When my husband and I first decided to find a personal chef we thought "maybe this will help, we…read morecan't keep eating out, it's killing us." Neither of us really knew what a personal chef service looked like. We love cooking but we didn't/don't have time during the week to cook. We hoped we'd get more vegetables into our diet at a minimum. That not eating out would mean less of the white devils (sugar, salt). I reached out to The Skinny Beet in a frenetic and desperate state last December. Since they've entered our lives the sun is shining, the clouds have parted and Mondays are happy (re: they are miracle workers). We have been a weekly client with The Skinny Beet for almost 3 months now. At the end of 1 month we reached out to them and shared a list of each positive benefit directly or indirectly related to hiring them as personal chefs. I would like to share this list with you (reader of my review): 1. My husband and I spend more time together. 2. We portion control better. 3. We work out more (have time to work out). 4. We feel better: less groggy, less irritable, more energy. 5. The food they make tastes flavorful, wholesome and satisfying. We get to eat our favorite cuisines with less of the sugar/salt and more grain/vegetable variety than what we know how to cook. 6. We waste less. 7. The brain space we wasted thinking about what to eat, what to cook, when to go pick things up, crap-I-forgot-an-ingredient --- Poof! Gone. Which, working full time while part time grad school, any and all brain space I can allocate to my work is priceless for me. From Week One: Flexibility with schedule and menu planning was made easy for us - We come home and our kitchen tools and pans lovingly (and somewhat expensively) acquired over time are clean - There are delicious dishes made with quality ingredients ready for devouring in the fridge. We are so grateful for the difference The Skinny Beet has made in our quality of life. Seriously, I wasn't kidding: Miracle Workers.

I hired Richard and Katie to come to my apt to give me an private cooking lesson. I didn't really…read moreknow what to expect, and when they asked me what I wanted to learn I told them I wanted to learn "some of the basics". Well in just a couple hours we were able to cover SO much ground. From making a delicious salsa and homemade chips, to a steak and a chicken, even farro with caramelized onions. Not only did I learn tons of REALLY helpful skills that I've already been implementing, but I had delicious food that lasted me for a handful of meals THAT I HELPED MAKE! They brought all their own ingredients and left my kitchen completely spotless (possibly cleaner than how they found it) I am so thankful to these two and I look forward to our next lessons.

All Cape just helped me throw an amazing 100 year birthday party for my dad. Every aspect of…read moreworking with them was easy and helpful. Given it was the off-season, I was super impressed. But the food was great and Sarah was ridiculously patient while I asked 1000 questions in my attempt to find the perfect menu. Her responses were honest and helpful, not answers that would ring up my bill, which I really appreciated. In the end we had the perfect menu, just the right amount of leftovers for my dad, and a fantastic evening. I will not hesitate to hire them again. Thanks for taking such a huge part of the party planning off my hands!

I hired All Cape Personal Chef for a clambake on the small side (eight people), and they executed…read moreeverything really well. I appreciated Sarah's thorough communication beforehand, and Chef Heather was professional, efficient, and talented -- she cooked a really outstanding dinner. These people know what they're doing!

We hired Chef Michael to cook for us at a rental house in Maine for a birthday weekend dinner for…read more12 people. We had an amazing cheese and charcuterie board, chicken parmesan with pasta and caesar salad, and sole stuffed with shrimp and scallops (side of veggie rice pilaf and lemon asparagus). And for dessert we had one of the best coconut cream pies we've ever had! Everything was amazing! Chef Michael was accommodating with our budget and responsive during the planning process. He also worked with us to create vegan options for our vegan guests. He left everything spotless after dinner. I would highly recommend Chef Michael for any special event!

Chef Michael is awesome! We had a girls night cooking class, and Chef Michael made it so much fun…read morefor us. Planning was super easy, and Chef Michael was really prepared. The sweet and sour meatballs were amazing, and the berry and cream parfaits were fun to put together. I can't wait for Chef Michael to come cook for us again!!

The food was not good! There was a pasta bar....the pasta was over cooked and mushy! The food came…read moreout cold and everything was tasteless. The table looked like a child set it up. The pie was gross!!! I would never recommend them!! There are a lot of incredible Chefs in Portland. The cook Amy is not in the same league.

We went to one of the farm to table dinners and Do not waste your money. It was my birthday dinner…read moreand was so disorganized, everybody was leaving plates of food cause it was inedible and it took forever. You eat family style which isnt my fave but in particular really isnt my fave if youre starving and running on a few 2oz shots of cider as there is no beer, wine, full pours of anything or even water? We sat at the end of the table and when the main entree (chicken) came out it was put in the middle so by the time it got to us we got about 2 bites of gristly thigh- and then the "chef" had the audacity to ask if we were full?! It was pretty clear that there was no edible chicken or pureed vegetables by the time it got down to us so when they cleared plates that didnt have food it should have gone without saying. We had to go home and order a pizza, mainly cause this took so long everything was closed. For the price point you could actually eat food you wanted almost anywhere else in Maine. I didnt feel comfortable complaining as it is generally not necessary in fine dining establishments and would have been rude in such a setting, particularly as we were sat next to a business associate of the chef. Such a disappointment.

