Atlanta Personal Chef Service boasts an ever-growing team of in-home chefs. Our team is made up of highly skilled personal chefs who have a passion for cooking quality meals and providing excellent service. Our hand-selected chefs all have culinary degrees and several years of professional cooking experience, many having worked in fine-dining restaurants or five star hotels. Once hired to work for Atlanta Personal Chef Service, all chefs are required to undergo training with a lead chef before working solo. We are very careful to match our chefs to your needs, for service we guarantee you’ll love.

Amy grew up in Washington, D.C. and moved to Atlanta in 2004. Growing up, her family ate dinner together every evening, and as the owner and founder of Atlanta Personal Chef Service, Amy is focused on bringing families back to the dinner table through healthy, home-cooked meals. Amy has grown Atlanta Personal Chef Service’s operations since 2011 to include plated dinner parties and full-service catered in-home and off-site events. Amy has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Art Institute of Atlanta’s culinary program and is currently an active board member of Atlanta’s EO Accelerator program. Amy’s corporate background is in both finance and healthcare, and she holds a bachelor degree from Emory’s Goizueta Business School and an MBA from Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business. Family dinners are still a tradition in her household, and she carries fond memories of dinner as a time to relax, unwind and reconnect.

Hugo grew up in Brazil where his family enjoyed having a maid who cooked dinner for the family, allowing them to eat together every evening. In Brazil it is common for families to eat both lunch and dinner together every day, and common for households to have a regular cook. Hugo moved to Atlanta with his family before entering high school, and his family kept the tradition of eating together on a regular basis. Hugo spent his high school years working as a server at Sal Grosso, one of Atlanta’s fine-dining Brazilian Steakhouses. Hugo graduatued from Kennesaw State University with a degree in business management. He enjoys cooking, and is known especially for his skills on the grill, often entertaining his friends with a buffet of grilled meats, just like the famous Fogo de Chao. Hugo brings his customer service experience and love of food to Atlanta Personal Chef Service

Marquetta (you can call her “Q” for short) was born in Atlanta and grew up in Memphis. Holding a master’s degree from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville and over 20 years in social services, and a passion and firm belief in the power of family, she moved back to Atlanta in 2012 to start Safe Harbor International Ministries, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides family restoration. While developing her nonprofit, Marquetta launched her catering career with Bold Events, where she was quickly recognized for her talent in the hospitality industry, earning an Event Manager position overseeing many of their large and small. She coordinated the flow of the events from the beginning of the event to the end, working closely with venue managers, their staff, and all front and back of house catering staff as well. Marquetta also plans large-scale community events, including galas, workshops, staff and volunteer recognition dinners for her non-profit work. From starting as a server with the Atlanta Personal Chef Service team in early 2017, Marquetta is now planning elegant in-home events for our clients, ensuring the process is smooth and flawless from the initial touch-point through to the post-event follow-up. In her spare time, Marquetta enjoys exploring Georgia with her family, visiting unique historical homes and restaurants, discovering new nature trails, fishing, and blogging.

Nia grew up on the most eastern point of the Big Island of Hawaii, eating fresh fish and also produce from the family’s garden. Inspired by the culinary world, she enrolled in Cape Fear Community College where she earned her culinary degree, graduating with honors and Dean’s list status. Under the leadership of Ash Aziz, owner of Circa restaurant group, Nia sought opportunities to learn all aspects of restaurant operations. She was part of the opening of Osteria Cicchetti, Ash’s Italian concept restaurant, where she learned all stations in the kitchen. She was responsible for, among other things, the daily soups, house made gnocchi, butternut squash and mushroom raviolis. She later transitioned into the pastry department to refine her baking and pastry skills working under Executive Pastry Chef Debora Creamer. When Nia’s doing the cooking, her favorite foods to prepare are fresh fish with seasonal produce, fresh pasta, and wild game. And when she goes out to eat in Atlanta, she raves about the Iberian Pig for their unique tapas. The rabbit empanadas and wild pork sausage meatballs with manchego are her favorites!

