About
When I am first contacted by a prospective client regarding a quote that I submit for an event, I collect information. I find out exactly what the client's food preferences and service needs are, and what their perfect event would look like. Then I make sure I leave them with no questions or concerns by explaining detail for detail what their menu will look like, how setup will be executed, and how payment is accepted for the day of the event. Our lines are always open, so I encourage them to call or email with any questions or concerns in the days coming up to event to help put them at ease. My personal and passionately focused goal is to alleviate all stress involved in catering an event, and to let the guest be amazed as they watch the delicious and delicately prepared cuisine be laid out, with graceful precision, right before their eyes.
I genuinely love cooking and sharing my gift, and I love to serve people and see their gratitude! I feel a great deal of satisfaction and gratitude for the constant opportunities I am given to create great memories for my clients, and their friends and families. I am overwhelmed by the amazingly warm and kind hearted people that I continually get the pleasure to cook for and serve, and how their friends and loved ones welcome me in with open arms, making me feel right and home and part of the family during my time amongst them. It's an unexplainably serene feeling as well as effect that it has on me. It is spiritually motivating, putting me right in my element and creative space to develop the most flavorful dishes, cooked with so much love and passion that the depth of flavor is indescribable.
It's the symbiotic relationship I get to develop with my clients that I enjoy the most, or just whoever is trying my dishes that day. The moment when I get to witness my food bringing people together is the absolute most satisfying and rewarding feeling that I've ever had the good fortune to experience. I also receive this good fortune more often than I can fathom why, nor could I ever hope to predict! It's the gift that keeps on giving and I am so very lucky and thankful for it.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I first gather all guest food preference and requirement details from the client. From there I continue with a series of questions that help me to understand what their culinary vision is for their event. We then discuss their budget goals and work backwards from there to achieve the best value for their dollar. I am extremely dedicated not only to my craft, but also the process of attaining, exciting and wildly impressing my new clientele with the caliber of food and guest service that I deliver. They also are shocked by how shockingly reasonable my prices are compared to the market. It's all about the client and guest experience, everything I do, and nurturing those relationships is what separates the ones who do this because the truly care for their
you no matter what my job duties were that particular day.
As you can imagine, the retention and nurturing of these regular clientele relationships is equally important if not more so! Whether you are a first time new client or one of my "Chef Daniel's Food Fan" followers receiving several services a year from me to accommodate your family's needs, you will learn and quickly understand that my business ethics, pricing, creative development and everything else that I do consistently and adamantly for my clients all stems from my true and genuine passion for my career. Yes, of course I am a creative and driven chef, but at the end of the day, I regard myself as a 100% heartfelt hospitality professional all around, seeking to become stronger and stronger at what I do for my clients with each and every service. Everyone has their stressful days at work, but I am fortunate that I get to end each day knowing I DID join this field and industry of pleasing and accommodating the needs of others for all the right reasons, never becoming jaded like so many in my this business. I'm jadeless in the hospitality field you could say, and my passion is evergreen, it will never rust.
My job satisfaction is less about the cuisine and plating, nor the delivery of beautiful dishes and thoughtfully paired wine or delicious and intriguing chef crafted cocktails to the guests at the table. Don't get me wrong, that brings me tremendous enjoyment for sure, and daily short term gratifications for the praise. It is really the chef-client relationship building process as a whole that is the biggest reward that I get at the end of each day, week, month and year.
And NO QUESTION IS A DUMB ONE when shopping around for your provider of services for your household or special occasion, trust me! Make us work for it, that's what you pay us for, and you SHOULD ask as many questions as are pertinent to the success and fulfilment of your event, and should question and scrutinize as much as needed until you feel you have found the right fit in your selection of provider for your needs. There are many chefs and caterers out there, and many of them are capable to accommodate you, as well as being creative and very talented. This shopping and development process is an important time in honing in on turn MOST fitting candidate or company for your needs that are available to you in your area for that timeframe. Of course I want to accommodate every potential client that calls or emails me, because as I mentioned, I'm a hospitality pro, through and through down to the bone. I have learned to remind myself though that it does not mean I am the right fit for every client, event or service. Really in the big picture, I want to service as many as I can that I bring an overwhelming benefit to their needs compared to my chef peers or catering competitors n the industry. That is my more accurate sentiment about it, and I actually refer out recommendations now actually when it does not feel as suitable for my expertise, but I am confident in those of another provider I know for what the client describes to me.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
22 years of food and beverage hospitality experience; Certified Serve Safe Food Service Manager and Food Handler Trainer; ACF Accredited; Former ACT Instructor; QSR Training; worked under Michelin chefs and James Beard winning mentors
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
Fully customized to each request, but generally between $20-$120 per guest depending on cuisine and other included item details for the event, such as if it is a buffet or other type of large group serving style or if it a full service fully played meal. There is quite a variance in price and many factors that go into it, but I work with budgets of all sizes, so don't be afraid to ask if something can be done in a more fiscal way to achieve it if you are on a tight budget. Just as there are many factors included in pricing, there are many ways to be creative as well to meet a certain budget.