I love food. Even better I love good food.
When planning my sister’s bachelorette, the maid of honour suggested looking into having a chef cook dinner for our group of 17. I was pumped. I had never done this before and I thought it was a perfect idea for a stagette.
We had already decided we were going to Blue Mountain in Collingwood. Our accommodations were booked at Tyrolean Village and we were set on zip lining at the Scenic Caves. Dinner was our last decision.
What was perfect about having a chef come in was everything! No decisions on where to go for dinner, no worrying about bringing up food to cook our own meals, and best of all: a really special, unique and fantastic experience.
We quickly found Keith at Personal Chef Ontario. He sent us menu options from previous events and we were able to pick and choose my sister’s favourite foods for all of the courses. He was helpful throughout the whole planning process; right down to offering to bring dishes if needed.
I can say for many of us we were excited right from the moment they showed up. The smell of garlic and an array of other foods quickly filled the chalet as they cooked and prepped for our upcoming 4 course meal.
Both Keith and sous chef Tyler were so personable and did their thing amid the chaos of 17 women drinking, chatting and getting ready for the night.
We based our menu choices around my sister’s favourite foods. Our appetizer was a pumpernickel bread spinach dip with toasted naan bread, and rosemary flatbread. It was great for all of us to gather around for a pre-dinner snack.
The salad we chose was a Caesar salad; possibly the best I’ve ever had. An amazing homemade dressing with fresh toasted pumpernickel croutons. Topped with a bacon lardon everything about it was amazing.
Our main course was steak and it was cooked perfectly. An 8 oz steak is normally too big for me, but I could not stop eating. Topped with a béarnaise sauce it was perfect. The steak was served with roasted garlic and chives mashed Yukon potato, and a baby vegetable bundle wrapped in leeks. I”m definitely going to try the leeks as a wrap option; the presentation was great.
The vegetarian option looked fantastic too; a Phyllo pastry bowl with spinach and parmesan polenta, fresh tomato ragu and pan grilled vegetables topped with feta cheese. I think many of us would have been torn between that and the steak 
Dessert was a mint chocolate swirl cheesecake. Served with candy coated pistachios, and an orange Chantilly cream. Again, one more part of the meal that I didn’t hear one complaint about.
One of the other perks: clean up. Tyler and Keith served, cleared and cleaned. It was like being at a restaurant with the comforts of home.
I can’t say enough what a great experience the entire dinner was. I will be recommending Keith and definitely using Personal Chef Ontario again.
How do you do dinner for a large group?
