Chef in Chicago, Illinois

Kelly and I worked side-by-side as private chefs for a client with several allergies and special dietary needs. She is an extremely reliable, capable and intuitive chef. She has a very calm demeanor and is able to think on her feet to troubleshoot any issues that might arise in the kitchen. I think she would be excellent at catering small dinner parties and casual buffet-style meals. She also makes amazing pastries!

It is my great pleasure to recommend Kelly Haines as a personal or private chef. I have known Kelly both professionally and personally for almost 2 years. Kelly was an extremely mature, dependable, and adaptable chef and co-worker and I have no doubts that she will excel in whatever she pursues. Kelly was hired in January of 2017 work alongside me as a private chef for a family. This job was very unique in that it required cooking for someone with extreme food allergies and a very limited diet. Kelly was a very quick learner, always willing to accept feedback, and quickly became an integral member of the team. While Kelly’s professional training is in pastry, she was very confident with savory cooking and quickly learned many cooking techniques (many that were non-conventional) and preparations that this job required. Some of the techniques Kelly utilized in this position were light meat butchering and grinding, bone broth preparation, rendering lard and tallow, dehydrating, air frying, and in home freeze drying. The position required extreme attention to detail and a wide variety of tasks were expected. Kelly was extremely adaptable and willing to go with the flow of whatever was needed of her. The day-to-day job tasks consisted of grocery shopping for the family, creating meal plans, keeping a detailed inventory, cooking daily meals, large batch prepping and storage, light meat butchering, recipe development, and ordering and restocking supplies. This position also required frequent travel with the family, bringing all needed food, equipment, and supplies. These trips were very difficult to organize and Kelly was immediately willing to jump in and begin problem solving the logistics. She was an incredible asset to the team that worked for the family, and we were lucky to have her. On a personal level, Kelly is a woman who has a strong character and is very self-aware. She is thoughtful in her relationships with others and is intuitive in her communication. She is caring and dependable and just an all around kind person. I have no reservations about recommending Kelly as a private chef or personal chef. I know she will exceed the expectations put in front of her and will be a great asset to whoever she works for. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding her character, work ethic, or other qualification. Sincerely, Kristin Hoffman Private Chef and Baking Instructor 620-474-0927 [email protected]