The Skinny Beet

When my husband and I first decided to find a personal chef we thought "maybe this will help, we can't keep eating out, it's killing us." Neither of us really knew what a personal chef service looked like. We love cooking but we didn't/don't have time during the week to cook. We hoped we'd get more vegetables into our diet at a minimum. That not eating out would mean less of the white devils (sugar, salt). I reached out to The Skinny Beet in a frenetic and desperate state last December.

Since they've entered our lives the sun is shining, the clouds have parted and Mondays are happy (re: they are miracle workers). We have been a weekly client with The Skinny Beet for almost 3 months now. At the end of 1 month we reached out to them and shared a list of each positive benefit directly or indirectly related to hiring them as personal chefs. I would like to share this list with you (reader of my review):

1. My husband and I spend more time together.
2. We portion control better.
3. We work out more (have time to work out).
4. We feel better: less groggy, less irritable, more energy.
5. The food they make tastes flavorful, wholesome and satisfying. We get to eat our favorite cuisines with less of the sugar/salt and more grain/vegetable variety than what we know how to cook.
6. We waste less.
7. The brain space we wasted thinking about what to eat, what to cook, when to go pick things up, crap-I-forgot-an-ingredient --- Poof! Gone. Which, working full time while part time grad school, any and all brain space I can allocate to my work is priceless for me.

From Week One: Flexibility with schedule and menu planning was made easy for us - We come home and our kitchen tools and pans lovingly (and somewhat expensively) acquired over time are clean - There are delicious dishes made with quality ingredients ready for devouring in the fridge.

We are so grateful for the difference The Skinny Beet has made in our quality of life. Seriously, I wasn't kidding: Miracle Workers.

My wife first had Richard give us a grilling lesson for my birthday a few years ago. The lesson was fun, informative -- and most importantly -- the food was delicious.

We have since used Richard for weekly private meal preparation. My wife has a number of dietary restrictions that Richard has no issue accommodating without sacrificing any flavor or creativity in the meals. We are always excited to see what Richard has planned for the week and often find ourselves fighting over our favorites. The meals are healthy and well-portioned. As an added bonus, his dishes are easily frozen for future meals.

We highly recommend Richard for private chef services, special events and cooking lessons. You will not be disappointed.

We are a family that desperately needed help to have access to good healthy cooking. At the end of 2015, we reached out to the Skinny Beet duo to help us ... to come once a week and make some dinners for us to reheat as needed. They have done this for nearly a year now and it truly has changed our lives!

First, the food is amazing... Lots of options. Lots of accommodation of our various needs (a daughter that loves all things carb and parents that are gluten-free)... On the latter, soups and stuffed veggies (peppers and mushrooms) are truly outstanding. Creative... Tasty ... Always.

Second, the communication is stellar. Weekly, we get clear and inspired menus. We are given all the tools to plan our week... And are always greeted by flexibility!

Third, after the cooking, it's like a ninja team came through our kitchen... Never an item out of place or an unwashed dish to speak of.

I can't more highly recommend Skinny Beet!! They have been a real gift. And are lovely people on top of being life saving food geniuses!

I hired Richard and Katie to come to my apt to give me an private cooking lesson. I didn't really know what to expect, and when they asked me what I wanted to learn I told them I wanted to learn "some of the basics". Well in just a couple hours we were able to cover SO much ground. From making a delicious salsa and homemade chips, to a steak and a chicken, even farro with caramelized onions. Not only did I learn tons of REALLY helpful skills that I've already been implementing, but I had delicious food that lasted me for a handful of meals THAT I HELPED MAKE! They brought all their own ingredients and left my kitchen completely spotless (possibly cleaner than how they found it)

I am so thankful to these two and I look forward to our next lessons.

Richard did a private cooking class for my wife and I based on her favorite dishes/ingredients, and we loved it! He was friendly, easygoing, and made the experience fun, helping us learn techniques, and get ideas and practice. He and Katie also worked with me by email beforehand to finalize an exciting and delicious menu. Even I was able to get involved in cooking, and I'm usually a terrible cook! The meals were delicious, and we made so much we had food for 3 days.

We've been enjoying Richard and Katie's personal chef services for several months now and it's been great!

In the beginning, they took a quick survey of our food preferences and allergies. Then each week we get an email with the proposed menu of dinners for the next week. Most of the time, the selection is perfect as is, especially now that they've gotten to know us better; but if not, Richard and Katie always have other options on hand to accommodate our requests. They're really friendly so it's easy to change things up.

Then once a week, they'll go grocery shopping, come to our kitchen, and do their magic. Food gets stored in labeled tupperware, and they leave the kitchen cleaner than when they arrived. They've been very flexible with working around our schedules, always arriving at whatever time we've arranged, and finishing up within a few hours.

Most importantly, the food's been absolutely delicious so far. They've gotten us to expand our palates and try new things while still cooking some of our favorites. Price per meal is equivalent to going out to a nice meal for two, and it's worth it. We're eating a lot healthier now, and we've got a lot more free time to spend as a family. Plus, the portions are generous enough that we our toddler can eat some, and we still have leftovers for lunch sometimes.

If you're looking for a personal chef, you should definitely give Skinny Beet a try.

I hired The Skinny Beet to give my wife and I some cooking lessons for my wife's birthday. My wife and I are both vegan and I thought that might make these chefs, (on of which writes Boston Burger Blog) cringe but they were so excited! Not only did we learn some great recipes for appetizers and entrees but it also gave me and my wife some much needed kitchen confidence.

Richard and Katie are personable, knowledgeable and above all can cook the heck out of some tofu steaks! I was so happy with the lesson that I have recommended them to friends and family.

Thanks to Richard and Katie, my wife and I now have a couple of recipes in our repertoire and I now know what "muhammara" is, but not necessarily how to spell it :)

This power couple make mean meals, cater parties of all kinds, host a podcast (called The Skinny Beet, which is about all things food, drink and funny stories), they occasionally go on burger crawls and now offer up the public a sneak peak into their kitchen with TWO DAMN GOOD COOKBOOKS!! I call them over achievers (but good ones!)

Check out:

SUPERFOOD SANDWICHES by Katie Chudy

&

AMERICAN BURGER REVIVAL
by Richard Chudy & Samuel Monsour

I purchased an in-home cooking demonstration and was not disappointed! They were professional, cheerful and talented chefs. We (like many other reviewers) started with homemade pita chips and black bean dip (YUM!), followed by asparagus risotto and roasted chicken thighs. The food was delicious. One of our guest follows a gluten-free diet, and this was not a problem for Richard and Katie. The dessert they made, a pineapple strudel (gluten-free) was good, but it needed to cook for an extra 30 minutes because the fruit chunks were so big. I would have preferred something chocolaty, but I did not give them any direction with regards to dessert, so it's my own fault. Next time, I'll request a chocolate mousse...

It was a lovely evening with amazing food. Will definitely hire The Skinny Beet again!

Richard has been preparing meals for us for quite a while now and we have loved it. He comes once a week and makes several healthy meals with great options for adults and kids. We are eating healthier and have much more control over what we are eating versus eating out or doing take out. He also helped with preparing our Thanksgiving meal this year and it was one of the best ever. Couldn't recommend them more!