For perhaps the first time in culinary history, forces are aligning to allow the emergence of a new kind of entrepreneur: the do-it-at-home chef. While chefs, cooks and caterers have been flexing their cooking muscles for generations, fresh approaches to the way people think about their food — and think about cooking for a living — are changing the face of eating at home in Oak Park, River Forest and the entire Chicago area.
One factor in the emergence of professional chefs who cook outside of a restaurant or their own home is the public’s growing interest in food and food trends. From shows like Top Chef to the widespread popularity of farmers markets and locavores, people are thinking more about what kind of food they eat and are being exposed to more varied cuisines than ever before. For those who love to cook but find the lifestyle of a restaurant kitchen is not for them, the opportunity to grow a business away from an established restaurant has become easier with the availability of shared, commercial kitchen spaces like River Forest Kitchen. For three area chefs who use River Forest Kitchen as their commercial kitchen, bringing their food and skills into your home is what it’s all about.
Chef Most Wanted
Chef Rich Mancini has a lot of experience in restaurant kitchens. From owning his own restaurant to working at Gibson’s Steakhouse to touring with rock bands, he’s literally taken his cooking show on the road, competing in the Food Network’s Chef Wanted and Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen series. Several years ago, he decided to start a business cooking in other people’s homes.
“There seemed to be a strong need in the community,” Mancini said. “People want to stay at home and have restaurant quality food. The fact that you can create your own menu to suit your tastes really appeals to people.”
Mancini’s Chef Most Wanted now employs three professional chefs, in addition to himself, and works on events of all sizes. “We do dinners as small as two for a couple looking for a romantic meal in their home, or we can do weddings up to 250.”
Mancini said part of the appeal of having a chef come to you is the ability to customize. If people have special dietary needs or preferences, he can make multiple cuisines or dishes for a party in someone’s home. Another reason people call Chefs Most Wanted is the ease of planning.
“In this day and age when most people work outside of the home, what better way to save time? When you put together the hours of planning, shopping, clean-up and actual cooking, you’ll probably save money by hiring us.”
Mancini meets with his clients beforehand to determine what kind of cuisine they like and then he comes up with a few menus for them. Depending on the client’s kitchen, a lot of preparation work might be done ahead at his rented space in River Forest Kitchen.
“We’ve gone into galley kitchens where a lot has to be pre-prepared,” he said. “Usually, you need to at least have a stove and an oven, but we’ve done jobs where there’s no oven. We can adapt to anything. One of the things people really enjoy is being in the kitchen, watching the chef work, so if there is room for that, we can make that part of the night.”
Mancini can include dishes, silverware, bartenders and cleanup staff with his dinners and says he prices per person, not hourly. Prices depend on staffing and menu choices, but he finds his pricing usually comes in about 25% to 45% cheaper than a restaurant meal. Not bad for never having to leave the comforts of home.
Meals at Your Doorstep
Oak Parker Su Jang of New Rose Catering grew up helping out in her father’s Chinese restaurant but initially chose a career in the corporate world. When she got laid off in 2010, she decided to try her hand at catering. An avid home cook accustomed to friends calling to ask for a particular recipe, Jang was taken aback when a working friend asked her to be a personal chef for her busy family.
“To me, that was only something for celebrities,” she said, “but I saw how it made sense for their family. I learned what they liked and was able to create menus for them every week.”
Through word of mouth, her catering business spread, and she now cooks in River Forest Kitchen and delivers her meals locally in the Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest area. She strives to take clients’ individual needs into account and also considers the seasons when planning her dishes.
Each Friday, she publicizes the next week’s menu of two different soups, always including one vegetarian choice, and three different entrees. Clients can place their orders via email for any or all of her week’s creations. After delivery, all that’s left to do is warm the family-style meals.
Jang said her ability to customize dishes works for the disparate tastes of families with children.
“I might hear from one client that her daughter doesn’t eat meat right now,” she explained, “but will eat fish, so I can swap out the chicken for fish in one portion. Many of my soups, like my sweet potato puree with roasted cauliflower, are gluten- and dairy-free, and I can personalize items to make them vegetarian or vegan.”
Jang often pairs up for special dinners with fellow River Forest Kitchen chef Tanesha Watkins, whose Tee Tee’s Sweets and Treats baking business has taken off with her access to commercial kitchen space.
Watkins was always the cake baker of choice for her nephew Julius, but it wasn’t until 2013 when she was out of work that she decided to pursue certification in cake decorating, baking and pastry making. Since founding Tee Tee’s Sweets and Treats, she has continued to hone her skills and now works on everything from wedding and birthday cakes to specialized cupcakes. Pick up and home delivery are available, and she also pairs up with Jang on weekly meal delivery.
“River Forest Kitchen allowed me more space to make my creations,” Watkins said, “but it also allowed me to work with other vendors and provided a place for networking and friendship. I met Su there and provide cupcakes for her weekly dinner deliveries. Every week, we have a cupcake of the week that customers can add to their dinner orders from Su. Everyone’s favorite flavor is chocolate, but I love coming up with fresh flavors. Peach cobbler is a new favorite.”
