Life During the Pandemic

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well, staying safe, and doing what you can to get through this pandemic. To say this year has been a bit much is an understatement. There is so much to deal with every week that time both flies by and moves at a snail's pace at the same time. 

When the shutdown happened this spring, I had to stop providing services like many in-home personal chefs. Keeping everyone safe, including myself, meant staying at home and staying safe. Now that things have opened up in IL, I can provide in-home services; however, it's understandable that having someone working in your home isn't very desirable.

Like everyone, COVID-19 has been quite a disruption. When I decided to make a career change to be a personal chef, I had planned on the challenges of getting new clients to dealing with a recession. What I didn't expect was something that would keep me out of my client's homes altogether. I've been patiently (or not so patiently) watching what's happening in IL and around the country trying to understand what the future might look like. All I can say that I've learned is that we won't be able to predict anything for some time. 

I've been taking some time to process all of this and decide what kind of future I can plan for The RedHead Chef. I've spent most of my career creating and re-engineering solutions and working in agile environments that I've had to put those skills to practice on myself. I know that the future is far from stable, but I am positive that what I love to do can help our community through all of this one meal at a time.

Looking forward, I will continue to focus my time on in-home personal chef services. I have been keeping current on the ServSafe guidelines for providing safe cooking services. As we help manage this virus, getting back to working with clients in person will be easier. But, I know that this will take time and for some, having in-home services may not be possible until we have a vaccine. This means creating new services that are virtual or contactless.

Services I am working on include setting up delivery for my weekly meal services and dinner parties, offering meal plans with grocery delivery, virtual cooking classes, and cook with me live series. Stay tuned here and on my social media accounts for updates. Plans may change as we go, but I am excited to be able to reach more people and support local farmers, markets, and stores.

Even though the future isn't very clear, I am looking forward to the days ahead and working in the kitchen for you.