By ROBIN CAUDELL
BEEKMANTOWN — As temperatures dip, personal chef Samantha Rigsbee cooks comfort foods such as beef bourguignon and chicken breasts in sherry-cream sauce to warm body and soul.
She prepares scrumptious meals for her family — and for clients who request her personal-chef service, Dinners by Design.
Beef bourguignon was one of the first recipes she made when she started cooking at age 11.
"I like it a little strong on the burgundy," said Rigsbee, who lives in Beekmantown and is the author of memoir "A Year in the Country."
When contemplating fall recipes, she thought of soups, stews and pot pies. The beef bourguignon is made with stew meat.
She slices up crusty French bread to dip into the savory roux and recommends that dish is accompanied with the same burgundy used to cook with or a Cabernet.
CHEF'S HAT
Growing up in Florida, Rigsbee dabbled in her mother's gourmet recipe books. She grew confident enough to cater parties. When she was in the Navy, she did Thanksgiving meals and special occasions. People told her she was a great cook and should become a chef.
At 50, she reflected on her accomplishments and what she really wanted to do. At a crossroads, she pursued a chef's hat.
It was an easy decision then. She and her husband, Jay, were stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Jay was still in the Navy, but the civilian Samantha, a former nuclear-weapons technician on the SUBROCK and Tomahawk missiles, was having a hard time getting a job. Not wanting to waste time, she attended the American Personal and Private Chef Institute in San Diego, Calif.
Not only did she learn about cooking but the ins and outs of running her own company, from the need for insurance and how to market. She also took a food-safety course through the National Restaurant Association.
She settled on her company's name, Dinners by Design, got insured and put out her shield. Her mission statement is: "Dinners by Design is dedicated to providing personally designed dinners for my clients' individual dietary needs. This time-saving, stress reducing private service is aimed at creating a healthier lifestyle with delightful home-cooked meals."
SPECIFIC MENUS
Though personal chefs are numerous in metropolitan areas, she is the only one listed in Clinton County on the Web site of the American Personal and Private Chef Association.
Unlike a private chef who serves one family, a personal chef serves many clients, usually one per day.
"I provide meals customized to each client."
Her clients include professional couples who don't have time to shop, the bachelor or bachelorette who doesn't want to cook or a people on special diets. She conducts in-depth client assessments to determine dining preferences and identify any food allergies.
"I help them develop specific menus via the guidelines of the interview. I confirm a cooking date. I go in their home with my own pots, pans and spices."
Prior to cooking, Rigsbee shops according to the week's menu.
"I prepare selected entrees. It's dinners. I'm not making lunches or breakfast."
She usually prepares five dinners, any requested side dishes and sometimes desserts. She leaves a dinner in the refrigerator with heating instructions and four others, also labeled with instructions, in the freezer. The food is packed in the client's own containers.
She cleans the kitchen, packs her equipment and leaves.
"If they have specific recipes they like and want me to prepare, I will do that."
Her assessments include identifying what cheeses, breads, rolls and salads her clients like as well if they enjoy French, Italian, South Beach or good old home-cooking.
Before she left San Antonio, she had three job offers. Though personal chefs have been around a good decade or more, they are still relatively new in rural areas.
"People I have spoke to have never heard of a personal chef. They are getting better known now. They are more prevalent."
EAT SALMON
Whether one has a personal chef or not, a savvy cook can decrease the food budget by scheduling two non-meat days, she said.
"That takes a big chunk out of it. For example, you can have a pizza. Ingredients for a pizza are not that costly. You can have a pasta night with a salad. A soup night with some bread and salad will cut on the cost for a family these days."
Rigsbee also recommends watching the circulars for seafood discounts.
"Eat more salmon. I used to be a nutritionist and personal trainer. I'm a health nut. Salmon lowers the cholesterol. It's the perfect thing."
She offers a flat fee or fee per entree for food. Cost is dependent on what a clients want.
The beauty of a personal chef is people don't have to shop or prepare a meal.
"It de-stresses them," Rigsbee said. "It's one less thing they have to worry about. They come home and pop it in the oven. Put on their jammies. Pour a glass of wine. Put their feet up."
E-mail Robin Caudell at: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com
