I get lots of crazy offers to try things, but I always try and make sure it’s something that I would love and I that all you (my loyal readers) would love too. When I was approached by Rachel Lori I knew this wasn’t your typical restaurant review, but I knew it just might be something you might be interested in, since you love all things food. Rachel is a personal chef and she uses fresh produce from a local farm to prepare home cooked meals. All you have to do is reheat and eat. I loved the idea, but I needed to know if her product was going to stand up to the test…reheating. Rachel dropped off 7 meals for me to try. There were 5 dinners and 2 lunches, plus salad and yummy banana bread. I tried a new item each day because I really wanted to know how these dishes tasted even after sitting for a few days.
I have to tell you, I am blown away! I managed not to email or text Rachel every time I broke into a new dish, but I wanted too. I couldn’t believe how delicious these meals were. I know for myself, when I think of meals at home I think of those places a few years back where you assembled and then cooked them at home. Those places were almost good and after one taste, I knew I would never even considered the service. If that’s what you are thinking of, then erase that memory or thought from your head completely. What Rachel Lori brings to the table (see what I did there?) is some of the most amazing food I have had. I think she could easily compete with some of the Portland’s Chefs. I think my favorite dish from her was the Mushroom Ragu over polenta (which there are no pictures of because we devoured it), but I also really enjoyed the Hanger Steak with Fingerling potatoes and sauteed greens.
If you have a busy lifestyle and don’t want to spend every night eating out, but you want quality, local food, then you need to consider the service that Rachel Lori has to offer.
I want to give you an opportunity to get to know Rachel yourself, so here is a little bit about her passion and where her love for food came from.
I will never forget the very first day eight years ago that I was tasked with writing half of the menu at applewood, a fiercely loyal-to-the-farmer restaurant in Brooklyn. I stood in the middle of the walk in refrigerator with a blank piece of notebook paper and a pen and fell madly in love with my place as the conduit between the growers of all of the gorgeous product and the diners who entrust us chefs each and every night with the task of providing nourishment, pleasure, and hopefully, a momentary escape from the chaos of daily life.
I am absolutely thrilled to be realizing my career long dream of launching a prepared food CSA and I couldn’t be happier to be working with the amazing Amy and Kip at Love Farm Organics! With their abundant CSA box as the centerpiece (one of the most diverse I have ever encountered) and with the addition of locally sourced meat, fish, dairy and pantry items I will provide wholesome, varied and easily reheated meals.
Each Wednesday evening of the 24 week season, members will receive a delivery of 5 dinners, 4 lunches, a fresh salad kit and a breakfast pastry directly to their front door. CSA’s are an amazing way to truly support a local farm while feeding your family healthy delicious and nutritious food. I’m happy to help facilitate that support by saving my members time and energy and hopefully bringing a little joy and peace of mind at mealtime. Space is extremely limited and the season begins in just a few weeks. I can be reached at rachel@personalchefrachel.com for more info and to enroll.
A few more things::
- As you can see from the photos the meals are plated on real plates and she uses real glassware to deliver your food. She takes all the measures she can to make sure your quality food is as protected from plastic and all that entails.
- She can also make meals that are for a vegetarian diet.
- She is super sweet, so take a minute to check our her website.
- Also follow along on Twitter ChefRachelLori
Yes Rachel did let me try these meals for free, but you can tell by all the empty containers here in my home and big smiles on our faces that the opinions we (yep, the whole family jumped in and tasted most of the dishes) shared are entirely true, especially the one about how much I loved the Mushroom Ragu.
Wow! What a cool idea!