When Nia isn’t cooking, she loves exploring the outdoors with her husband and their dog. They’ll explore nearby hiking trails or canoe on the Chattahoochee or a nearby lake. She also likes thrift shopping for antiques to repurpose into great vintage finds. When asked about her cooking, she shares “I respect the process and experience of being able to take something from nature and respectfully use it to nourish our bodies.” Her love and appreciation for food make her a strong leader on the Atlanta Personal Chef Service team.

Chef Tai grew up in Long Island, New York. In high school he participated in a culinary fellowship program with a professional chef and fell in love with the culinary arts. In 2002, Tai moved to Charleston, South Carolina to attend culinary school at Johnson & Wales University. He earned an associate degree in culinary arts and a bachelor’s degree in food service management. As a student, he traveled to Belgium to study food research and beer and wine production. He also visited France to study wine production and international hotel management.

Early in his career Tai worked at the Mint Julep Bistro in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, and later spent a year as a baker for the Charleston Place Hotel. He came to Atlanta to work with Richard Blais on his wildly successful Flip Burger concepts. Working his way up in the kitchen, Tai was eventually promoted to executive chef of the newly opening Flip Burger in Birmingham, AL. Tai cites Chef Jason McClure as the most influential chef in his career. McClure inspired Tai through his passion for food and for serving people. Under his tutelage, Tai learned molecular gastronomy, flavor building, and flavor pairing on a chemistry level.

Chef Tai loves cooking Thai food, lasagna, manicotti, vegetable tien, osso bucco, and many other dishes. He loves eating pad Thai, sushi, yakitori, tacos, fish and chips, cauliflower, burgers, and pasta. In his free time, Tai is often working out at the gym or he’s at the stove working up new meal plans. His light-hearted philosophy is, “Live hard, laugh loud, love deeply, and be yourself”

Amanda is a southern native who grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia. Her background is Polish and Italian and she has been cooking since she was a little girl. Amanda started her career bartending, and fell in love with combining interesting ingredients to create craft cocktails. She began her culinary journey by throwing regular dinner parties for family and friends, and later began pairing food with wine, spirits, and beer. Amanda earned a degree from Kennesaw State University in Psychology and Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality.

At Ocean Prime, Amanda worked with Chef Jason Shelley, who shared his passion for food and perfection and drove her to learn all aspects of the kitchen. She is inspired by the creativity that all chefs have, and is driven by her own passion and love for food. Amanda enjoys bringing different spices and sauces to the table and is currently in the process of creating a cookbook for her fellow millennials.

Amanda loves making gnocchi and fresh pasta, as well as shrimp and grits and fried chicken and waffles. She also experiments with making her own curries and Moroccan style sauces. When she describes the kinds of foods she likes to eat, she will almost always say, “everything but bell peppers and cumin.”

Amanda’s favorite restaurant in Atlanta is Staplehouse because of Chef Ryan Smith’s heart and soul creations. Exploring food is a passion of Amanda’s, and she’s often eating her way through Atlanta Magazine’s 50 best restaurants. Amanda enjoys painting, yoga, and playing volleyball in her spare time. She also enjoys traveling, primarily to taste various regional cuisines. Amanda has a passion for making delicious food that captivates all flavor profiles and enjoys sharing her craft with families across Atlanta.

Caroline moved often with her family growing up, exposing her to a diversity of cities and locations. While Miami plays the largest role in her childhood years, she also spent time in NYC, Scarsdale, and Puerto Rico. She’s spent the better part of the last decade in Los Angeles, with a short stint in Spain.  For Caroline, food began as a hobby, hosting dinner parties, baking cakes for birthdays, and always finding an excuse to check out the newest restaurant. She decided to choose a career in culinary, enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu, and hasn’t looked back since.

Her professional culinary career began at a small boutique hotel SO.PA Restaurant at L’Horizon Hotel and Spa in Palm Springs, CA working under Michelin Star Chef Chris Anderson. From there she worked in the tiny town of Xerta, Spain at Villa Retiro Restaurant under Michelin Star Chef Fran Lopez. Caroline returned back to Los Angeles, and finally worked under a female Executive Chef, Alison Trent.  She later joined the opening team at Jeremy Fox’s newest restaurant in Santa Monica. The experience at Tallula’s was incredibly inspiring; being a part of something from inception through the first year is an experience she will always hold dearly.

