Your Personal Chef
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Choose your menu!
Your Personal Chef will manage the rest,
preparing fine cuisine in your kitchen & serving you at your table!

The concept is simple: Chef Karen will propose several menus coinciding harmoniously with the seasons, and will purchase all the necessary ingredients for the event. Then, taking the reigns of your kitchen, will prepare and serve dishes that will delight the palate of your guests. The process terminates with a thorough clean-up, leaving your kitchen spotless.

Whatever the occasion for which you choose to gather guests, whether for a casual buffet or a sit-down dinner, Cuisine Karen will assist you in making your event a beautiful and delicious lasting memory.

Keeping with the manner in which the French dine, Karen will prepare and serve a
multi-course menu comprised of: appetizer, entrée w/side, and dessert. Karen proposes several menu options in 2 categories: Discovery Menu and Gourmet Menu. The Gourmet Menu includes four courses, offering the traditional French cheese course before dessert.

What to Expect ~ Price ~ Terms & Conditions ~ Photo Gallery
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What to Expect

You will begin by selecting a date for your reception or dinner. Karen will then ask the style and tone of your event in order to best assist you in choosing an appropriate menu. Karen will be happy to advise you in the choice of wines to best accompany your menu. Once a menu is chosen, you will be asked to submit a deposit of 30% of the total to confirm the reservation.

Karen, whose style is based on traditional French cooking, will purchase the freshest, highest-quality ingredients, choosing among the best local suppliers. She will need to inquire with you as to certain features of your kitchen, and will assess whether to use your equipment or to bring her own supplies.

The day of the event, Karen will arrive at your home 1 to 2 hours in advance of the guests' arrival to begin preparation; this varies depending upon the menu selected. Karen will prepare and serve the meal in a friendly, upbeat, and enthusiastic manner. Upon your request, she can explain the origin of the ingredients, or inform you about the composition of the dishes.

For 10 guests or more, Karen will bring a trained server to assist her. You may, of course, choose to assist in the serving, in lieu of a hired server.

In your kitchen, discretion is assured and a thorough clean-up after the meal guarantees your continued enjoyment of your guests. The interior of your home has become, for one evening, the unique and charming restaurant that you have always looked for.

Discovery Menu ~ Gourmet Menu ~ Price ~ Terms & Conditions ~ Photo Gallery
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Price

The price is all-inclusive and covers shopping, ingredients, all culinary preparations, table service, and final clean-up of your kitchen, as well as driving expenses within a one-hour radius of Eureka Springs.

Discovery Menu ~ Gourmet Menu ~ What to Expect ~ Terms & Conditions ~ Photo Gallery
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Terms & Conditions

  • Prices: The prices are based in US dollars starting in January, 2006. Cuisine Karen will take charge of the preparation of a meal for (number of guests) at the residence (of client/ individual). The price is all-inclusive and covers shopping, ingredients, all culinary preparations, table service, and final clean-up of your kitchen, as well as driving expenses within a one-hour radius of Eureka Springs.
  • Billing conditions: To confirm the reservation, 30% of the total bill will be required to secure the reservation. The remainder of the bill may be paid on or before the day of the reception. The exact number of participants must be confirmed at least one week in advance of the reception or dinner. The final bill will be based on this number of confirmed participants.
  • Making Your Reservation: In order to best satisfy your needs, it is recommended to reserve at the earliest possible date. Orders must be placed at least two weeks in advance of date of reception. Whichever menu option you choose, the appetizer, entrée and dessert will be the same for all guests. In order to maintain high quality and freshness of proposed products, Karen maintains close contacts with local producers and suppliers, and thus reserves the right to modify the menu or certain selections depending upon availability and quality.
  • Cancellation Policy: In the event of the cancellation of a reception or dinner, refund of the deposit will be calculated upon the following conditions:
    • Cancellations up to 2 weeks before date of reception: 100% of deposit will be refunded.
    • Cancellations between 1-2 weeks before date of reception: 50% of deposit will be refunded.
    • Cancellations less than one week in advance of date of reception: no refund of deposit.
  • In event of cancellation on the part of Cuisine Karen due to illness, accident, other personal trauma, or external hazard, you will be given the choice of a 100% refund of your deposit, or to apply your deposit toward a rescheduled reception.

Discovery Menu ~ Gourmet Menu ~ What to Expect ~ Price Structure
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Discovery Menu

You may mix and match from the menus below or personalize it with Karen according to your desires and what is in season.

Currently in season and available at local farmers' markets: pumpkins, winter squash, spinach, winter greens, collards, beets, turnips, cilantro, lettuce, apples. The sample menus below include many of these locally produced items, as well as festive holiday recipes.

Sample Menu 1
Cruditiés & Goat Cheese Dip
Classic Beef Burgundy
served with Parsley New Potatoes & Asparagus
Profiteroles with Vanilla Cream & Chocolate Glazing

Sample Menu 2
Spinach & Winter Greens Tart
Salmon en Papillote with Beurre Blanc
served with Thyme New Potatoes & Glazed Carrots
Floating Islands & Crème Anglaise

Sample Menu 3
Traditional Caesar Salad
Provençal Roast Leg of Lamb with Port Wine Sauce
served with Yukon gold potates, zucchini & carrots
Chocolate Lavender Tart

Please visit my archive class menus for more food ideas.

Additionally, you may choose among several Optional Items, such as Bread, Salad, Coffee, and After-Dinner Treats. Breads will be baked freshly the day of your event by the Little Bread Company. The Salad will be presented in the French manner, as a stand-alone course following the main dish, before dessert. It will be served with a Homemade Vinaigrette of your choice. See Optional price chart for cost of these optional items.

Please note: Beverages are not included.

Gourmet Menu ~ What to Expect ~ Price Structure ~ Terms & Conditions ~ Photo Gallery
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Gourmet Menu

You may mix and match from the menus below or personalize it with Karen according to your desires and what is in season.

Currently in season and available at local farmers' markets: pumpkins, winter squash, spinach, winter greens, collards, beets, turnips, cilantro, lettuce, apples. The menus below include many of these locally produced items, as well as festive holiday recipes.

Sample Menu 1
Velvety Chile Lavender Potato Soup
Mushroom & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Chardonnay Sauce
served with Yukon gold potatoes, zucchini & carrots
French Cheese Course
Classic Parisian Apple Tarte-Tatin

Sample Menu 2
Vichyssoise
Chicken & Vegetable Pastry Ramekins
served with Tomatoes Provençal
French Cheese Course
Vacherin: Fresh Berry Sauce,
French Meringue & Whipped Cream

Sample Menu 3
Spiced Winter Squash Soup with Homemade Crème Fraîche
Beef Tenderloin wrapped in Puff Pastry
served with Sautéed Asparagus with Shaved Parmesan
French Cheese Course
Festive Lemon Spumante

Please visit my archive class menus for more food ideas.

Additionally, you may choose among several Optional Items, such as Bread, Salad, Coffee, and After-Dinner Treats. Breads will be baked freshly the day of your event by the Little Bread Company. The Salad will be presented in the French manner, as a stand-alone course following the main dish, before dessert. It will be served with a Homemade Vinaigrette of your choice. See Optional price chart for cost of these optional items.

Please note: Beverages are not included.

Discovery Menu ~ What to Expect ~ Price Structure ~ Terms & Conditions ~ Photo Gallery
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Contact Karen to plan your event.
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