No one can explain our services better than our clients can. Take a look at what the Kiraly Family has to say about their experience.  

When our new baby, Caden, came home in March 2013, we were overwhelmed with joy, but also with the new responsibilities that quickly encompassed our lives. Feedings, rocking, diapering, singing, and comforting our sweet baby took the place of cooking and keeping house. Our little kitchen sat quiet and barely used with n'er a dirty pot or pan for weeks. Our meals at first were things we had previously made and frozen like butternut squash soups and veggie stews, but when those quickly ran out, we turned to snacking for meals. Babybells and crackers. Pretzels and hummus. Packets of oatmeal. Being new parents we knew we needed to eat well and keep up our strength for our baby. And we missed a good home cooked meal. It was then that we turned to The Grateful Table to help us.

Although we had never used a personal chef service before and weren't quite sure what to expect, Katie and Mary at The Grateful Table made the process simple and fun for us. We completed a detailed survey with our meal preferences (no raw tomatoes or frozen peas! Lots of cheese!), and from there they built us customized menus with new and exciting meals every week. We were amazed at the variety of meals and looked forward to choosing from an array of tantalizing options such as Chicken Saltimbocca with Roasted Asparagus and Garlic Cauliflower Mash, and Pesto Stuffed Pork Chops with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, and Roasted Potatoes with Arugula, Basil Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes.

It was just as easy as ordering off a menu at a restaurant, but even better, as the meals were all made exactly to our specifications and liking. In addition, Katie and Mary did all the grocery shopping for us, picking up quality groceries from our favorite store and also ordering locally grown/produced foods such as apples and salad greens which were fresh and full of flavor. They were excellent about finding quality items at good prices to meet our budget. On cook days Katie and Mary arrived ready to cook, bringing smiles along with their own knives, pots and pans, equipment, spatulas and even paper towels. Our kitchen became a cheerful place again with the joyful sounds of chopping and sauteing, and delicious smells filling every room. They took food safety very seriously, ensuring that all meals were brought down to their proper temperatures for storing in our freezer for the week. At the end of a cook session, they cleaned our kitchen until it was spotless, then happily explained dishes to us, every one which was carefully labeled with directions for reheating and storing. They always left us with a hot meal ready to eat and, kindly, plenty of left overs.

In those first few months I can't tell you enough what a joy and a relief it was to open our refrigerator and freezer and take out such delicious meals as chicken and spinach lasagna with creamy basil sauce, sweet potato and black bean enchiladas, and coconut crusted chicken with apricot sauce and baby bok choy. Katie and Mary expertly handled the gargantuan task of cooking gluten free for us, making creative and challenging dishes like Roasted Vegetable Polenta Pizza, Quinoa stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, and Butternut Squash and Kale lasagna with Smoky Marinara Sauce. Every meal was packed with fresh ingredients, beautifully arranged in its dish, and *delicious.* We unabashedly found ourselves licking our plates clean, bargaining with each other over the last piece of a dish, and eagerly anticipating the next cook date. Best of all, we found that we were not only being fed, our spirits were being nourished. Every dish was so lovingly prepared, it was as if our own mother and sister were looking after us through these meals.

Ultimately, having The Grateful Table cook for us was one of the best decisions we have ever made. We have never eaten so well in our lives as we did during those wonderful months. More so - Katie and Mary gave us a precious gift - time that we would've spent grocery shopping and cooking and cleaning to instead bond with our baby. We are beyond grateful to The Grateful Table and would gladly and happily welcome them to our home again. We hope you will too.  

Stacia and Dominic Kiraly, Arlington, VA