A fantastic experience from start to finish. Chef Trish is a professional, and it shows! The food…read morewas phenomenal and her logistics and quality were Michelin Star level. Will definitely be using Chef Trish in the future!

Chef Trish really knocked it out of the ballpark with designing and 5 course Spanish-themed menu…read morefor our outdoor dinner for 16 last summer. The food was all perfectly prepared with very fresh, high quality ingredients. Chef Trish has an awesome, can-do attitude and is very approachable. Her and her staff were an absolute hit and I would definitely work with her again! I wish I had more photos of the food but was too busy eating to take more.

Michelle helped to make a wonderful 30th Anniversary meal for my parents! From the cheese board to…read morebegin the night to the homemade tiramisu, and all the amazing apps and entrees in-between, there was nothing we didn't like. Herself and her assistant were very organized and timely and left the kitchen spotless. Would recommend!

I had Chef Shelly cater s luncheon for a meeting and she did an incredible job. I also ordered…read moreholiday items and the Charcuterie Board was delicious and Mushrooms were amazing. I highly recommend. Kathy

Chef Larry cooked our rehearsal dinner at our Airbnb and the food was a hit! Our guests could not…read morestop talking about how delicious everything was. We had a destination wedding in Burlington and we can all confidently say that Chef Larry's food was one of the highlights of our special weekend. Even at our restaurant reception dinner, our guests were half-joking when they said they wished they were eating Chef Larry's food instead. We had our wedding in Vermont primarily because we loved the food, and Chef Larry's cooking exemplified everything we adored about Vermont's farm to table scene. He was so patient and accommodating when it came to our guests with specific dietary restrictions. He happily made smaller portions to accommodate those guests, all without sacrificing presentation or timeliness. None of our guests with dietary restrictions felt like they were missing out or being given a sub-par substitute. I highly recommend the Vermont Cheese Plate. Chef Larry only put cheeses on there that could be found within a 50 mile radius. These were some of the best cheeses I've ever tasted. In fact, all of his ingredients were fresh and local. We ordered 1 Vermont Cheese Plate, 2 appetizers (the lamb lollipops and spinach and feta mushrooms), the heirloom tomato salad, the roasted roots as a side dish, and 2 entrees (roasted pork loin and coconut chickpea curry). This fed 14 people and we even had leftovers for days! Since we were staying in an Airbnb, we were worried that the kitchen might not be able to accommodate the needs for cooking a huge meal, but Chef Larry came prepared. We were able to go through the kitchen and let him know what we had/didn't have, but he was able to provide his own kitchen ware and serving platters (we provided plates and utensils). This was a huge relief and convenience because we didn't have to go out shopping for serving platters that we would only use once. We did not have to lift a finger. Instead of us cooking and hosting or even driving to a restaurant, ordering, and waiting, we were able to use that time to spend quality time with all of our guests and enjoy the meal together in the comfort of our Airbnb. This was so much more fun than going to restaurant. Chef Larry truly took care of everything so we were able to focus on just enjoying ourselves. In addition to being an amazing cook, Chef Larry is a truly genuine and kind person. Our guests enjoyed chatting with him in the kitchen and you can really tell that he loves what he does. Honestly, we are so jealous that Vermont has a gem like him. If you are considering hiring a personal chef/event chef in Vermont, look no further than Chef Larry! His cooking is a next level and a crucial supplement to the Vermont food experience. You will not regret it!

Larry cooked an amazing dinner for my bachelorette party group of 11. we rented a house in the…read moresugarbush area and didn't want to have to drive to dinner and were having trouble agreeing on a restaurant in the first place. having larry create a menu that would please everyone, and meet their dietary restrictions was SO helpful. was also an added bonus that he left the kitchen even neater than he found it. I wouldn't hesitate to hire him for any event!! everyone raved about the quality of the food, and not having to lift a finger to cook it made it taste all the better. thanks again larry for making our night!!

We've had the pleasure of enjoying Amanda's cooking at friends' homes, and now that we hosted our…read moreown Amanda experience, we're hooked. The entire booking and planning process was easy and professional. After one conversation, Amanda came up with a menu that couldn't have been more perfect. She arrived at our home with fresh flowers and got right to work. As always, the food was divine. And here's one of the best parts: Amanda does all the dishes and leaves your kitchen more spotless than when she arrived. I highly recommend her private chef service!

We had a lovely dinner prepared by Amanda this week. There were 14 of us and everyone was happy!…read moreAmanda made yummy dishes--the Lobster mac & cheese. Spicy meatballs and blueberry lemon cake were my favorites! Amanda was on time, dinner was served right on schedule as well and she cleaned up perfectly after the meal! All of us enjoyed it immensely I highly recommend Amanda for your next private chef needs!