Atlanta Personal Chef Service boasts an ever-growing team of personal chefs. Our team is made up of highly skilled individuals 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.

Chef Gizzy is a passionate chef that is native to Atlanta, Georgia. She has been cooking in professional, fine dining kitchens for the past 10 years after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. While developing her craft she formed valuable relationships with many chefs in Atlanta. She worked for Kevin Rathbun, Linton Hopkins, and under the various talented chefs at Fifth Group Restaurants. She was on Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen Season 18. While Ramsay’s name carries a lot of clout, she is most inspired by Chef Mossimo Bottura’s take on classic Italian cuisine.

Chef Gizzy joined the team mid-pandemic and immediately stepped in to organize their budding delivery service. Her leadership and kitchen operation experience quickly earned the trust of the chef team and she worked to keep client’s needs met as they pivoted operations in a major way. As in-home and events picked back up in 2021, and with a deeper understanding of the mission and purpose of APCS, Gizzy continued to evolve all three lines of business and pour into the chef team. “If you’ve ever met or worked with Chef Gizzy, you know she is an extremely talented chef—delightful to work with and passionate about what she does. I invited her to join me as an owner in the business to support long term growth and future success for Atlanta Personal Chef Service,” Amy Patricio shares.

In her free time, you can find Gizzy tending her garden. While not a natural green thumb, she is getting better each season with the help of her father. She grows a variety of different herbs and vegetables such as; heirloom tomatoes, zephyr squash, and bell peppers. Gizzy is a fun-loving and versatile chef who loves spreading joy through her food.

Sarah grew up in Atlanta, and was a Business and Hospitality Administration major at Georgia State University. She has worked in fine dining in Atlanta as a server, bartender, and front of house manager. Before coming to APCS, she spent 10 years working in the healthcare industry. “I am excited to get back into hospitality,” she shares.

Sarah’s favorite Atlanta restaurants are Redbird, Kimball House, St. Cecilia and El Tesoro, and she loves to eat any kind of sushi, the Italian Grinder from Staplehouse, or a big plate of pasta.

Sarah and her husband James love to explore Atlanta restaurants and travel. They have a dog, Huey Lewis, and Sarah loves to walk the dog and exercise, as well as manage her rooftop vegetable garden in the summer. Sarah and her husband are on a fun quest to visit every state and national park in the U.S. “So far we’ve been to 36 states and 22 parks,” she reports.

Despite being born in Philadelphia, Emilie considers herself a native Georgian, as her family moved to Georgia when she was seven years old. After graduating from the University of Georgia, Emilie lived in Europe for a few years (she’s actually French American), then the west coast, before finally moving back to Atlanta in January 2020 to raise her daughter.

Although her role at APCS is Office Manager/Catering Sales Coordinator, Emilie does have an extensive culinary background—from baking cupcakes for parties to an internship at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and finally landing at Avignon for culinary school. In addition, Emilie received her Bachelor of Arts in French Literature and Language with Music Business Certificate, and her License Professionnelle Metiers des Arts culinaires et des arts de la Table.

Emilie also worked on an organic vegetable and olive farm one summer. “It was such an amazing experience to be able to learn about where our food is coming from and to help grow it for others,” she reflects.

Emilie enjoys eating Mexican food, pizza, and French food—and her favorite restaurant is Anis in Buckhead.” It is a French bistro, and I love the vibe—and the food is amazing,” she shares. “It’s a little bit of a splurge, but so worth it.”

Chef Marty was born and raised in central Los Angeles in the middle of the city’s head-spinning culinary diversity, which inspired and informed his palate from a young age. An amazing dinner at chef Nancy Silverton’s seminal LA restaurant Campanile was the fuse that lit his passion to create wonderful culinary experiences and pursue a career in the field.

He began his career at Joachim Splichal’s Patina Catering Group, working on both private parties and major events such as the Oscars and the Emmys. He then became cheese monger at Joan’s On Third in LA, followed by four years with Lulu Powers Food to Flowers as Event Coordinator. After relocating to South Florida, Marty worked as head chef at Someone’s In The Kitchen Catering in Palm Beach, creating and implementing menus for both high profile events and private parties.

