Two Local Personal Chefs are Bringing Home Cooking back to the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids Area

Chefs Denise Bushnell and Gabriela Weir worked together so well as lab partners while studying in the Kirkwood Community College Culinary program they went ahead and stayed teammates after graduation.

The two women are co-owners of Back to the Table, a personal chef and boutique catering service that has been doing quite well since opening for business in May of 2011.

Bushnell, who lives Iowa City, said the idea of the service is to provide healthy, homecoked meals out of locally purchased materials. The cost generally starts at $200 for 12 servings, which includes the cost of groceries, with the meat and eggs and much of the produce bought from local vendors. She said this breaks down to roughly $16 a meal.

Bushnell said it was important to both her and Weir to respect food as an important part of life, not something to be consumed without care, as has grown more customary in American life.

"We're always in a hurry, eating in the car, eating on the run," Bushnell said. "As consumers, a lot of us don't look to see where our food is coming from."

After agreeing on a menu with a client fitting their diet and needs, the two chefs then bring these groceries to the client's home where they create several meals for the coming week right in their kitchen.

She said this whole process is undertaken so the clients -- who are either too busy to cook, or physically impaired, or just plain ready for a pampering -- can enjoy homemade food they didn't have to make.

"It's nice being able to focus on spending time talking to their family at the table, or with their partner at the table, instead of worrying about cooking the meals," Bushnell said.  "We take a lot of pressure off them, which is nice."

Bushnell said Back to the Table serves about 50 customers at the moment, who request their cooking roughly every other week. There are other clients that hire them only for special occassions instead of taking a group out to a restaurant. 

Bushnell said one important thing to note is that Back to the Table has been hired by clients ranging from wealthy doctors and lawyers to working spouse households to retirees on a fixed income.

"It's not just for people who are wealthy," Bushnell said.

She said she loves the opportunity to help their clients, some of whom are diabetic or need to refine their diets due to health reasons, make the decisions they struggle to make on their own.

"We try to guide people toward a healthy lifestyle. Not that we don't cook with cream and butter, those are two of my favorite ingredients. But everything is in moderation," Bushnell said. "This service can improve your health and your life."

Bushnell said the two will provide their services in the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area, including nearby cities like Coralville and Marion, for no additional transportation cost. She said, however, that they have been fortunate enough to also secure clients outside of the area.

"There aren't many personal chefs here in Iowa, and that's one of the reasons we get calls and they don't mind paying us to travel," she said.

As Valentine's Day is approaching, Back to the Table is offering a four course meal for a limited number of couples as a romantic gift, or a gift certificate to be redeemed for the same culinary treatment at a later date. Click here to find out more about this offer.

For more information on Back to the Table, including how to take part in their Underground Dinner Parties -- clandestine invitation only eating -- visit their Facebook page.

Photos provided by Claire McGranahan, of Lens in Hand Photography.