FAQ

Q: What do you offer?

A: We make and sell over a dozen different frozen dinners. Our dinners feature comfort food favorites and a delicious range of “rustic ethnic” dishes. We make our dinners the way you might on the weekend and then freeze for future use. Dinners are composed of entrées and side dishes. Each entrée or side dish is fully cooked and chilled, then separately packaged in a vacuum-sealed, boilable/microwaveable pouch, and frozen. You simply reheat the pouch in boiling water (or microwave) and enjoy!

Q: How does your program work?

A: In simple terms? You give us money; we give you food! Seriously, there is no “program”, simply buy what you need when you need it.

  • There is no minimum purchase requirement and no obligation to order on a regular basis. Buy one dinner or ten; buy once or often. Even just a couple dinners in the freezer is a wonderful option for you on busy days when you have had no time to think about “what to do for dinner?”. Some clients of Private Chef use dinners to control portions when they are trying to lose weight. Others have a “Private Chef night” once a week or once a month. Still others want a couple on hand for emergencies. Avid cooks like them for nights they don't feel like cooking. Husbands, partners, and non-cooks buy them to take over the dinner “chore” and give the wife, partner, or chef a night off! Several clients like them as a lunch alternative for work. Private Chef is a delicious, affordable solution for many lunch and dinner needs.
  • Order online or over the phone.

Q: Do you deliver?

A: Yes, we deliver on a regular monthly schedule to King County and south Snohomish County. Your delivery date is based on your zip code. For details, see our Delivery Information page.

Q: Is there a charge for delivery?

A: Yes, there is a nominal charge for delivery. For pricing in your area as well as several ways to avoid delivery charges, see our Delivery Information page.

Q: Where are the dinners made?

A: We prepare the meals at our commercial kitchen in south Seattle. We are inspected by the Seattle-King County Health department and the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). We utilize a HACCP (food safety preparation) plan, strictly adhering to recommended and required food preparation techniques. The owner and creator of Private Chef, Carole Cancler holds a Food Science and Nutrition degree from the University of Washington and has designed meals with care.

Q: Do you have dinners for people with allergies?

A: Yes, our dinners have been designed with a variety of needs in mind. We offer several dinners free of common allergens, including milk, eggs, fish, wheat, tree nuts, legumes (like peanuts and soybeans), and shellfish (crustaceans and mollusks). Each dinner has a Nutrition Facts label listing all ingredients, enabling you to check for food allergens specific to you or members of your family. An ingredient list for every dish is also available on our Nutrition Information page.

Q: Do you have nutrition information?

A: Yes. A detailed list of nutrition information is available on our Nutrition Information page or call 206-999-7292 to request that we mail you a copy. In addition, each dinner has a standard, FDA-approved Nutrition Facts label on the back of each package.

Q: Can I find your dinners in grocery stores?

A: We do not currently sell our dinners in any grocery stores. Our dinners may be purchased via our website.

Q: Are your dinners organic?

A: While many of the ingredients we use are organic, we do not wish to comply with USDA requirements for organic labeling and therefore cannot claim to be organic on our label. We do not believe that organic products are always better than a non-organic one. For example, we would prefer to purchase a locally grown, non-organic product than an organic product grown in Mexico. We strive for “natural” products, that are the best quality, affordable, and locally grown.

The term “natural” is not defined by the USDA. At Private Chef, “natural” means no hormones, no artificial coloring, no fillers or extenders, and no preservatives. We use only those ingredients that you might find in your home kitchen, and no unpronouncable ingredients. We cook the way you would if you prepared dinners on the weekend and froze them for later use.

The following list characterizes how we choose ingredients

  • “Natural” and organic products , grown without hormones or antibiotics, or containing any artificial colors or flavors, fillers or extenders, or any chemical preservatives.
  • Meat and poultry raised without the use of antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones. We use whole cuts of beef, pork, and lamb, and trim and cut them in-house. We use several types of chicken depending on the dish, including whole chicken that we de-bone, as well as “natural” chicken pieces (boneless breast and tenderloins, boneless and bone-in thighs).
  • Wild-caught fish (cod, salmon, and mahi mahi).
  • Organic eggs from cage-free hens, raised without use of antibiotics and fed a 100% vegetarian diet.
  • Organic dairy produced without rBGH or other artificial growth hormones.
  • House made stocks. We make our own veal/beef and chicken stocks using “natural” bones simmered with fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices, without added salt. We use these house made stocks in the sauces for our meat and poultry entrées.
  • We use fresh produce that we cut up ourselves, including onions, organic carrots and celery, hot house peppers, greens such as bok choy, organic dried beans, and organic herbs such as parsley and cilantro.
  • We limit the use of canned or packaged products. We carefully select quality packaged products such as organic boxed vegetable stock for our vegetarian entrées and all side dishes, organic canned beans processed with kombu seaweed instead of salt, organic frozen corn, frozen whole green beans, organic canned tomatoes, organic tamari soy sauce, and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce.
  • We use sea salt and grind whole spices per recipe. We use whole spices (such as coriander seed, cumin seed, and peppercorns) and grind them fresh for use in each recipe.

Q: Do you have any dinners with grass-fed, organic beef?

A: The beef we use is “natural” USDA Choice grade lean beef, in whole cuts (such as sirloin or top round) that we trim and prepare in-house for each dish. We are currently developing seasonal dinners containing locally grown, grass-fed organic beef and organic free-range chicken. We expect to offer these locally grown seasonal dinners on a limited basis, using beef and chicken purchased from vendors at Seattle farmers markets. The entrees will be accompanied by side dishes also made from locally grown products. Look for these special “Seattle farmers market/locally grown” dinners on our menu page.