Gather Round Family Chef Service

Ariel is incredibly knowledgeable about all things cooking! After each two-hour session at my house, I had new wonderful meals ready to eat. In all, she taught me how to make eight meals and showed me basic cooking skills along the way so that I could make lots of other meals. She helped me select interesting vegetarian meals and showed me how to use new tools and new ingredients. I would highly recommend Ariel to anyone looking to enliven their dinner routine. I was so stuck about making dinner but now I have new recipes and skills so that dinner is not such a chore anymore. Thank you, Ariel!

From my first outreach to her through to when she left the evening of our dinner, Ariel was fantastic. She helped me host a dinner party to celebrate the marriage of a dear friend. I wanted it to be an interactive cooking lesson rather than a catered dinner -- a group experience. Ariel suggested a menu and then taught our group of two couples how to make a fantastic and easy Portuguese seafood stew, gazpacho, and a fresh summer fruit crisp. She even brought a bonus appetizer. Everyone was engaged no matter their expertise in the kitchen. Ariel made us feel confident and successful as we made our own feast. It was a great night!

I wanted to celebrate my husband’s birthday in an original and fun way. He loves eating Indian food, but he hadn’t cooked much of it before. Ariel showed the whole group (two couples) how to make vegetarian Indian classics: chana masala, aloo gobi, raita, and of course basmati rice. With her guidance, we even made our own naan! While we sat down to feast on our delicious creations, Ariel took care of the kitchen cleanup. Lastly, she left us with the recipes so that we could cook these dishes on our own. From start to finish, Ariel made the process clear and easy. It was a tremendous birthday party and a memorable cooking lesson!

Thank you for saving dinner! I was at the end of my rope for meal planning and cooking for a household that included two carnivores, two vegetarians and one flexitarian. Meal planning and cooking had become overwhelming. Because I have a full-time job during the week, I was dedicating almost my entire Sunday to meal prepping and becoming increasingly frustrated when my efforts didn’t hit the mark. I saw someone recommend you on the listserv and found what I didn’t realize I was looking for. Working with you relieved the stress around meals and gave me back my Sundays. You introduced us to new flavors and dishes and helped us identify areas of common ground. Thank you for the delicious and relaxing dinner time memories!

Hiring Ariel was the best decision for our budget and our weight loss program! I love to cook, but like most people, work takes up all the available space. We’d fallen into a trend of eating out, buying carry-out, and/or indulging on pizza almost every night of the week. When I did plan to cook, I often just did not get around to it and had to throw away spoiled food. I hesitated to hire a personal chef because it seemed like a extravagant luxury, but with Ariel we’re actually spending less money on food and getting more value. No more weekday meals out, no more carry-out, no more throwing away food, slimmed our budget. No more eating way too late, and way too much, slimmed our waistlines. The meals are so delicious and varied, and the prep is so easy, that every evening is a special event. Ariel has introduced us to new nutritious and delicious foods we thought we would never try and makes family favorites from my own recipe file. We don’t feel deprived, so it’s been easier to control the portion size and calorie intake. Ariel is a find, and we are so grateful for her help.