listed here. Alternatively, once you've completed your personalized Food Questionnaire, we would also be happy to design a menu for you based on your likes, dislikes and unique palate. Because we prepare everything from scratch, we generally shop for 1-2 hours in the early morning, then prep and cook for approximately for 6-8 hours. For Classic Fresh Service, we deliver once per week and prepare 3 to 5 different entrees with 3 different side dishes (enough for the whole week). All dishes are packaged for your refrigerator for warming in the oven and/or microwave. For those wishing to lose a few pounds or are just desirous of more balanced and healthy fare, we will prepare recipes from The South Beach Diet, Cooking Light, as well as dishes from Canyon Ranch Spa. For The Recession Gourmet Service, we will prepare 3 entrees/main dishes, 1 side dish, plus a loaf of Crusty (Parmesan) Garlic Bread and a weekly sweet surprise, for an all-inclusive price. Meals will serve 2-5 people for up to 15 dinners. The price includes the chef's fee, pantry fee (all staples from Let's Eat Home's kitchen), groceries and delivery (if more than 15 miles away, there will be an additional, but nominal delivery fee). Though we do subscribe to a heart-healthy approach to cooking, we do not sacrifice flavor. We use heart-healthy oils and, if the dish calls for butter, we use it very sparingly. Our dishes reflect the freshest ingredients cooked simply and beautifully with lighter sauces that enhance rather than conceal.