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    French Chef at Home

    4.9 (36 reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 10:00 pm

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    Services - French Chef at Home

    Personal chefs

    Allergy-friendly catering

    Gluten-free catering

    French Chef at Home Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - French Chef at Home

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    Ting F.

    Amazing experience !! All the guests are still talking about it even weeks after. Chef Julia knows what exactly I want. She cook 4 courses for adults and 2 courses for kids. She even made birthday cake for our party. Dining table was nicely decorated. Food was beyond words. Everything was just perfect !!

    Pan roasted prawn and long brown rice pilaf; adorned with sautéed purple fingerling potatoes, fresh tarragon and garlic parsley oil dressing
    David R.

    I wanted an original, multi-course French meal served for a private dinner party, so I hired Julie and Souad with "French Chef at Home" to cook for a celebration at my home in University Heights. All together, the meal and experience was excellent. These two came highly recommended by a friend, so my expectation drifted to thoughts of a personal tasting menu by true French chefs presented on my dining room table. I set the bar high and they completely delivered. Julia and Souad, in genuine French fashion, allow the natural profile of quality ingredients to accent their food in its purity. In my (albeit limited) experience with finer French cuisine, fresh and simplistic flavors are intentionally left to shine as the central culinary theme rather than be buried in an overture of complexity. This meal held true to that tenet, reminiscent of tasting menus I've enjoyed at the acclaimed French restaurant "Blackfish" in Conshohocken, PA (right outside my hometown of Philadelphia). The meal started with a fruit and fine cheese plate with fig and apple compote (cheeses were selected specifically for the menu and wine), served with toasted French baguette from Bread & Cie bakery. This hors d'oeuvre was a straightforward, yet deliciously creamy mix of cheese and sweetness that prepared the palate for the courses that followed. Next, a long brown rice pilaf was served two ways. One was prepared with buttery, pan roasted whole and chopped prawn. Cooking prawns whole allowed the sweet, mild flavor of the shellfish to come through the sticky rice texture in a singular flavor profile - simple, yet defined and delightful. The prawn pilaf was adorned with sautéed purple fingerling potatoes and fresh tarragon. The second rice pilaf was prepared with fresh saku cut tuna (center cut, sushi grade), seared rare, sliced, then plated with a saffron garlic aioli. The two pilaf dishes were a well thought mixture of protein and staple grains: light, yet filling. A summer salad and gazpacho were paired with the seafood pilafs. A refreshing adjunct to the starchy rice dishes, especially the crunch of romaine and sharpness of fresh dill in the salad, smoothed over by ripe avocado, baby mozzarella, and floral cantaloupe. The salad was a mix of silky sweet and bitter, purposely unimpeded by heavy dressing so the dill would sit on the nose before fading with the combined tones, finished by a garlic parsley olive oil. The gazpacho was a cool relief in the warmer weather - an assertive zest on the back of the palate emphasized by onion, garlic, cucumber and celery. A bite and contrast to the rich, savory flavors rolling off the tongue from the rice pilafs. These dishes together were paired with Macon chardonnay - just enough citrus notes to accompany the seafood and piquant soup and salad. The entrée was a roasted Chilean sea bass, cooked in a Sauvignon Blanc sauce, then flayed and stuffed with lemon caramelized yellow onion and red pepper. The sea bass was light and flaky, yet moist - melted in the mouth with the sweet, sour taste of vegetables slowly sautéed in olive oil and fresh lemon. This dish was absolutely delicious and perfect in texture. Good fish can easily be ruined if not cooked properly, and the sea bass was baked to perfection. Lightly seasoned on purpose, the fish could synergize with the wine and other savory flavors. Accompanying the fish was thin sliced, sautéed purple fingerling potatoes and fresh tarragon: a soft, salty texture, with a welcomed hint of bittersweet anise from the tarragon. For dessert, we were served white chocolate and raspberry coulis cheesecake with vanilla wafer crust. To say the cheesecake was superb is a monumental understatement... The crust was light and fluffy with a hint of vanilla and just enough crunchy texture on the exterior - the necessary base for the cake itself. However, the filling of an artisanal cheesecake needs to straddle the fine line between decadent cream and agreeable sweetness. Too much richness can be boring and heavy; too much sweetness can be cheap and obtrusive. Julia has worked as a trained pastry chef in the past and it was rather obvious - this is the best gourmet cheesecake I have ever had. Period. The balance achieved in this dessert was exceptional: it made me want to throw every other cheesecake I've eaten directly in the trash. In sum, this meal reached beyond my expectations. And the depth of culinary knowledge displayed by these two women was immense. The personalized menu they designed specifically for our party was as enjoyable to converse about as it was delicious to eat. The menu ideas were discussed with me beforehand; they purchased all the ingredients, prepped and served each course, and then cleaned up after. I would definitely recommend "French Chef at Home" to anyone looking for an upscale, personal chef experience for your next party or event.

    Lamb, au gratin, carrots

    Chef Julia is absolutely incredible!!! She was able to curate the exact menu we were looking for for a family birthday dinner for 8. Her food was beyond and her energy is so warm and fun. I wish she could cook for me every weekend. Such a treat!

    Grantinee De Scallops
    Donna A.

    I would like to thank you Chef Julia Shelley and her assistant Frederique to prepared our special 20th Anniversary. Absolutely mouthwatering. I requested not to make the cake sweet. Raspberry Dark Chocolate cake with raspberry sauce was delicious. It was pretty yummy yummy. I will suggest for who have diabetic. I would bring or hire her in again for our events.

