FAQs
general information
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I have a ServSafe California Food Handler Certificate and I carry insurance. If you are interested in seeing some of the meals I have prepared, my Instagram is @sobremesa_kh. I am also a Cottage Food Operator (Class B).
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I am self-taught! I have been cooking/baking for several years now. At first it was a casual interest, then an obsessive hobby, then pandemic food-blogger, and now I have been professionally cooking for clients and catering events for a couple years now.
I am actively introducing myself to new cuisines, techniques, and styles so I can continue growing and learning!
about meal preparation
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The meal preparation service is for busy families, professionals, and communities who do not have the bandwidth to organize and prepare meals according to a budget and/or dietary goals/preferences.
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I will come and cook several meals in your kitchen for you to reheat according to your schedule.
I will provide a menu the week prior to cooking and you will make selections in advance. You can also request off-menu options if you choose!
I am available to cook breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. If you own a juicer, I can also offer a menu of juices. All meals must be prepared in client’s home due to food safety regulations. Clients will reimburse for any groceries purchased and meal prep containers, when applicable.
I offer different hourly rates according to the level of personalization you require in your menus, the number of options you would like on your weekly menus, and the number of times you need me to come to your home. Please see my “services” page for a full description of these different options.
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I like starting with a phone call.
This initial conversation is important so you and I both know if I’m a good fit for you and we can troubleshoot any specifics early on.
I’ll ask you where you live, how many meals and how often you would like me to meal prep for you, how you would like these meals packaged, and any dietary restrictions, preferences, and personalizations you might need.
After this conversation, I will have you fill out a “Food Preference Worksheet.” This form lists many different foods and styles of cuisine so I can better understand your likes and dislikes when crafting menus. I use this worksheet as a baseline for any special event planning and meal organizing as well.
Before I begin cooking in your home, I like to schedule a walkthrough of your kitchen so I can know what tools you have available for me to use. I typically bring my own knives and any specialty tools I may need. The main items that I request clients to provide are large sheet pans and Tupperwares for meal storage.
I am also happy to schedule a test meal prep meal so you can see if my food is a good fit for you! -
This is highly dependent on how much support you are looking for. I have long-term clients who have me come to their home a couple times a week, and I also have clients who have me come on an as-needed basis.
After learning more about what you are looking for, we can determine a schedule that is compatible for both of us.
I am comfortable cooking in a client’s home if they are present in the home or if they are not present. It is up to your preference. I have had clients entrust me with a key to their home so I can come and go while they are working, but that is not something I require if you prefer to be in the home when I cook for you.
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Groceries are a very personal choice and I can accommodate a number of different options.
I usually purchase groceries based on the week’s meal choices the day before or on the day that I am scheduled to cook. I include the cost of these groceries on my invoice.
If you have no preference, I typically like to purchase groceries from Sprouts or Whole Foods Market. However, if you would prefer that I shop at specific stores, I am happy to accommodate that as well.
If there is a cap on the amount you would like me to spend on your groceries in a week, please let me know and I will accommodate that as well. If there are any specialty products I need to purchase that are outside of your typical grocery stores, I am happy to inform you of that in advance.
If you prefer to purchase groceries yourself, that is fine by me as well! I can prepare a grocery list specific to your meal choices and provide that to you based on the schedule we create.
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Please reach out to me to discuss rates! I do offer tiered pricing with this service.
It is difficult to estimate the exact weekly costs of meal preparation. It is dependent on numerous factors (numbers of distinct meal types, complexity of meals, quantity of meals, number of times coming to client’s home, etc.)
For example, a long-term client of mine on my All Inclusive Plan has me come to their home twice a week to prepare meals. I typically prepare 26 meals of 5 different types, 19 of those with sides. I spend anywhere from 7-10 hours in their home each week.
I typically prefer to send an invoice to my clients once a week after I have finished the week’s cooking for them and I prefer to be paid within the next 4 business days. If you prefer a different payment schedule, please let me know and we can discuss what might work better for you. I accept payment via PayPal and Venmo.
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Life happens! Sometimes you need to cancel plans on short notice and that is completely understandable.
I can accommodate cancellations up to 48 hours in advance of when I am scheduled to cook for you with no charge.
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See my “contact me” page! I’m also fairly responsive on Instagram.
about meal organization
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The meal organization service is for people who enjoy eating well and enjoy cooking, but don’t have the time to plan and coordinate grocery lists and weekly meals according to a budget, a schedule, and/or dietary goals. This service is specifically to help you remove the tedious planning and organization that meal planning requires!
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On both the Basic and All Inclusive plan, you will receive a few different pieces (please see my “services” page for a full comparison of the different plans). First, you will receive a weekly menu with different meal choices. After you choose which meals you would like me to organize for that week, I will return a personalized grocery list and recipes for the meals you have selected.
The menu is organized and structured according to your Food Preferences Worksheet. I have all clients fill out this worksheet detailing their preferences before we begin working with each other.
The grocery list is organized and structured according to your budget, the grocery stores you prefer, and your current pantry.
The recipes you receive are organized and structured according to your comfort level in the kitchen, the tools you have in your home, and how much time you are able to spend cooking a meal. These recipes are recipes I have sourced, vetted, and made adjustments to (according to your preferences), as well as my own original recipes.
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For both the Basic and All Inclusive plans, menus, grocery lists, and recipes are provided once a week.
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Please see my “services” page for my Tiered Pricing options and differences in plans.
I typically prefer to send an invoice/reimbursement request to my clients once a week after clients have returned their menu choices to me and before I have sent recipes and grocery lists.
I prefer to be paid within the next 2 business days. If this schedule is not feasible for your own payment schedules, please let me know and we can discuss a better schedule. I accept payment via PayPal.
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See my “contact me” page! I’m also fairly responsive on Instagram.
about special events/commissions
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Currently, since I am only one person, I can accommodate multi-course events of 5-7 people and buffet-style meals of 10-15 people. I accept these events on a case-by-case basis since my ability to support that event depends on the number of guests, complexity of courses/buffet, and the client’s kitchen space. All meals must be prepared in the client’s home.
Please “contact me” for more information, a consultation, and a quote.
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I offer a wide variety of desserts and pastries. This can include pies, tarts, cookies, smaller cakes, french pastries, assorted desserts, and confections. Please see my Instagram for some examples of past commissions!
Currently, I can cater desserts for events of up to 40 people.
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It’s here! It’s here! It’s here! I am open for orders at a couple different markets (listed on my microbakery’s page). I also offer a subscription box option for monthly boxes of treats. Go check it out! Hope to see you soon!