I am writing to thank the Canadian Personal Chef Alliance for the exquisite dining experience that we and our guests enjoyed on Tuesday May 5, 2009 with Chef Courtney.
Negotiating a four-course menu with four fastidious guests must have been a challenge in itself. We had one pesca-vegetarian, one meat eater, one cholesterol intolerant person and another who disliked certain popular vegetables. For example, Chef Courtney’s initial suggestions included “Paupiettes of Sole stuffed with shrimps and spinach.” This sounded delicious to our pesce-vegetarian except for the shrimp, which she will not eat; another guest approved of everything except the spinach. Chef Courtney improvised by suggesting a fresh-salmon mousse stuffing which was greatly appreciated by all of us.
Another special request came from me. I asked Chef Courtney if he could delay preparation of the dinner until 5:30 p.m., so that I could learn first-hand how an expert chef conducts himself in an ordinary kitchen. Chef Courtney kindly obliged me, preparing most of the meal from scratch before my eyes – even the canapés. It was a unique privilege for me to watch a master at work. Throughout the preparation, he calmly and generously shared his knowledge and experience, even sharing the recipes of the few things that had to be prepared in advance.
Another inconvenience for Chef Courtney was that we had chosen our friends’
house as the venue, to accommodate their new-born baby, and therefore had little information about existing kitchen equipment. He took all such complications and special requests in his stride, providing all of the dishes and cookware for the meal.
Instead of providing only one set of hors-d’oeuvres, he provided and prepared one dozen of three different items. The poached spicy Cajun shrimp with a cool chunky tomato dip was a huge hit with our meat-eaters. Everyone loved the taste of his pretty tortilla wraps with avocado cheddar cheese and tomato and his baby red tomatoes stuffed with delicious curried tuna dip.
Chef Courtney presented each course as a separate event, adding a certain drama to the evening.
The appetizer was a delectable medley of several colourful lettuces and cabbages with a balsamic mint dressing, adorned with quaint homemade crispy breads stuffed with feta, apples and grapes.
The entree featured the above-mentioned Paupiettes of sole stuffed with fresh salmon mousse. These were attractively served over molded cakes of mixed wild and Basmati rice, shredded seasonal vegetables encircled with a fresh-tasting and colourful lemon dressing.
The peach cobbler dessert was a delicious finale to a great meal. Whereas pie crusts generally serve as a way-station on one’s way to the fruit, the crust on Courtney’s peach cobbler would have served as a delicious dessert in itself.
It was a separate education to note how quickly and efficiently a master-chef can clean up a kitchen after a complicated meal.
In summary, we are most grateful to Chef Courtney and the Canadian Personal Chef’s Alliance for the extraordinary four-course meal graciously and expertly provided to us. It was perfect in every way. It would be very impressive if all of the chefs in the Alliance could meet Chef Courtney Smith’s high standards of creativity, expertise and grace under pressure.
With sincere thanks from us and our two guests,
Linda H. and Robert W.
Chef Aly was very helpful and accommodating, as well as creative. Would recommend him.
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- Private Chef Exchange
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TopChefs4Hire connects Chefs to consumers who want to hire personal and private chefs in Canada, United States, U.K., Ireland, Australia & around the world. It is free for consumers to search for Personal and Private Chefs. Likewise, Personal and Private Chefs can get a basic listing for free, or an enhanced listing for a nominal annual fee. You can also purchase our Chef Experience Gift Certificates - the perfect gift for everyone on your list! For suggestions or more details, contact us!
Are you a Chef? The Chef Alliance is the world's largest provider of Personal Chef services, and the only worldwide Personal Chef association dedicatied to generating jobs for Chefs. We also save Chefs money in the operation of their businesses. Our job boards, corporate programs, retail sales of Personal Chef Experiences, and chef search site generates millions of dollars of business for Chefs. If you are a qualified & experienced Chef contact us for information on the benefits of becoming a Personal Chef with The Chef Alliance. Likewise, if you are a Chef going at it alone and are finding it tough, see how registering with us will grow your business.
2010-01-26
The Chef Alliance is excited to announce the launch of The Seal of Approval. This program is the first of many initiatives that will aggressively promote The Chef Alliance and the approved Canadian brands and products that meet The Seal of Approval Criteria. The Seal of Approval is only granted to
2009-12-18
The Chef Alliance is pleased to announce their partnership with Van Houtte Coffee in a second national promotion. The Chef Alliance will be providing 3 lucky winners with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a private cooking class with a Pastry Chef. The Pastry Chefs will guide the
2009-07-19
Get the VIP treatment at your own house party, and have the chance to win a gourmet dinner for 4! The Chef Alliance has teamed with House Party Buzz, Inc. to offer the grand prize for attendees at their first house party, scheduled for October 3rd 2009. House Part Buzz invites you to host a
What are you doing April 23-25th?
Join The Chef Alliance at Toronto's Good Food Festival on April 23rd to 25th 2010!
The Chef Alliance is proud to be the Festival's Prize Partner for 2010 - keep checking back fro more details on the Contest and the Grand Prize!
Meet our chefs at our landmark booth, and sample their culinary creations. Watch them create sumptuous dishes before your eyes on the Food Network Stage!
Last Minute Valentine's Day Gifts
For all you procrastinators, Valentine's Day is only a few days away! No need to panic however - The Chef Alliance can customise a Chef Experience that will sweep your loved one of his or her feet! Gift Certificates can be sent to you by email, so you don't even have to leave teh comfort of your chair!
Forget flowers - they die. Chocolates - been there, done that. Teddy Bear - are you kidding? Go out to a restaurant for dinner - mmm, yeah you could, but there's no privacy, and you have to find parking, and it's cold outside, and you haven't made the reservation yet ...
With a Chef Experience, your chef will shop for the freshest ingredients, come to you on your selected date, and once dinner has been prepared in your kitchen, will even serve dinner to you AND clean up afterwards! Great food, no stress, and no mess! Perfect for everyone!
Not interested in a dinner service? Our Chefs will conduct BBQ events, private cooking classes, provide 'invisible chef' services (cook dinner and leave before your guests arrive, so that you can get all the credit!) and much more!
Send us an email with your enquiry!
Van Houtte Coffee promotion
Congrats to the 3 winners - Dawn, Heather and Deborah - in the Van Houtte Coffee promotion! We look forward to booking your Chef experience with your very own Pastry Chef!
new lifeEXPERIENCES Chef Package
Just in time for the Holidays, The Chef Alliance has launched it's latest gift package with Shoppers Drug Mart & lifeEXPERIENCES - A Dinner for 2, retailing at $199.00!
The Chef Alliance has been offering Chef Experiences under the lifeEXPERIENCES brand since 2004, with great success. "We started off with a 3 course Bistro Dinner for 4," commented CHEF Sonia, President of The Chef Alliance, "and now offer, in-home cooking classes, a Personal Chef for a week, Iron Chef Experiences, and much more!"
Gift certificates under the lifeEXPERIENCES brand may be purchased in Shoppers Drug Mart stores across the country, or online. The Chef Alliance also offers an even wider array of gift certificates - from Gourmet Dinners, Tasting Menus, Culinary Adventures and Intimate Dinners for 2, to name just s few. For details on these, or to create a custom certificate, please contact us.