The Flavorful Fork
An Interview with Fran Davis, Owner & Chef of The Flavorful Fork Personal Chef Service
Photos: Annmarie Young Photography
Have you ever dreamed of having a personal chef? Of course you have, don't be silly. It's right up there with wishing you had a personal assistant, housekeeper, private jet, hair and makeup team and driver. Thanks to a recent photo shoot with Fran Davis of The Flavorful Fork Personal Chef Service, I learned that hiring a private chef, unlike the rest of those daydreams, can actually be an affordable service to consider.
The Flavorful Fork is a personal chef service based in South jersey. While working with Fran I just fell in love with her "healthy gourmet" approach to cooking. It hit me while editing her shots that I get to meet all of these interesting people through my work as a photographer. Why not start interviewing them for my humble blog?
I hope you find our little Q&A interesting. Fran was a fabulous interview subject and I think her photos turned out great.
How did you get started as a personal chef?
I have always had a love for good food and really enjoy entertaining. Having worked in the Information Technology field for over 15 years, I was looking for a change. After experiencing my third layoff in under 7 years due to downsizing, outsourcing and restructuring, I had enough and decided it was time to make my move. So the very next week I began the process of getting my personal chef certification from the United States Personal Chef Association. I started up my business in September of 2010 and have been so thankful that I have been able to turn a passion of mine into a viable business.
Do you have a signature dish?
All of the dishes I enjoy making and eating I like to call "healthy gourmet". I like to flavor foods with citrus, fresh herbs, capers, garlic. Things that are rich in flavor but not necessarily in calories. One of the dishes that people always rave about is my Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail. I love to serve it in a martini glass with some crunchy plantain chips and the combination of cucumbers, jicama, avocado, cilantro, and citrus are just delicious.
People have a misconception that personal chefs are for the rich and famous, but honestly, if you are a person that is just too busy to cook, eating out too often, or need help with creating healthier meals, a personal chef can be a lifesaver. You can have a personal chef provide all your meals for the week or have them supplement your own meals with a some of theirs to help ease the burden during the month. Personal chefs also make great gifts! A week of meals for a new mom or someone recovering from surgery or a romantic dinner for two for a birthday or anniversary make unique and welcome gifts.
I agree. The blog post you are referring to is part of a series of posts about making small, manageable changes in your diet. I firmly believe that to move towards a healthier lifestyle you need to do it incrementally. If you are currently a real meat eater, moving to grass-fed beef for one month and incorporating that into your budget can be a first step. Grass-fed beef is leaner and better for you, the animal and the environment. You might decide the following month to try out Meatless Mondays to reduce the amount of meat in your diet. By slowly reducing the amount of meat you are eating each month, you may find that you enjoy the way it makes you look and feel and that you don't really miss meat that much at all. While I am not vegetarian today (I used to be before getting pregnant which made me lust after spicy taco salads), I do try to limit my red meat consumption to once per week and to have one or two vegetarian meals per week. It is a goal of mine this year to try out more vegan recipes and get my carnivorous daughter to replace much of her hamburgers and hot dogs for vegetables. Wish me luck!
I love photography and I love food. Naturally then, I'm totally into food photography. Do you ever geek-out to food photos in magazines like I do?
First of all, I love YOUR photography. You can come photograph my food any day! Yup, I love looking through food magazines. In fact, you may often find me sitting in Barnes and Noble sipping some coffee and pouring over a pile of them. I also really have an obsession with organizing magazines. Pictures of perfectly organized kitchen cupboards and pantries make me happy happy!
How are you different from other personal chefs out there?
I like to focus on fresh seasonal ingredients, organic if possible, and create meals that are flavorful yet healthy. I want to show people that food that tastes great can be great for you. I also am very concerned about the rate of obesity and diabetes amongst our children and want to do what I can through my blog, community involvement and cooking classes to provide parents and kids the skills and incentive to get back around the dinner table again eating good quality meals.
Since I've been known to dump many a failed recipe in the garbage, I have to ask; have you ever messed up a meal at home?
Hasn't everybody?
I'm vegetarian. My husband is not. What kind of romantic meal would you whip up for us if I hired you?
Hmmm, vegetarian, not vegan, yes? Then I would suggest for the first course we start with a a mixed green salad with dried cranberries and toasted hazelnuts with a cranberry orange dressing. For the second course, a creamy butternut squash risotto. And for the main course a satisfying dish of stuffed portabello mushrooms with sun-dried tomatoes, fennel and mushrooms topped with shaved Parmesan. Then we would end the meal with a some tiramisu parfaits. Sound good? (Yes!!)
What is your greatest achievement as a personal chef?
If I am making the lives of my clients less stressful and more healthful, I am very satisfied. It is always rewarding to hear how much they have enjoyed the meals I have prepared. And if I can get my own 6 year old to give me a thumbs up on dinner, I am thrilled! :)
If you could have just one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
All the Thanksgiving fixings- stuffing with sausage, cranberries and apples, roasted butternut squash, glazed or roasted Brussels sprouts, pumpkin pie. Eating this meal day after day would most likely make the rest of my life considerably shorter and my waistband considerably larger but very happy indeed! Oh, and yes, I still love spicy taco salads with mango and avocado slices.
A very special thanks to Fran Davis for a great interview!
For More Information:
Phone: 609.304.5295
Email: cheffran@flavorfulfork.comBlog: www.flavorfulfork.com/blog
Facebook: www.facebook.com/flavorfulfork
Thinking of updating your business image? Sick of that old stodgy headshot you've been using? Annmarie Young Photography specializes in classic modern head shots. Contact us today for a free consultation!