After two close shaves with major hurricanes, he decided to move to Atlanta in the fall of 2017, where since arrival he’s been the Chef/Kitchen Manager at Atlanta caterer Post Exchange Catering.
Marty’s favorite chefs are Louisville’s Edward Lee, who fuses his Korean roots with a New Southern sensibility, and LA’s Roy Choi, famous for his Korean/Mexican combinations.

He’s very excited to have settled in the Atlanta area, loving its mixture of big city bustle and sophistication and Southern charm and kindness. He finds the food scene here inspiring and revelatory, loving everything from Ramen at Umaido in Buford to a wonderful, creative meal at chic in town spots such as 8ARM. In addition to the Atlanta food scene, he enjoys Piedmont Park, the High Museum, and long walks with his three dogs on the Beltline.

Marty’s greatest happiness comes from providing people a consistently special dining experience. He’s truly grateful to be one of the fortunate people whose passion in life aligns with their profession. He greatly looks forward to sharing that passion with the clients of Atlanta Personal Chef Service.

Chef Jason was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, but when he was seven years old, his family moved to Alpharetta, Georgia, where he grew up. After graduating high school, he went to work as a food runner at P. F. Chang’s, which inspired Jason to take a three-month introductory culinary course at Clayton University. As he was taking the culinary course, he discovered how natural it felt to create dishes and cook. His love and passion for cooking grew, so after obtaining his certification from Clayton University in 2002, he went on to Le Cordon
Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta. He has also received his NASM Nutrition certification.

Chef Jason started his culinary career at Canoe Restaurant, working his way up every line position. He eventually went on to stage at Cherokee Country Club and then was off to Chicago to stage for Charlie Trotter (who is one of his greatest inspirations). Jason eventually returned to Atlanta, continuing his career at The Ritz Carlton as a Chef De Partie, receiving a 5-star award for his performance in the kitchen. After taking a break from cooking to venture into sports nutrition and bodybuilding, in 2020, Chef Jason found his way back into cooking as head chef of SAA Meal Prep Co., where he developed, created and prepared weekly menus.

Any type of pasta dish tops Chef Jason’s list of favorite foods to make. He shares how much he enjoys “the detail and delicate steps you must put into making the pasta, the sauces, and the proteins that come together to create an amazing well-rounded dish.” When it comes to his favorite foods to eat, Jason loves any type of contemporary American fusion and addition to any style of Asian cuisine, Italian cuisine and Korean BBQ. In particular, the Squid Ink Malfadini (charred calamari, native shrimp and mussels) at St Cecilia is a favorite dish of his. 

Chef Jason enjoys experimenting with a variety of ingredients, transforming them with different techniques and creating new flavor combinations. Outside of the kitchen, Jason loves to visit farmers markets and attend concerts, and he takes time to maintain a healthy lifestyle by working out, hiking and playing disc golf.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Carly got her start in the culinary industry at a young age. She began working, absorbing, and falling in love with food as a twelve-year-old in a local bakery. As the years passed, her passion for the culinary world grew. She pursued a Baking and Pastry Degree at The Culinary Institute of America, went to Ireland for a Culinary Certificate from Ballymaloe Cookery School, and rounded out her education with a Culinary Management degree from Southern New Hampshire University.

One of Carly’s favorite things about the industry is that learning never ceases. Carly’s career has led her to many different locations learning from many different people. Her adventures include discovering the ins and outs of managing a vegan café, churning ice cream at an ice cream shop, leading a team at a Middle Eastern Café, plating desserts at a fine dining restaurant, and beyond. One of the most influential chefs Carly had the privilege to work with was Ana Sortun. Ana’s perspective on Middle Eastern cuisine, spices, and vegetable cookery was eye opening to Carly and completely changed the way she approached cooking. Carly loves
cooking from a wide range of cuisines, but finds the most enjoyment when discovering a dish or cuisine unfamiliar to her.

A new transplant to Atlanta, Carly is looking forward to uncovering all that the culinary scene in Atlanta has to offer. As someone with a major sweet tooth, she’s especially looking forward to finding the best ice cream in the city. When she’s not exploring new restaurants, you can find Carly obsessing over her twelve-year-old toy poodle, Ike. Carly and Ike love long walks with beautiful scenery, snuggling up with a good book, or working on a new crochet project. Carly has also recently discovered a love of the gym, growing stronger, and making healthy meals taste their best. Carly is beyond excited to bring her love and passion for food into your
home and onto your plates.

