Quintessencia

PEOPLE ARE
TALKING ABOUT QUINTESSENCIA

"Quintessencia provides a chic selection of delicious treats and serves them with enthusiasm and love."

– Maggie Norris, Maggie Norris Couture, New York, NY

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A Treat for Both Your Health and Your Senses

Quintessencia Personal Chef Services, Private Events, and Health & Nutrition Counseling The following is a list of some common questions that previous clients have asked about Quintessencia:

What services does Quintessencia provide?

With services tailored to meet the unique requirements of individuals and businesses in the New York City metropolitan area, Quintessencia is an integrated culinary service company that provides:

What is a personal chef?

A personal chef creates a menu according to your requirements, food preferences, sensitivities, and dietary restrictions, shops for the finest fresh ingredients, and prepares healthy, gourmet entrees and side dishes in your kitchen. A personal chef provides carefully tailored, delicious meals and a unique, unforgettable dining experience, while freeing you from the stress and hassle of shopping, cooking, and cleaning.

Why would I engage a personal chef?

Quintessencia Cooking Tips

Care for Your Non-Stick Pans

Non-Stick Pan If you have more than one non-stick pan and you stack them on top of each other to store them in your kitchen cabinets, keep a sheet of paper towel between each of them to avoid scratching the cooking surfaces. With this simple step, your pans will last years longer.

A personal chef is right for you if you are:

  • Fatigued after a long day at the office
  • Tired of standing in line at the grocery store
  • Too busy to get dinner on the table and enjoy it
  • Tired of take out
  • Fed up with wasting last week’s groceries
  • Facing the challenge of managing life with a new born
  • Restricted to a newly prescribed diet
  • Bored with your own recipes
  • Recovering from an injury

Think of all the time you spend planning meals, driving around to shop, cooking, and cleaning. A personal chef can do all this for you, freeing you to slow down, relax, and enjoy life.

How do I store the meals you prepare?

Quintessencia packages your meals in re-usable containers with labels and dates. If you do not currently own suitable sizes or quantities of containers, we can recommend brands and sizes for you.

Who buys the groceries?

Quintessencia orders or shops for the freshest produce and highest quality meats, fish, and poultry available, at the farmers market, butcher shop, seafood market, wine shop – whatever it takes – to purchase the finest seasonal ingredients from the best sources. Your grocery bill will reflect the items we purchase for the menus you have selected.

When was Quintessencia founded?

With many years of experience in the culinary arts – from apprenticing with local bakers and restaurants as a child to completing classes at the Integrative Nutrition Institute in New York – Patricia Catenne and Nancy Gray co-founded Quintessencia in 2005.

What is the profile of a typical Quintessencia client?

With the wide range of services that Quintessencia offers – from personal chef, private events, and tailored health and nutritional counseling to cooking classes, parties, workshops, and food-related travel programs – there is no "typical Quintessencia client." However, all our clients do share the love of food, the appreciation for beauty, the focus on health, and the concern for the environment that are our passions.

If I arrange for Quintessencia to prepare a set number of meals based on my personalized menu profile, can I change the number of meals or menu?

If you require additional meals or want to change your menu during a certain period of time – perhaps you have visitors coming from out of town – we will happily accommodate your requests with 24 hours notice.

What happens if I have arranged for Quintessencia to prepare meals on a certain day and I need to cancel?

In case of sickness or unexpected events, if you advise us of your need to cancel more than 24 hours in advance, we will not charge you and will apply your personal chef service fee to your next cooking session.