Personal Chefs Provide More Than Pampering

The words "personal chef" conjure up all kinds of images, such as rambling estates, long formal dining tables and silver-domed plates.

But today's personal chefs are not just hired by people indulging themselves. They are empowering and educating modern families to live healthier lives.

"I made a 2 1/2-year-old kid a chocolate cake who's never tasted cake before," said Kristopher Plummer, 33, a personal chef who runs a business from his home in Newtown.

The toddler had severe food allergies, so Plummer was hired to prepare allergen-free dishes. That immediate gratification launched his business of helping clients eat healthy as well as flavorful foods.

Known as Chef Plum, Plummer learned to cook at an early age.

"I made my first egg sandwich when I was 5 years old," Plummer said. "My dad died when I was very young, so cooking became kind of necessary."

Plummer attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, then  settled in Connecticut to start his personal chef business.

Another regular client has dietary restrictions due to a brain tumor. Plummer cooks for the family, which enables them to sit down together without the stress or worry of what to eat and how to cook it.

Plummer sources his produce and much of his other ingredients locally. He also cooks what is in season.

"When you get a tomato in April, it's coming from South America or Mexico — it's no good," he said.

Another personal chef, Pamela Buchler, who owns Aquarian Caterers in town, also places an emphasis on cooking what is in season and available locally.

"Ninety percent of the produce I use comes from my garden or local farms," she said. "So my clients won't be getting butternut squash in the summer."

Buchler worked as the chef for Westport's Food for Thought, which later became Whole Foods. After establishing Aquarian Caterers, she decided to see if people were interested in having "healthy takeout food that's affordable."

In addition to regularly providing meals for three clients, Buchler began selling portioned meals through The Inspired Body, a fitness studio in Newtown.

"I wanted to make it easy for moms on the run," said Buchler. "There are those nights when you're picking up pizza, but you don't really want to eat it. And that becomes the roller coaster of bad eating."

Her portioned, ready-to-eat meals became popular, and Buchler now has a system of emailing a menu to clients on Friday, cooking on Mondays and delivering the meals on Tuesday. There is no minimum order.

"People who get my food are health conscious," she said. "I gear it toward people who want to better their lives through food."

A typical meal might include sesame-crusted seared tuna with chipotle aioli served over organic microgreens. A recent side salad tossed together pickled cucumbers and hearts of palm with feta cheese.

And to satisfy a customer's sweet tooth but adhere to dietary needs, Buchler created a chocolate bread, which contained no sugar or butter, and instead used carrots, pears and apples.

It was delicious, by the way.