The Chef

Who am I, you ask? Well, in a nutshell, here's the deal:

My name is Lisa and I am a foodie - a-holic. There - I said it - that wasn't so bad - now on to the other stuff:
I am married to my wonderful husband Michael and am the proud Mom to my 2 sons - the oldest in 5th grade, and the youngest in 3nd. I am a New Yorker from LongIsland (yes - I know it's 2 words) who moved here to the Jackson MI area in 1999. Growing up on Long Island I was exposed to many different ethnic food styles and learned to love and appreciate them all - without much coaxing I might add - I think my first word was "cookie".

For as far back as I can remember, I basically grew up cooking at my mom's side in our kitchen. I was the official taste-tester and company keeper. My sister was off riding horses while I baked and cooked and watched all the original food stars like Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, The Frugal Gourmet, and Secrets of the CIA. I learned so much on so many different levels from that time in my life. Anything that ocurred in my house growing up usually revolved around food and happened in the kitchen because it was the heart of our home. You didn't walk through the front door without being drawn into the kitchen by the smell of something good simmering. Our house was the official "Kool-Aid House" - everyone wanted to come over because there was always good food (and plenty of it). Even the repairmen referred to my mom as "The Soup Lady"! (She makes an awesome Beef Barley). Holidays were big at my house - and we celebrated them all - again - there's the whole multi-ethnic thing. When your parents grew up in the Bronx and Brooklyn - you celebrated every holiday - the Christmas Tree and the Chanukah Bush were one and the same sometimes. Needless to say, those experiences helped me to be diverse - Not only can I make an awesome Italian Gravy, but I can make Matzoh Balls with the best of them and California Rolls have been my latest new venture.

It is so very important to my husband and I today to instill this same love of food to our children and share it with our friends & family. So much of our daily lives revolve around preparing food, sharing meals and enjoying each other's company - it is how we start our day, solve our problems, share our feelings, and end our day. We love to entertain and this is where the whole Personal Cheffing thing comes in. With all the meals that my husband pre-made for me when I was pregnant, and all the gatherings and parties and meals that we would make for our friends, we realized - hey - there's an idea here - hmmmmm. What a thrill it was for me to find that there actually is a food related industry that helps people and gives them back that all too precious time to share a good meal with their family and still have time for other things, what a gift to be able to do this for a living while providing healthy alternatives and passing on a love for food - besides being a wife and mom, THIS was my calling. So now, I get to do what I love ALL the time while sharing it with others - ain't life grand?! Okay, so I know it was bigger than a nutshell, but at least it ends on this page and besides, now you know the deal - any questions - just email.