Chef Kimberli was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, where as a child, she was always in the kitchen cooking something—experimenting and trying everything out on her friends and cousins. After high school, she embraced her love for cooking and went to Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality Institute in Trinidad, where she studied baking and pastry arts for one year, then culinary arts management.

At the age of 19, Kimberli decided to move to Atlanta to further her culinary education, where she attended the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta. She went on to work in several restaurants throughout Trinidad and Atlanta, including as a sous chef for Concentrics Restaurant Group, working at TAP, Parish and Two Urban Licks. She also worked at fine dining restaurants like Abattoir and Woodfire Grill, where they specialized in seven-course tasting menus.

Chef Kimberli learned much working under Chef Tyler Williams at Abattoir. “He taught me proper time management skills and how to prioritize and plan for the next step,” she reflects with gratitude. “He inspired me with how he played with different flavors and types of cuisines.” While she loves making Caribbean and Indian food, her favorite foods to eat are sushi, Mexican and Indian, and her favorite Atlanta restaurants are Eight Sushi, Bar Taco for a nice upbeat environment, or Tacos La Villa for a more traditional experience. “And I must have dessert!” she adds.

When she’s not cooking, Kimberli enjoys going to different restaurants and experiencing all different cultures through their cuisine. “I also love working out and traveling the world,” she shares. “Spending quality time with friends and family also holds a special place in my heart!”

Chef La’Davione was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. His first job in the culinary world was as a pizza cook in 2015 at Monza Pizza in Charleston. “That’s where I began to find my passion for creativity. It wasn’t much but pizzas, but it allowed me to see the fun side of cooking,” he reminisces.

La’Davione graduated from the Art Institute of Charleston with a bachelor’s degree in culinary business management. For five years prior to joining the APCS team, Chef La’Davione worked for the Indigo Road Hospitality Group, starting out at the Macintosh in Charleston, working under Chef Jeremiah Bacon and Chef Jacob Huder. “Chef Bacon has always been a great teacher to me,” La’Davione shares. “He’s someone I call anytime have a question or an idea about cuisine.”

In 2018, Chef La’Davione moved to Atlanta and began working at Oak Steakhouse in Avalon, being promoted to sous chef within a few months.
Chef Harley Hazel was one of the most influential mentors for La’Davione. “He taught me a lot of things that I still use today,” La’Davione explains. “Patience, expanding my thoughts more, and just overall the love of what I do. But I have been inspired in some way by all the chefs I have worked with. I take a little piece of knowledge from each of them.”

Chef La’Davione likes to cook just about anything, but his family loves it when he makes spaghetti from scratch, barbecue ribs, or shrimp and grits. While his specialty is southern cuisine, his style of cooking at home can be described as “winging it.” His favorite foods to eat are wings, sushi, and chocolate chip cookies. He and his wife love the brunch at Toast on Lennox.

La’Davione is a married father of two, with a nine-year-old son Aidex, and a two-year-old daughter Harper. They also have a very active pit bull, Jinx. La’Davione and his family love traveling and trying new restaurants. In his free time, La’Davione likes to hang out with his family, work out, play video games, and watch whatever show he is binge-watching at the time.

Our Chef Zach was born in Sumter, South Carolina, although he moved overseas at a young age and grew up mostly in Baumholder, Germany. Zach considers Germany his home, but most of his family is from the South. In fact, it was visiting his southern family that got Zach started on his culinary journey. “Every summer when we came to visit, I most looked forward to cooking with my mother and grandmother,” Zach remembers. But it was Zach’s older brother—who competed in high school cooking competitions and ultimately pursued a culinary education—who inspired Zach to pursue a culinary career professionally.

In addition to earning his culinary degree with honors from Wiregrass Technical College, Zach was a line cook for two years at the Bleu Pub in Valdosta, Georgia. He also worked a full year doing large-scale meal prep at SAA Meal Prep Co. Most of Zach’s other experience has been in the realm of catering and catering logistics. He also won the local SkillsUSA competition and competed in the statewide SkillsUSA competition.

If Zach had to pick one favorite dish to cook, it would be Filipino Chicken Adobo. “This dish has been in our family for as long as I can remember and really just reminds me of home,” Zach reflects. “Asian cuisine and Asian fusion are my favorite to cook and eat in general.”

