Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Prewitt.
Elizabeth, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My business, Silver Plum Personal Chef, is Chicago’s top luxury Personal Chef Service, making restaurant-quality food in clients’ homes since 2010.
I was born and raised in New Orleans, where great food is a way of life. In 2005, I decided to pursue this love seriously, and signed up for the internationally-recognized Baking and Pastry Arts program at Sullivan University, in Louisville, Kentucky.
While there, I achieved the honor of membership in Sullivan’s Culinary Competition Team. After graduating Magna Cum Laude, I relocated to Chicago in 2007.
I launched Silver Plum Personal Chef in 2010 to bring my experience in such restaurants as New Orleans’ famous Commander’s Palace and Louisville’s Proof on Main into my clients’ kitchens, making everyday meals tailored to their personal tastes and preferences.
Has it been a smooth road?
Self-employment is never a smooth road! The first few years were a bit rocky, as they are for every new business. But as word spread and I honed my skills as sharp as my knives, my business flourished.
The biggest struggle for me came during an early slow patch. I decided to start a second business, creating and selling a packaged gourmet food. Eventually, the Personal Chef business picked back up (of course), and I was juggling two businesses. My decision to let the second one go — and focus 100% on Personal Cheffing — was the best thing I’ve done. I’ve never had a slow patch since.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
As a Personal Chef, I create restaurant-quality food for my clients in their homes. Part of my business involves cooking for special events (dinner parties, etc.), what many people think of as “in-home catering”. The other part of my business involves cooking everyday meals for regular clients. I show up once a month (or bi-weekly), bring all the groceries and equipment, set up and cook all day, package the food so it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice, then leave everything spotless before I head home.
My specialty is customization. If my client is happy, then I’m happy. I’m probably most known for my meticulous work — I often hear from my clients how organized and cleanly I work.
I’m also known for, and what sets me apart from other Personal Chefs is my inventive menu planning. Every menu I cook is completely unique, tailored to the season and to each client’s taste. The cookie-cutter approach just doesn’t jive for me. I love using new, modernist techniques to give old classics new life, or using unusual ingredients and flavors to provide some intrigue.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago is a fantastic city for a Personal Chef. It’s big enough that there’s a good market for Personal Chefs of all levels, besides being an incredible city for food in general. Chicagoans care deeply about food, and as word continues to spread about the industry, more and more of them will want to bring the incredible fine-dining we have here into their own homes. If someone wants to start out as a Personal Chef, I can hardly imagine a better city for it than Chicago.
Pricing:
- Service Fee for one day of Regular Meal Service (up to 32 servings): $600 + grocery cost
- Service Fee for one 3-4 course dinner for 6 guests: $635 + grocery cost
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SilverPlumChicago.com
- Phone: 773-559-5583
- Email: Beth@SilverPlumChicago.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/SilverPlumPersonalChef
Image Credit:
Elizabeth Prewitt, Cybelle Codish (fourth photo down)