Caroline loves making fresh pasta, baking bread, and enhancing the natural taste of fresh produce. She finds it very fulfilling to make food from scratch. When she’s eating, her personal go-to dish is rice with fried egg. Her second favorite is her spicy roasted chick peas. Nancy Silverton, accomplished American chef, baker, and author, inspires Caroline. In Caroline’s words, “Silverton’s power in the kitchen is equal to the power and influence she has outside of it.”

Having recently moved to Atlanta, Caroline is still exploring the food scene here. Currently her favorite restaurant in Atlanta is Poor Hendrix in East Lake. She reports that their 20 minute grilled cheese is definitely worth the wait!  In her free time, she bakes bread or brews a new batch of Kombucha. Since she’s pretty new to Atlanta, she loves exploring her new home city.

Chef Jalisa grew up southwest of Savannah, where, even as a young child, she would assist her parents with cooking. With a mother who is a vegetarian and a father who isn’t, from the very beginning of her cooking career, Chef Jalisa learned how to prepare specialty dishes. She went on to earn her culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu, graduating with honors.

After completing her culinary training, Jalisa began her professional career as a prep chef under Personal Chef Rosecleer Marie. It was during this time that she developed a passion to become a personal chef, realizing this role offered the opportunities she craved for individuality and creativity. Jalisa also trained at the Forsyth Park Café in Savannah as well as Plates on the Square in Carrollton.

Chef Jalisa is inspired by Chef Marcus Samuelsson, with his wealth of knowledge about the preparation and presentation of a variety of foods. She credits her desire to explore different cultures and their boundless contributions to the culinary world to his influence. While her personal preferences are cuisines are from the Caribbean Islands, Ethiopia, Latin America and Asia, as a chef, she is unbiased to a specific dish or style of cooking and enjoys trying new and different techniques in the kitchen.

Jalisa finds great pleasure and pride in preparing dishes for others. “Just like music, food is a universal language. It gives me such joy to know that I can bring happiness and satisfaction to others using food as my message.” Chef Jalisa’s passion and experience make her a natural fit for the Atlanta Personal Chef Service team.

Chef Sam grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut and began his culinary career as a dishwasher at Bertucci’s. He worked his way up to a sauté chef by the age of sixteen, and this led to him pursuing his degree in Culinary Arts/Meeting and Events Management at Johnson & Wales University. While completing his degree, Sam also secured an internship at the Hyannisport Club, a prestigious golf club in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. It was here where Sam says, “I learned many of my skills and experiences working my way to sauté within my first six
months.”

In addition to the experience Sam gained at the Hyannisport Club, he also credits chefs Aaron Thorpe and Kevin Robinson at GPub, David Dualan at Russel Morin’s Fine Catering, as well as his chefs from his high school job—for really pushing him to develop his skills and capabilities as a chef, while also helping him to develop as a leader with a growth mindset.

Before joining the Atlanta Personal Chef Service team, Sam also gained experience with various special events and catering companies as a chef, server and manager. He has also worked in the personal chef industry, both in Connecticut and Atlanta.

Sam’s favorite dishes to cook are Italian, especially lasagna, gnocchi in a sage cream sauce, and risotto. He also loves to make blackberry peach cobbler. When it comes to his own preferences, his favorite foods to eat are pizza, lasagna, tacos, specialty egg rolls and sushi. When it comes to eating in Atlanta, Sam loves the fried chicken with hot sauce at The Southern Gentleman, as well as the barbecue from Heirloom Market BBQ. When he’s not cooking for others, he enjoys eating out, working out, playing with his dog Nala and exploring new areas.

Chef Jacob, who works on our events team, is an Atlanta native. His father, also a chef, brought him into the culinary world at a young age, and his first job in the industry was as a cook for a Georgia Tech sorority.  Jacob also credits Chef Paul for teaching him how to be a chef.

Pork chops and steak are two of Jacob’s favorite dishes to cook, and he loves to eat a good carne asada. If he’s eating out in Atlanta, Jacob’s top pick is The Optimist. He also enjoys gardening, photography and taking care of animals.