Getting personal: Hiring a personal chef is one solution to that age-old dilemma -- 'What's for dinner?' Getting personal: Hiring a personal chef is one solution to that age-old dilemma -- 'What's for dinner?' (July 06, 2005)

By Jane Knoerle

Almanac Lifestyles Editor

"This might be more interesting to you than Dad," Dan Crane told his mother, Sue Crane, when he presented his father, Hew, with a gift for his birthday on April 27.

The gift? Dinner for a two-week period prepared by a personal chef.

Ms. Crane was thrilled. "The truth is I'm tired of cooking. I've been doing it for 50 years."

Gini Bortz of Campbell was to be their personal chef. She is a good friend of Dan Crane's wife, Lillian. Ms. Bortz is a member of the U.S. Personal Chef Association and started her business, a la Carte Personal Chef Service, last year.

She has a degree in home economics from Texas Technical University and has cooked for teachers' banquets, camps and church gatherings for many years. She's also the family cook for her husband and two sons.

Personal chef service provides customized meals for its clients. The first stop is a visit to the clients' home, where an interview allows the chef to develop a meal plan that suits their needs and preferences. Once the menu is approved, the chef schedules a day to cook in the client's home. She brings all the food, equipment and utensils to prepare the meals. Each entree is packaged and either refrigerated or frozen with reheating instructions on the outside of the package.

After all the cooking is done and the food is safely put away, the chef cleans up the kitchen and heads for home.

Last month Ms. Bortz visited the Cranes' home in Portola Valley and had them fill out a food questionnaire listing any food allergies or dietary restrictions. They were also asked to circle foods they didn't like, check preferences, and add comments.

Ms. Bortz asked if they had favorite recipes they wanted prepared, if there were any international cuisines they preferred, and to rate their preference for spicy foods -- bland, mild, moderate or very. The Cranes were easy to please, says Ms. Bortz.

"Hew doesn't like spicy foods, so I put down 'no hot.' He wanted macaroni and cheese, but I said 'No, no!' We've overdosed on that with the grandchildren," says Ms. Crane.

After the interview Ms. Bortz went home to plan their menu, which she e-mailed a few days later. "We didn't change a thing," says Ms. Crane.

The menu contained five entrees and two side dishes for a two-week period, packaged so each entree can be served for two separate meals.

Here is the Crane's menu:

** Salmon cakes, broccoli valencienne (broccoli, red onions tossed in a Dijon-tarragon vinaigrette), steamed new potatoes

** Smoked beef brisket, Alabama baked beans, "KFC" cole slaw

** Fettucine Alfredo, zucchini-tomato bake, Caesar salad

** Pork chops with Dijon-cream sauce, white rice, baby spinach salad with dried cranberries, almond slivers and feta cheese

** Pot roast with potatoes, carrots and onions, southern green beans

All the salad ingredients are stored in "Evert-fresh" plastic bags that Ms. Bortz buys at Cosentino's Market in the South Bay. "You wash the greens, wrap them in a paper towel, and store them in the bag. It really keeps them fresh." The dressing is stored in separate containers.

"KFC" (Kentucky Fried Chicken) cole slaw is an "imposter" recipe which duplicates dishes found at popular food franchises. If you want to know how to make McDonald's secret sauce or the Colonel's chicken, you log onto CopyKat Creations on the Internet.

"I get bored with recipes and like to search the Internet," says Ms. Bortz. She also recommends Allrecipes.com for new ideas.

At 10 a.m. on a June morning, Ms. Bortz arrived at the Cranes with a car load of containers, including pots and pans, a pressure cooker and a salad spinner. "She made eight trips in from the car," adds Ms. Crane.

The ingredients for each entree were gathered together on a tray. Every surface of the Cranes' kitchen was covered with prep work.

A Cuisinart and a pressure cooker are two valuable aids, says Ms. Bortz. For example, she was able to prepare pot roast in 30 minutes. On a regular stove, it would take two to three hours. She was also happy to see there was a gas stove.

While Gini Bortz worked in the kitchen, Sue Crane was reading in the living room. "I'm feeling very luxurious today. I even went swimming. Just think -- I have a cook!"

Being a personal chef isn't easy. By the time Ms. Bortz packed up all her gear and cleaned up the kitchen it was 8 p.m.

The Almanac visited the Cranes two weeks later, when they were having the pot roast dinner with their son, Doug. They had sampled all the entrees, except the pot roast and the brisket, and were pleased with the fare.

As Ms. Bortz suggested, they ate the salmon cakes the first night. Ms. Crane also used all the salad ingredients the first week because she wasn't sure how long they would keep. "When I had the family over for Father's Day, we had the cole slaw. It was good, but sort of sweet." Baby spinach salad was their favorite.

Both liked the fettucine Alfredo, tomato-zucchini bake, and Caesar salad dinner, but "it was a little rich for my blood, so we had some leftovers for the next night," says Ms. Crane.

Their least favorite was pork chops with Dijon-cream sauce, which they deemed "a little dry."

All in all, it was a happy experience. "I think it's a nice treat for a person who loves to eat, but is tired of cooking, or for someone who doesn't cook," says Ms. Crane.

The Cranes have been residents of Portola Valley since 1964, the year the town was incorporated. She is a former mayor. Mr. Crane is a staff scientist emeritus with SRI International. They were among the original partners in the highly acclaimed Ridge Winery.

For those interested in using the personal chef service, the cost for a two-week period (dinner for two for 10 nights) is $325. Families with two or three children and two working parents are frequent customers. Service for a family of four in the same period would be about $400.

For more information on a la Carte Personal Chef Service, call Gini Bortz, 408-499-7395.

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