21 Jan 2022
Valentine’s day is fast approaching, and you know that you want to do something very romantic, but time isn’t always on your side. Have you ever considered a date night with a personal chef? No one wants the hassle of going out to eat with their Valentine, especially lately. The drive to the restaurant while hoping for a table and the worry that they will be short-staffed can kill the mood. So why not skip that hassle and try to go a more private route? Taking the time to schedule a date night with a personal chef shows you care while not impacting your regular schedule.
Many couples jump through many hoops to try to outdo previous Valentine’s Day dinners. They try to get into the hottest new restaurants or old romantic favorites. The problem is that so is everyone else. Thinking ahead can mean calling around to restaurants trying to find one with an open reservation. Waiting until the last moment can mean calling around to find a table without a crazy wait time.
(Also Read – Elevate your Dining Experience with Your Own Personal Chef)
Then, there are all the problems that can occur while heading out. Your boss may keep you later than usual. Your babysitter ran late. The weather can ruin your day. Parking can be a pain. Menus can become limited with meals selling out. Prices for parking, drinks and the meal can be even higher than usual due to the holiday adding insult to injury. All of these little things can pile up to making a night out no fun.
All of the pitfalls you could possibly run into are eliminated when you opt for a date night in with a personal chef. There is no trying to compete with other couples for a table at a restaurant. Instead, you’ll be at your home having a romantic dinner with no distractions. You can easily book a personal chef for your date night dinner, no matter what day you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
(Watch – How to Enhance Date Night Flavors with CookinGenie)
Running late when eating at home isn’t the same issue. You don’t have to worry about having enough time to change, drive to the restaurant, find parking, and rush to get inside only to find out that your reservation isn’t ready for you yet because the couple ahead of you is still finishing their meal. Instead, you can get home, get changed, and open the door for the personal chef, all while feeling relaxed rather than rushed.
Plus, a personal chef will cook specifically for you. There is no worry that you or your date won’t find something on the menu that you’re interested in eating. No one wants to spend a lot of time looking over a menu, finding a dish that sounds good, only to be told that it’s no longer available because the kitchen ran out of it due to others ordering the same thing. Then, it’s time to figure out what else you’d like to eat even though you were in the mood for the first thing you picked. Also, you won’t have to ask for substitutions or eliminate ingredients and hope that the kitchen gets your order correct. Everything will be personalized for your dinner.
You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to plan your Valentine’s Day dinner when using a personal chef service like CookinGenie. First, scroll through various local personal chefs with differing menus until you find the perfect one for your date night. Then, pick precisely what you and your date will enjoy for the meal. Once you’ve booked your personal chef, be ready to sit back and relax.
Your personal chef will handle all of the shopping in advance, so you don’t have to worry about going to a busy grocery store during your day. Next, they’ll arrive ready to prepare your meal in your kitchen. You’ll be able to enjoy your meal at home without having to listen to other diners or wait endlessly for it to be served. Finally, there’s no worry about who has to clean up the dishes after your dinner date since your personal chef will handle it all for you.
Wishing you’d have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch like you would with your leftovers from the restaurant? Then, you can plan ahead and order additional servings to ensure that you’ll have something to eat later.
One of the biggest barricades people face when considering a personal chef is the cost. Many believe that a personal chef is only for the wealthy, but that’s not the case. In fact, getting a personal chef costs about the same as a meal in a restaurant. You won’t be surprised by a meal costing more than expected when using CookinGenie, as our service has upfront prices that you’ll see when you book your meal. Of course, some meals will be priced higher than others due to the ingredients and other factors, but you’ll expect to pay about the same at a restaurant. Since Valentine’s Day can often have a special menu or other upcharges, you’ll find that planning a date night with a personal chef this year for your special someone is more affordable.
(Also Read – How Can You Save More by Hiring a Personal Chef?)
The personal touch you give to your dinner date with a personal chef will stand out. You selected a menu that you’ll both love that’s carefully crafted by a professional. You can even take a little time to spruce up your dining room or kitchen with some candles and a new tablecloth to bring the fancy restaurant experience into your home. The little details matter, and you’ll show the person you love just how much you love them with such a thoughtful date night.
(Also Read – A Complete Guide to Hiring a Personal Chef)
CookinGenie is here to help with your romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day or any day that needs a date night ending. Choose from a variety of local personal chefs to come and prepare your favorite meal in the comfort of your own home. So, get all the credit for an at-home romantic dinner without having to handle the shopping, cooking, or clean-up. Check out our website today to finalize your next date night with a personal chef.
