Publication Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2005
What's for dinner?
What's for dinner?
(September 14, 2005) Personal chefs may be good for what ails you
by Sue Dremann
What did you have for dinner last night? Rack of lamb with raspberry sauce? Buttermilk mashed potatoes? Fruit cobbler?
In this area, few have the time to whip up such fancy meals. But for a number of Palo Altans, this is everyday cuisine -- courtesy of their personal chefs.
Once consigned to Hollywood celebrities, personal chefs are now regular features in kitchens acround the Bay Area. These chefs do more than cater to refined tastes; they help clients manage medical conditions, from diabetes and heart disease to weight control. Savvy in matters of nutrition and the ways of food, they help clients demystify dietary changes and budget what they eat.
Most local personal chefs charge $40 per hour for labor for a weekly's worth of meals, usually with a three- to four-hour minimum; food costs are extra. Some people may balk at the cost of hiring a personal chef, but those who take the plunge say the price is worthwhile.
Palo Alto chef James Holloway has worked with patients with various stages of cancer and autoimmune disorders, cooking specifically to their needs. His approach to food, which he regards as medicine, is often three-quarters American classical with some ethnic slant, he said. He mostly cooks in the client's home, carrying his "bag of tricks" of spices and knives. He prepares enough to last the week, which includes leftovers.
Until Cindy Tseng hired Holloway, her family was eating a lot of take-out. Tseng's debilitating case of Lyme disease caused her to gain a lot of weight. Tseng and Holloway, who has been employed by the family for four years, worked together to create a personal menu with steamed vegetables for Tseng's weight loss -- one that she would find delectable and wouldn't leave her feeling unsatisfied. Holloway made homemade pizzas, fruit cobbler with toppings and rack of lamb with raspberry sauce -- and Tseng still knocked off 50 pounds.
"It's really important not to focus on the money, but to remember the dimensions it adds to the household and family. ... A big side benefit is that it makes it much more of a home when there are cooking aromas," Tseng said.
Another benefit is the education clients receive.
When Tom Blochberger had his gallbladder removed, his ability to digest fat was limited. He hired Adrienne LaFarge, owner of Adrienne's Gourmet Cuisine, to teach him to plan and cook healthy, low-fat, low cholesterol foods.
"In Adrienne's kitchen, we would decide on a menu in advance and alter recipes. Buying all of the food was the big thing. I didn't know much about grains; it was an education. I found (the cooking) was almost a type of therapy and it's really relaxing," he said.
Many people think that dieting means consuming boring, tasteless food, said LaFarge, former personal chef to the late composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein and former executive chef at the New Zealand Consulate in Manhattan. She de-emphasizes the word "diet," which she considers taboo, and teaches people a new lifestyle in eating.
Her approach has dramatically altered the health of her husband of two years, Patrick Campbell. Campbell was once heavily into junk food. He was overweight, hypertensive and diabetic. By age 57, he'd had his second angioplasty.
"I think he woke up one day and got scared," LaFarge said of his decision to change his eating habits. She kept things simple. She cooked succulent fish in mustard, made layered salads he could just dip into for a week. She even made low-fat pizza with a pita crust.
Her high-fiber lentil soup, with spinach, basil and chicken "was like a miracle thing," Campbell said. "The next day, my blood sugar went down significantly."
Through gradual changes in his diet, Campbell lost 25 pounds, lowered his cholesterol level significantly and no longer needed his diabetes medication, he said. And he doesn't miss the buckets of fried chicken from KFC.
When dietary changes are radical, keeping foods familiar but substituting healthier ingredients, makes the transition easier, said Susan Chapman de Leon, executive chef at the Djerassi Foundation. De Leon makes turkey meatloaf, adding oatmeal for added fiber. She adds buttermilk to mashed potatoes instead of butter, and roasted vegetables for interesting texture.
Carol Ramsay hired de Leon because she had little time and was tired of cooking. She credits having a personal chef with helping her to eat "real" food when her husband is traveling.
Planning ahead with de Leon has also helped her to eat a more balanced diet. Perhaps the best part is no longer shopping for food. "If you aren't going shopping for basic ingredients when you're tired and hungry, there's less likelihood of the Haagen-Daas jumping into your cart," she said.
Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be e-mailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
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