by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
In today’s world everyone wants everything bigger and faster, but mostly faster. And, the technological geniuses have obliged: e-mail, fax machines and cell phones that can call Tibet as easily as quote a stock or check a West Coast baseball score.
Logic would have it that these advances should make life easier and less hectic. Or take a hassle-free week off. Or cook a nice meal for the family.
However, instead of taking advantage of the gadgets that have streamlined the demanding facets of life, many professionals and families have taken on other commitments and activities. Lawyers and business people find themselves at the gym, board meetings or peer gatherings well into the evening. Children have Little League, soccer and dance practice. Too often, dinner consists of whatever the pizza boy brings, mom pops into the microwave or dad grabs on the way home from work.
Enter Nancy Ricks, paralegal turned gourmet chef. For the last 13 years, Ricks has been a paralegal with the law firm of Brown, Terrell, Hogan, et al. She specialized in asbestos litigation and found herself in court more often than Robert Downey Jr. Burnout became a factor and Ricks began considering other career options. Ricks chose one of her favorite hobbies — cooking.
Late last year, after completing her training at the United States Personal Chef Institute in Atlanta, Ricks started “Home Sweet Home” — a home-cooking service designed to accommodate exactly what Ricks had become: someone too busy to cook for herself and her husband. The decision to leave the legal world was influenced partly by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “I realized life is too short and I always wanted to do this,” said Ricks, who realized she’d be happier working for herself. “I love to cook and I was burned out on what I was doing,” said Ricks, adding she still works a few days a week at the firm until a replacement can be found.
Home Sweet Home is multi-faceted. Ricks doesn’t just show, whip up some vittles and leave. There are multiple steps to the process and Ricks does everything from buy the groceries to wash and dry the last pot.
“I go over the menu with my clients, do the shopping, bring all my own pots and pans and utensils, cook and clean up,” said Ricks. “I also label all of the containers with reheating instructions. The containers are disposable, so they can use them and throw them away.”
Ricks’ service comes in two simple packages: one or two weeks worth of food. All of her meals come with a main dish, side dishes and enough for four. Although she will prepare just about anything her clients want, Ricks prefers and specializes in dishes that are not only good, but good for you.
So far, Ricks’ clientele is as varied as her culinary abilities. Her 13 years in the legal community have provided enough contacts to get the business started. And, what she quickly learned was that people enjoyed the food and extra time so much, they are calling back. Again. And again.
“I have a couple of clients I have been cooking for since December,” she said.
Another growing client base for Ricks is the single working mother. Take Karen Langdo, for instance. Langdo has been divorced for two years, has three children from 5 to 17 years old and owns Extreme Concrete. Between her children’s activities and the demands of her business, Langdo simply doesn’t have time to cook every night for her family.
“I’ve known Nancy for several years and when she started the business, I said, ‘Thank you, Lord,’” said Langdo, adding that after the divorce she found herself falling into a rut dinner-wise. Sure the family loved pizza, macaroni and cheese and burgers, but even they can tire of the same menu. Things are different now, mostly because Ricks has no limits in the kitchen.
“I try to vary the menu and mix it up,” said Langdo. “The kids get to give their input. Each one gets to pick one thing a week. Having dinner for two weeks at a time works out great. Now, I have time for me and the kids have time to do their homework and other things. I think now, how did I manage before? We were eating at nine at night and the kids’ bedtimes were getting later and later.”
Like most any decision to go into business, there are two predominant reasons: calling your own shots and making money. Sure, Ricks can now do both of those things, but to her it’s not always about taking a weekend off or the bottom line at the end of the month. Her business also has a compassionate side that the corporate world can rarely exhibit. For example, Ricks recently cooked for a week for a family that lost a loved one. It was a neighbor and was just the right thing to do.
“The neighbors all pitched in and bought the service and I did it at as much of a discount as I could,” said Ricks.
As a personal chef, Ricks is joining one of the country’s fastest growing professions. In 1995, there were approximately 500 personal chefs in the United States; today there are over 5,000 and the number grows every day. Culinary school graduates that once flocked to New York and Los Angeles to put their talents to use in restaurants like Alaine Ducasse and La Cirque 2000. Instead, chefs are taking it to the house, literally.
According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the personal chef industry has been “one of the fastest growing businesses in the country” for the last four years. Further proof: the United States Personal Chef Association is growing by 100 members a month and has 45 local chapters scattered across the country.
For Ricks, personal chef simply means personal and economic freedom and the chance to help others save time. And as Samuel L. Jackson intimates in “Changing Lanes,” what value can you put on someone’s time?