25 Oct 2021
Birthday parties are fun for young and old. However, having a birthday party at your house for your parents, children, yourself, or other loved ones may seem like a hassle, but you can plan a perfect birthday party for the next big occasion if you follow these tips.
It can seem overwhelming at first when planning a shindig at your home, even if it’s just a small intimate party for close family and friends. Here are some considerations to keep in mind during the planning process.
One of the first things you should consider is when you should plan to have your party. It can be helpful to get in touch with family and friends you’re thinking of inviting to work on finding the perfect date and time. However, it may not be possible for larger parties to reach out to everyone personally to get everyone’s schedule. In these cases, you may want to send out a survey in an email to get an idea of when most of your guests will be able to attend. Ultimately, you may not be able to find a date and time that works for everyone.
Tip: Setting an actual time for the start and end of the party can be helpful. Creating a start time makes it easier for everyone to know when the food will be served, while the end time can help you guide stragglers out at the end of the night.
Concurrently to determining the date and time, you’ll also want to consider your guest list. Even with small gatherings that only include family, it can be beneficial to get a headcount of who’s invited and who’s going to be able to attend. You’ll also want to determine if your guests can bring a plus one, which can dramatically impact your guest list.
Tip: Respectfully request an RSVP by a particular date before your party. You’ll be able to finalize your headcount better for how many people are planning on coming.
Another essential factor you’ll need to consider early on in the planning stages is your budget. You’ll want to sit down and think about how much you’re willing to spend for the party and then look at the different options available to you to fit your set budget best. There are some great options at every budget level for planning a birthday party at your home.
Break down your budget by the different things you want to offer at your party, such as food, party bags, entertainment, decorations, and so on. The great thing about having a party at home is that venue is one of the costs you don’t have to think about when deciding how much you want your budget to be overall. Plus, think outside of the box. For example, you can save by picking up your party decorations at a dollar store while spending more money on wow items like the cake.
Tip: Get an idea for your budget by multiplying how much you want to spend per person by how many people you’re inviting.
Themes are a fun idea for parties of any age. Of course, it can be fun to create a theme on your own, but if you are worried about the celebrated person not liking the theme, you may want to consider letting them help brainstorm a theme.
Tip: Pinterest can be a great place to get ideas for themes if you’re stuck.
Invitations
Once you’ve picked out a theme and got your guest list together, it’s time to create the invitations. You can go old school and pick up paper invites that fit the theme you picked to mail out or hand deliver to your guest list. Paper invitations can be fun to introduce some potential themes, such as a murder mystery birthday party.
Electronic invites can also be fun, and they are often the easiest way to get an accurate headcount since it’s straightforward to click whether or not the person will attend the party. Some electronic invitation sites even send reminders out to get any straggler RSVPs.
Tip: Be clear on your invites about the details, such as the RSVP deadline and if guests can have a plus one.
Food is often the centerpiece of the occasion. No birthday party, or really any kind of party, is complete without food. An option that you should explore is CookinGenie for your next birthday party. It’s easy to set a menu, figure out how many portions you need to order for your guest list, and have a personal chef handle the cooking in your kitchen. Then you have no worries about the food getting cold as the catering company brings it to your home.
Tip: Explore CookinGenie.com to learn more about the different offerings that you can have for your party.
Goodie bags are a great touch no matter the age of the person you’re celebrating. Giving out party bags is often associated with children’s birthday parties as a fun way to end the event. A small bag with toys, stickers, candy, and other little items is given out as the kids leave to thank them for coming. The same can be done for adults with a fun token of appreciation that commemorates the event.
Tip: Have these waiting at the door for when your guests leave.
Yes! You had a successful birthday party for one of your favorite people. Everyone had an excellent time at the party you planned. Once the party is over, that means it’s time to clean and organize. Did you know that by utilizing CookinGenie, you’ll save yourself some time? Not only does your personal chef for the birthday party prepare a fantastic menu, but they also clean up the cooking area, getting it back to how it was before they arrived. That means you can focus on tackling cleaning up elsewhere.
Check out CookinGenie today while planning your next birthday party or other home events. See what loyal CookinGenie clients already know: affordable personal chefs coming to your home has never been easier.
