Interview with Dani and Danielle

Why did you hire Maria as a private chef for your family?

D&D: My husband and I own and run our own fitness software business and have 2 young girls. Given our busy work and family life, we hated that at 5pm, we were always posed with the “what’s for dinner” question. That left us scrambling to figure out what quick food we can put on the table. Was not the unhealthiest but we could be so much better. I also had a life threatening health condition in 2022 which gave more reason for me to ensure what I was putting my body was pure, clean, and helping support my recovery and energy. Because of my health condition, I lost my smell which results in losing a lot of my taste. It was really hard to find meals I enjoyed as I always have to consider texture before anything. We also spent a lot of time reading about finding ways to do things you love and we both realized that cooking was not that thing. We also went through months of the food delivery services such as hello fresh but found them to not be as fresh as we’d like. they also took too much time for meals that were subpar. So, we set out to find someone who could provide us healthy, tasty, and easy meals. and give us all more variety, introduce vegetables in different ways, and tips on how to preserve food better.  We also were looking for someone to take some of the load off grocery shopping. We spent too much money on delivery fees only for food to get wasted. Maria did all of that and more! 

Did Maria meet your expectations? 

D&D: Very much so! She came into our house and quickly assessed where we were at. She organized everything, helped us buy certain kitchen must haves to help with the organization and storage of food. She always got the freshest and cleanest ingredients and began her cooking extravaganza!  She changed our food life around immediately. 

How did she help improve your family’s lifestyle?

D&D: The relief at the end of the day to not have to think about what we were having and know that we had dinner ready to go was priceless. It was also incredible to have her yummy salads every day for lunch. She took so much stress off my husband and I. We also felt so much better eating so much more healthfully. She introduced so many new things and ways to incorporate vegetables, bone broth, and lean proteins into every meal. The kids also got to try so many new things! She was incredibly accommodating to my texture requirements and was always genuinely trying to find ways for me to enjoy food more.  

What have you learned from Maria? 

D&D: I learned so much!! I learned how to snack better. I learned how to store food better to preserve it longer. I learned how to clean fruits and veggies better so that all dirt is removed. I learned how to repurpose ingredients for other meals and snacks. How to repurpose ingredients for salads. How to make snacking more healthfully easier. How to avoid gluten but still enjoy foods we love. The list goes on!  

How would you best describe Maria’s performance and attitude? What does she bring to your family?

D&D: Maria was an absolute delight to have in our home. She always showed up with a positive and excited attitude, ready to share what she was cooking. You can tell that providing her services is her passion. Her meals are truly a work of art in the kitchen and will continue to impact so many people’s lives.  Her food was truly made with so much love! She showed us ways to eliminate gluten but still eat the foods we love. She also was always so accommodating when we had other preferences. Last but not least, she felt part of our family. Our girls loved her, and she had such a natural spirit with them. She would play, laugh, and share about her own life which made her such a joy to be around and part of our family. We cannot thank maria enough for the impact she has made on us. We will continue to learn from her and implement what she’s done in our kitchen!