I have come to understand

that by a certain year all people will be living in cities on the coast....

That's a quote from Ben Porter, who wrote a very beautiful song called "Cities On The Coast."

and as far's i've heard it, ben wants to be a rockstar. MY livingroom mainroom window is open tonight, and it is not making me a rockstar. It's sucking out the horrible stench of cigarette smoke, and it's making me cold, and it's making me want to get up and whizz, light a cylinder incense cone, let it smoke, it's making me not want to hear the trains go by tonight. I opened the bathroom window tonight, too - but before I go there to tinkle my water away, I'm surely going to press down on the main house window. I'm doing it to stop all odd thoughts from streaming in, I'm doing it to invite incense wisdom to fill the space and snake my eyes like there is something behind them that is clogged.

Logo & Reason for Company Name

I found this photograph of Charlie Chaplin playing Cello and it perfectly illustrated how dignified of an image I have when I am composing a meal. Also, in the film Modern Times, he sings this gibberish, improvised song when his cuffs fall off, and I love that scene, and I love the idea of very quickly preparing something fantastic. Those two items of philosophy made me come up with the title of the company, and that picture just solidified it completely for me.

Welcome.

Dinners Off The Cuff is my company name. I am its president and founder. The original idea of this company is a personal chef business that I began while working for Chef Charlie Trotter at his Lincoln Park retail store. I was amazed at the sheer number of people who were almost intimidated by cooking. I thought it would be the next step in my career as a chef to start working as a personal chef. I started, and I loved it.

There is a myth that you have to be rich in order to be able to afford your own personal chef. It is exactly that - a myth. And there is also a misconception that a personal chef will not deign to do simple things for you like assemble salads, do the time consuming vegetable prep that you are not able to in your busy lifestyle, or filet or marinate your meats for you so that when you want to come home and cook, it's ready to start right away. A personal chef, in my definition, is willing to facilitate your own independence without overcharging you the way restaurants and carryout specialists can and do.

Depending on the extent of the services you are looking for, rates vary. I make it a point to keep my pricing reasonable because far too often in this day and age people are paying ridiculous amounts of money for very basic services. When you make the choice to change your lifestyle in terms of food, having a person there to help you through the transition is very important. I offer my services as a chef, a prep person, a shopper, and a teacher. If you have ever wanted to do a better job of feeding yourself, then you've come to the right place.

Email me with information about the kinds of changes you would like to make in your food choices, and we will work together to develop a menu plan for you that will fit your budget, goals, and needs.

Chef Diane
Dinners Off The Cuff
gallerydupri@gmail.com