    Appetizers

    Working with Chef Julie was wonderful. We hired her for our 10th wedding anniversary to create a dinner for 12 in our home. We wanted a blend of sophisticated and casual that's not easy to master, but Chef Julie has a great sense of fun and entertaining, and she got it right away. She and her staff were so on top of everything, and really took care of us and our guests. The food was delicious and gorgeous, and everyone had a fantastic time.

    Tuna Tartar with wonton
    Marguerite B.

    Chef Julia was wonderful to have join our group of 10 friends to prepare a fab meal. Our tuna tartar, sea bass with chinese slaw, and chocolate fondant were wonderful. Chef Julia went above and beyond to find the best sea bass and cooked it to perfection - just like butter on the fork - and the taste was wonderful! She was kind, personable, considerate, professional, fun, and thrilled with the positive feedback. Thank you Chef! Until soon again....

    Scallops and risotto
    Christina L.

    Hire this spectacular woman immediately. Her and her team delivered an extraordinary culinary experience for myself and 12 guests. It was the best meal of my life! Highly recommend pairing it with the wine service as well.

    Robert S.

    First and foremost 5 STARS hands down! We wanted a memorable experience for our closest friends and family celebrating my wife's birthday and our "Kitchen Reopening". We wanted a fine dining experience in the comfort of our home such that we could enjoy the experience as much as our guests. Julia delivered and exceeded all of our expectations! Our three course meal and wine paring were superbly prepared by Julia and presented by her assistant Tom in a manner to rival the finest French restaurant. We look forward to many more dining experiences with the French Chef at Home.

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    French Chef at Home Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - French Chef at Home

    Thinking of doing a private dinner by hiring a chef for about 20 people, how much would this cost about?

    My best answer is contact Chef Julia. I found her to be quite reasonable.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - French Chef at Home

    I knew the menu I selected would be challenging, but for Chef Julia it was handled with effortless precision.

    Mentioned in 18 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    I hate to do this, as I understand what a bad review can do for a small business.. but after seeing…read morethe other reviewer who stated that JP backed out of their wedding (who, I'm not affiliated with in any way), I think my experienced needs to be shared, as I hope this will help other couples. I gave JP (owner) an incredible amount of grace throughout the process and yet, he still managed to screw us. It was not a single issue, but a failure on multiple levels. THE SHORT VERSION: 1) he was very unprofessional overall in his communication. 2) he backed out of bar service a few days before our wedding and ghosted us after the wedding without a refund, 3) without exaggeration, some of the food at the wedding was inedible THE LONGER VERSION: The tasting went amazing. Ashley (who no longer works there) was extremely communicative. They asked for 50% as a deposit (which is pretty high) but the food was really good so we accepted. However, the tasting was the only good thing about our experience... 1. He was unreachable for months leading up to our wedding. The company phone number was either not taking calls, or went straight to voicemail. No response to emails. He finally got back to me about one month before our wedding (we thought we got scammed at that point). I gave him the benefit of the doubt despite all of this 2. He backed out of providing bar services a week before the wedding. I knew something was off when he wouldn't provide us with an shopping lists for our cocktails, despite following up. A few days before our wedding, our coordinator told us that his bartenders did not have proper certification and without one, could not serve alcohol (note: this was merely an RBS certification... EVERY OTHER bar service that we spoke with met this requirement). I specifically asked at contract signing if they were certified. Also, JP did not inform us that he was dropping out. I had to text him myself for confirmation, as I was unsure if he was going to hire other bartenders, if they would obtain the certificate, or if he was dropping out. Only then did he tell me he would not provide bar service. Again, this was 7 days before the wedding. He also took 3 more days to clarify exactly what service he would no longer be providing, when we obviously needed to know asap as we were scrambling to secure another bar service Even though this certification is the minimum requirement for many venues, he tried to pass the blame onto the venue, stating that he never encountered this requirement before (how is this possible? As a wedding caterer, he should have been familiar with these requirement, whether or not he met them). Huge red flag. Despite this, I didn't make this an issue 3. He promised to refund us for the bar service but ghosted us after the wedding. I disputed the charge and he finally responded, threatening to sue. 4. He was unreachable on the morning of the wedding. Again, poor communication.. 5. The food failed to meet even our lowest standards. The 50% deposit really had our hands tied and we couldn't back out despite the red flags. As long as he showed up and served food that was remotely close to our tasting, we'd be happy. However, he totally skimped out on the quality and quantity. For example, our passed appetizers were smoked salmon bagels. I'm not sure if he used old bagels or what, but the bagels were stale and rock hard. My friend tried to bite down on one and immediately spit it out. My aunt had to warn guests not to eat them. He swapped out some of the items that we paid for with inferior options (ie: we paid for a fig and honey roll... he just added a basic dinner roll). Guests told us they were confused that our menu did not match the food. Some guests got half a dinner roll (meaning they didn't have enough) The main entrées did not match the quality or size of the original dish we were promised at the tasting. I understand that preparing a meal for 2 people is not the same as 100 people, and there is inherently a drop in quality on the wedding day. However, this was completely different. Many guests attested that the salmon entree was inedible as it was incredibly dry and overcooked. Look at the photo of the tri-tip I uploaded and the difference between what we were promised and what we received We asked for leftovers to be packed but never received them. All in all, I was super understanding and even allocated 15% as tip for his team despite his poor communication. Despite this, the fact that he never gave us a refund for the bar service is appalling.

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