What about the groceries?
I shop for food as if I were shopping for my own family or for myself the day of your cook date. The groceries are brought to your house with the perishables kept cold until they are stored in your refrigerator to be used in the food preparation. All other ingredients needed are also brought the day of your cook date.

Is the service affordable?
Think about what you spend on take out food, meals and tips at restaurants, convenience foods at the grocery store (which include boxed foods with many preservatives, additives, and sodium ), and the cost of gasoline used to get there. When you add it all up, you’d be surprised about how reasonable the cost is! I will typically spend 3-6 hours in your kitchen on your cook date. Time will vary according to your menu selections.

Will you customize the food to my personal tastes and health requirements?
Yes. As part of your in-home consultation, I will be conducting an interview with you to determine your nutritional requirements and palate preferences. This is your opportunity to tell me your likes and dislikes. It is important for me to know if you or any family members have any food allergies or special dietary requirements. Besides assisting me to create a personalized menu for you, this information helps me select the most appropriate places to shop. For each individual who is a regular client, I keep a file with your needs and preferences and your menu selections. If you have two, four, six, or twelve members in your household who will be eating my food on a regular basis, I will have a file for each of them.

Do you cook in my kitchen?
Yes. I bring my own pots, pans, small cooking appliances, and utensils as needed. I bring the perishable food in a cooler and any other ingredients. After I finish, I clean your kitchen, pack my belongings, and leave your home so that the only evidence of me being there is the aroma of home-cooked food.

Is the food ready to eat or will I have to cook?
The food is ready for you to “finish for service.” All meals will have clear instructions for you to follow that will enable you to finish preparing the meal. If the meal is frozen, just take it out the night before it is to be eaten and let it thaw out in the refrigerator. Then all you have to do is follow the heating instructions to finish the meal. Most meals will be finished in the microwave.

How do you package and store my meals?
As part of your in-home consultation, we will discuss your preference for packaging, both the type of container and how many meals you would prefer to be packaged together. On your cook date, once each entrée is prepared, I will rapidly cool it, package it in the container of your choice, label each meal, note the date of preparation, including finishing instructions, (heat or thaw & heat) and then store it in your refrigerator. You will then transfer those meals you will be eating later to your freezer. The quality of your frozen entrees will be better the colder they are when put into the freezer, so allowing the food to remain in the refrigerator overnight before freezing, results in a better end product for you.

How much refrigerator and freezer space do you need?
The space required will depend on your packaging choice (container and number of meals per container). We will work together to choose the most space-efficient yet most convenient packaging for your need. For refrigerator space, I ask my clients not to go shopping the day before, so I can cool down your products while I work.

Do you charge a travel expense fee?
Yes. Like most businesses, my business has a time and material cost relationship at its core. If you live outside the southwest suburbs of Chicago, where it requires more than a thirty-five minute trip to get to your home, I will charge a fee to cover my transportation expenses. The fee covers gasoline and my time. I calculate this fee on my hourly rate, and the amount of trip time. Longer trips also require more time to pack the food for transport, to insure temperature consistency your food.

What is your cancellation policy?
For all my services, if more than 72 hours notice is given ½ of the subtotal will be charged. If less than 72 hours notice is given the full subtotal will be charged. Cancellations within this time frame do leave me with food over-ordered and time I cannot replace with another client’s business at such short notice. I require the same amount of notice for postponing your date. Postponing has the same impact as cancellation, and is treated the same as cancellation.

Do I have to sign a long-term contract?
No. I do not require a long-term contract for my services. MEALS BY MIMI Personal Chef Service is in the business of providing great food and service at a reasonable price. I want to develop a long-term relationship with each of my clients; because that relationship enables me to better understand and serve your changing culinary needs and wants.