By LOIS KINDLE
As people age, many are no longer able or have the desire to cook their own meals. Some try meal delivery services and find them lacking. As a result, they don’t enjoy eating and fail to maintain a high level of nutrition in the foods they eat.
Chefs for Seniors can help. The nationally known personal chef service offers convenient in-home, custom meal preparation based on each client’s dietary needs and preferences.
Chicken pot pie is a favorite food option for many Chefs for Seniors clients. It’s prepared in the client’s own kitchen using only the freshest ingredients.
Now there’s a franchise right here in Hillsborough County, and its owner, Paulette Brown, is eager to show area seniors how they can benefit from having their own personal chef.
The chefs she employs come with years of culinary training and experience, so they know how to prepare high-quality, deliciously nutritious meals sure to please any palate. And contrary to what might be expected, their service is quite affordable.
All chefs are ServSafe-certified, thoroughly background checked and fully bonded and insured. An added benefit is the client can, if they choose, watch their chef prepare their meals, enjoy their companionship and personally interact with them.
During each weekly session, Chefs for Seniors prepares four main-course entrees for the client, which are portioned and stored in 12 to 14 labeled containers. The chefs use their own pots, pans and utensils and clean up the kitchen afterwards.
Fit & Lean Broccoli Chicken is one of the more than 175 Tampa healthy and delicious entrée options you can choose to have prepared in your home by a professional Chefs for Seniors chef.
The chef and client work together on scheduling, which is normally between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays and, if possible, by special arrangement.
“For each three to three-and-a-half hour weekly visit, the chef shops, prepares four main-course entrees, stores them in 12 to 14 labeled containers, leaves re-heating instructions and cleans the kitchen,” Brown said. (They bring their own pots, pans, knives, and utensils with them.) “Our goal is to improve the quality of life for seniors and help them stay in place.”
There are more than 175 nutrition-rich, tasty meal options, including apple-sage pork tenderloin, beef stroganoff and chicken pot pie; sausage and sweet potato soup, citrus-glazed salmon and classic or cheeseburger meatloaf; stuffed bell peppers, spaghetti and meatballs and chicken enchiladas. Additionally, there are lots of vegan or vegetarian options.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Cordon Bleu-trained Chef Carlos Botero, of Chefs for Seniors – Tampa, is seen here preparing meals in a client’s home. The chef works with the client to customize a weekly meal plan based on his or her dietary needs and food preferences.
Brown offers a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more about Chefs for Seniors. There’s a two-service minimum requirement to try the service; after that, there’s no minimum contract.
To schedule one or for more information, visit http://chefsforseniors.com/tampa-florida/, email paulette.brown@chefsforseniors.com or call 813-520-0059.
The franchise also has a Facebook page.
Chefs for Seniors is included on the Sun City Center Community Association’s official vendor list and is a member of the Greater SouthShore Chamber of Commerce.