ON THE JOB IN HOPEWELL VALLEY
By John Tredrea
This account is the latest in the series of portraits of people at work.
You come home after a long day at work, exhausted. Everyone wants dinner, but you dread the thought of going out or fixing it yourself. Sound familiar?
Brandon Farms resident Christine Toto, owner-operator of Around the Table Personal Chef Service, provides time-challenged, hungry clients with healthy dinners that can be enjoyed in the comfort of their own homes.
Ms. Toto, a longtime passionate cook, admits to reading cookbooks "the way other people read novels."
"The exciting thing about being a personal chef is that I get to deal with clients individually and prepare food that is specifically designed to satisfy their needs and wants," she said.
"I interview each client to find out what they like to eat, how they like to eat it and whether or not they have any special dietary requirements. I can then custom design meals for that client to satisfy those needs. If a client hates spinach, then spinach will never cross their threshold."
After completing the client assessment interview, Ms. Toto plans meals for her customers’ selection and approval, customizes recipes, shops for fresh ingredients and prepares multiple dinners in the client’s own kitchen. She packages the meals according to her clients’ specifications, labels them and leaves them in their refrigerator or freezer with specific heating instructions for each dish.
Ms. Toto brings all her own cooking equipment and utensils with her. "My clients often think that I’m moving in when they see me come through the door with all my equipment," she chuckled. After preparing and packaging all the meals, she cleans up the kitchen.
"With so many households where two people work, meal planning and preparation becomes an extra burden," she said. "Take-out food and frozen entrees, while convenient, are loaded with salt and preservatives. You may save time, but your family’s health and well-being suffers in the long run."
The idea of Around the Table came to Ms. Toto when her own family’s busy lifestyle began to divide them up at dinnertime. "With homework, soccer practices, dance classes, piano lessons and car pooling, we had little time to eat together," she said. "I’ve always valued the importance of having the entire family around the table for the evening meal. When you stop home for dinner before running out again, it helps to just be able to heat and eat rather than starting from scratch. That’s what my service can provide."
Entrée selections include choices off her standard menu, such as Roasted Eggplant Lasagna, Scallops in Roasted Red Pepper Couli and Pecan-Crusted Salmon to Chicken Florentine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and vegetarian dishes. Also available is such fare as Meatloaf with Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Deep Dish Pot Pies. Although her menu provides a wide choice of meals, Ms. Toto will accommodate clients with personalized menus of special dishes.
The fee for a personal chef service is almost as affordable as take-out, Ms. Toto said. "For practically the same cost, you could have personalized, nutritious meals for the week at your fingertips."
When asked what kind of people become clients, Ms. Toto responded, "My clients range from professional, two- income couples to busy parents who want their children to eat ‘real food,’ to active seniors who own homes and want to continue living independently but no longer want to prepare their own meals."
By offering gift certificates, Ms. Toto also serves people who are convalescing from recent hospital stays or who have just become mothers and need some help with the family meals.
Ms. Toto’s Around the Table Personal Chef Service can be reached at 818-1424, or online at: [email protected].