25 Feb 2022
You’ve decided that you’re going to throw a dinner party. It’s time to gather up your friends and family to spend some quality time together over a good meal. No one wants to spend their entire evening and lead up to the party worrying over the menu, shopping, and preparing the food when they could be focused on other things. So, that means you’ll want to bring in some help to provide the meal part of the dinner party, but who do you choose? Your options include personal chefs and catering services. Do you know how you should make your choice? Let’s break down the similarities and differences between the two services and help you make your plans for a fun dinner party.
Personal chef services mean that you’ll have a trained chef come into your home and prepare your meal, in the same manner, they would if they were in a restaurant. It brings the restaurant experience into your home. Typically, when you book a personal chef service, they shop for fresh ingredients to make the dish you select, arrive at your home to prepare the menu item using your kitchen, and then clean up after they’re done. As a result, your food is fresh and hot when you sit down to eat. When it comes to a dinner party, you can select as many dishes as you’d like, such as appetizers, the main course, and even dessert, based on the menu each chef offers.
A catering service offers the benefit of experience. Most catering companies are very familiar with providing food for parties of all sizes, and they often do it well. They employ chefs to create meals in their kitchens, and then the food is delivered to the party hot and ready to eat. Catering companies often have an extensive menu to select from because of the way that the food is prepared in a commercial kitchen in advance of the party date. Typically, a catering company will arrive at your party and set up the food in the area you select. You may find that they need to set up chafing dishes or other warming trays to keep the food warm while the party is in full swing. You can also pay for servers in case of a much larger dinner party, but that’s not always included in the cost of your meal.
(Also Read – Personal Chef Vs. Private Chef Vs. Catering Services: Which Option Is Right For You?)
Both personal chef services and catering offer you the benefit of being more present at your dinner party. They both free you from being in the kitchen while your friends and family have a great time. You’ll be able to chat and enjoy yourself. However, some benefits come from personal chef services above a catering service. With a personal chef service, you know precisely who is preparing your meal as you get to handpick them. You also have peace of mind that the ingredients are fresh and the meal is made that day. You have no fears about something being prepared in advance, sitting in a freezer, and then being dethawed for your dinner party. The personal part of the title of a personal chef means that you get that personal touch when it comes to your food preparation from start to finish. Your food will be piping hot and ready to be enjoyed right from the kitchen. Since a critical component of a dinner party is the meal, it can be vital to pick the right menu prepared fresh in your own kitchen. It’s a great way to make your friends and family say wow after the party is over.
(Also Read – Why Should Busy Families Hire a Personal Chef?)
You may be thinking that you’re going to choose a catering service over a personal chef solely because of the cost. People often believe that catering services are affordable while personal chef services are meant more for black tie affairs and the wealthy. While a personal chef service seems like an expensive extravagance, you’d be surprised to learn that the cost isn’t prohibitive. Of course, the price of the different dishes will vary based on the ingredients involved, but it’s all upfront when you book. There are no surprise costs or fees as you’ll be able to see the prices per serving on the website—no contacting different services for quotes. So not will these charges be around the same as you’d expect to pay at your favorite restaurant, but you’ll save time by being able to see the costs online.
(Also Read – How to Save Hours Per Week with a Personal Chef?)
The CookinGenie difference turns an evening of uncertainty into an evening of confidence. You know that you can count on a great experience thanks to the CookinGenie platform. The booking process is streamlined and very user-friendly. Your chef will arrive in a timely fashion and prepare the menu you’ve requested. That means no shopping, cooking, or kitchen cleanup for you. Plus, you and your chef are protected through CookinGenie if something does not go as expected during your evening. So choosing CookinGenie has some great benefits.
CookinGenie was designed to be used by anyone wanting to place a reservation with a personal chef on the website. The user-friendly nature makes it fun and easy to plan your dinner party. You can scroll through the different chefs and the different menus they offer. You can easily see prices and the available dates for each chef to make picking out the details for your party easy. Once you decide on the date, chef, and menu, you enter your details and payment information. That’s it. The food aspect of your dinner party is complete leaving you to plan out all the other little details that help make a dinner party a must-attend event.
Are you convinced that CookinGenie is the right choice for your upcoming dinner party? Check out the different menus you can plan using our personal chefs. Your guests will be amazed at the restaurant-quality meal while you’ll be able to sit back relax during your own party. Put entertaining back into your dinner party. Just book and be ready for a fantastic time with your friends.
