Media Darling?

It's been a great week for seeing Chef Debbie and Yummy~issimo! Personal Chef Service in the news.

After last week's radio remote with WGRR 103.5FM and Queen Janeen Coyle, a 4~color photo of me making Butternut Squash and Apple Soup was in the Pulse~Journal. While they had my name correct and they did identify me as a Personal Chef, they didn't have a large enough ink budget to get my company name in the article also.

So today after a long cook day and then a run through Costco and bigg's where I had two customers and one cashier yell at me and a man in a large black SUV flip me off, I get home and open Cincinnati Magazine, Nov 2007, for a bit of mindless relief before I start dinner. This month's magazine is about parties ~ and finding everything you could possibly need for creating fabulous party ~ caterers, DJs, decorations, valets, etc. And Personal Chefs ~ not just any Personal Chef mind you, but yours truly!

Page 154 of this highly intellectual mag is about "Nosh~Ready Cuisine."

The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who make their own chip dip, and those who do not. For the latter, there are pre~prepped dishes, elegant gourmet take~out, and vat~sized versions of the old standbys. Short of hiring a caterer, it's the best way to get "cooking." Here are a few of our favorite sources for grab~and~go eats.

Now I'm not crazy about being mentioned in the same article as The Party Source, bigg's, Jungle Jim's or Costco, there was one bright spot on this page.

Personal Chefs: You want the party to come out of your kitchen, but you don't have the time or talent? A personal chef is an alternative to a conventional caterer. You'll pay a fee plus groceries and supplies, and the chef will actually use your kitchen to cook. (Some will even fix your family recipes).

Now here comes the good part:

"I'll meet with you, talk about who'll be at your party, what they like to eat, and we'll go from there," says Debbie Spangler of Yummy~issimo! Spangler can do cocktail parties for up to 200 people, buffet~style gatherings, and sit~down family meals (www.yummyissimo.com/).

One thing though, I don't do chip dip. Dijon and wine marinated jumbo shrimp with homemade spicy cocktail sauce; Spicy bourbon glazed beef carpaccio with homemade roasted red pepper mayonnaise; Baby lamb chops with cucumber~mint relish, or a Caviar torte with champagne braised cipollini onions, yes ~ but not just plain ole chip dip.