How to get a bargain from the professionals you hire

On the way to a dinner party event, my assistant and I had a business discussion stemming from her question: "After all is said and done, after all this work, do you feel as though you're earning the right amount of profit?"

Her question is a valid one. I had had the foresight to really pay attention to what went into this particular party from the cost of the high-quality ingredients, to the extra serviceware I had to buy in order to accommodate extra guests to the time involved creating the event. And the time is where it's at.

Up until we got into the car to drive to the client's home, I had already put in 18 hours of cooking time.
After discussing some of these details at length, I summed it up for her. "In the end, I want our client, who is hiring a professional chef to serve guests in his home for the first time, to be wowwed. I want him to feel and for me to know that he got a bargain." I want every client to feel this way.

I actually hired a professional photographer, Doug Armstrong of DA Visions to capture the evening. Working with him and his assistant, Nicole was a joyful breeze. The biggest advantage I realized when working with Doug is how he uses of his own space. As artists working with small subjects (plates of food, cubes of pear, etc.) we both need to get close to the subject if we're going to get it right and Doug just seems to meld himself into my space as though we've been dancing partners for many years.

And then the photos came back. I am stunned by their beauty. My favorite (and it was so hard to choose one) does not involve people. It involves the salad bouquet. It was the first time we had served salad this way and we were taking big chances because the dish involves height and there's no going back. If the salad falls, the dish is just another salad. They all worked. Doug got the shot (several of them). When we viewed it on our computer screen we were speechless in wonder.

How do you get a bargain from the professionals you hire? Hire the right professional for the job.
I got a real bargain.

Photo credit: DA Visions/Doug Armstrong

Face Time

I’m paraphrasing one of my favorite women here…


…If I take the time every day to recognize just one gift, it will make everything so much better. There is at least one gift in every day… I really think there are lots of them…so when I see it I say, “There it is. This is a gift!” Embrace it. Go with it.
Tina K.


A few months ago, I readied myself for an incredibly busy work day. It included shopping in several locations, meeting with a client for a site review, and then back to headquarters to begin prepping for several large events. And I had just gotten back from vacation. And it was pouring. And the cooler lid just fell on the bridge of my nose. Ugh.

As I drove from place to place, I found myself internally bemoaning the fact that I had so much to do that I didn’t have time to meet with this client and review this site. A site is just a site, right? The food was planned. How important was face time with this client?

It was more important than I can ever express. As soon as I saw her smile, my day changed. She was excited about unveiling this new space to the public and had invited me to feed them. She shared with me her plans for the event and her vision for the ceremony. We sounded out thoughts and questions and potential trouble spots in hopes of avoiding them. We blocked out food stations and the flow of our guests (or crowd control as she likes to call it). Her energy was contagious and I remembered what my purpose/place was.

I live in an honored and prestigious place. I am invited to some of the most special, intimate moments of peoples’ lives. The unveiling of their spaces, the introduction of their newborn children, the memorials of their beloved family members and to the weddings that they’ve been dreaming of forever. And it’s my job to nourish them and their guests. Providing delicious food is just one tiny aspect of truly nourishing someone you love.

The food is the easy part. It’s the Face Time that makes my life as a chef so incredibly rich…and gifted.