Being fairly new to Atlanta, Zach hasn’t experienced a lot of the local restaurant scene, but so far, his favorite place is Umaido in Suwanee. “Umaido is a cool little ramen spot that has wonderful rice bowls as well,” he explains.

Zach likes to spend most of his free time hanging out with his roommates. “When we feel like getting out of the house, we love to go play disc golf or bowling,” Zach shares. “We love to cook together and play video games when we are just hanging around the house.”

Danielle was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where—after a childhood of cooking— she scored her first professional cooking job in high school at the Fort Lauderdale Sheraton Hotel. She went on to study culinary arts at Atlantic Technical College and Culinary Management at Broward College. In addition to her experience as a line cook at Sheraton for two years, she worked at various other restaurants and hotels, including two years as the lead banquet cook at Marriott Marquis.

During the early days of the pandemic, Danielle worked on a farm for a few months, which sparked her love for gardening and locally grown produce. This led her to the position of garde manager chef at Ritz-Carlton. 
Danielle speaks highly of Chef Pamela Daniels, the senior banquet chef at Marriott Marquis, who took time to mentor Danielle during her transition from restaurants to the banquet/events world. “She and my team from the Marquis really helped make me the chef and person I am today— from how I work and organize my day to things such as staying motivated and focused on my task at hand,” Danielle reflects.

Danielle loves to try new foods, but her favorite food to eat is anything her mom makes. “Nobody can cook like my mom—except my grandma,” she shares. “I grew up eating Haitian-inspired foods such as rice and beans, chicken stew, and fried plantains.” During her free time, Danielle likes to go on nature walks and try new restaurants. Botica is a personal favorite: “The food, drinks, and service are always amazing,” she says.

Chel was born in Manhattan, New York City but was raised in Edgewater Park, New Jersey since the age of three. As a young girl, she would help her mom and grandmother wash greens and make sweet potato pie every year for Thanksgiving. “No one makes better sweet potato pie than my mom!” she asserts. She took her first culinary class in high school, and the constant positive feedback from her teacher, Mrs. Livingston, helped Chel realize this might be a good career path for her.

Chel went on to attend Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management. During her time at JWU, Chel spent several months in France exploring the French gastronomic culture through Alain Ducasse. The program was directed by several 3-star Michelin Chefs. “One of my favorite highlights from that experience was living off a farm in the south of France. I grew the juiciest tomatoes I have ever eaten—I think I made bruschetta every chance that I got!” she enthuses. Chel earned a Certificate of Achievement with a specialization in Farm to Table from Ducasse Education.

Chel’s passion to grow in the culinary industry has landed her many jobs in different facets of the hospitality world, such as cooking at country clubs, being an assistant baker in a vegan bakeshop, exploring food media by working as a culinary social media marketing specialist, and freelance catering many art and music shows around Philadelphia and South Jersey. In 2022, Chel relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to seek new experiences and continue to excel in her culinary career.

Chel loves to combine different techniques and flavors from different cultures into one. Her family loves when she makes coquito macarons for the holidays! Her favorite food to eat is teriyaki chicken with fried rice, pernil with arroz con gandules, or brownies a la mode.

Chef Justin was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia—a foundational passion for food blooming through spending time with his grandfather in the family vegetable garden or while fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. Justin began working in kitchens at the age of twelve, his first job being dishwasher at the restaurant next to his father’s seafood business in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. In addition to all his hands-on experience, Justin attended The Culinary Institute of America. “It’s been a varied and colorful twenty years,” he reflects.

Having honed his craft across the world, Justin became the Chef at Villa 9 Trois just outside of Paris, where his hyper-seasonal and locally inspired nightly menus earned the restaurant a coveted Bib Gourmand rating. Justin then joined Francis Mallmann in Patagonia, where the pioneering chef of cooking with fire and smoke instilled a love for cooking alongside nature that resonates with Justin even today.

A resident of West Midtown, Justin enjoys reading, writing, watching spooky movies, and trying new restaurants with his husband, Richard. (His current favorite restaurant is Bastone.) When it comes to his kitchen at home, Justin tends to cook a lot of fresh pastas, pizzas, and Indian dishes. “My husband is Italian-American and vegetarian, so my cooking has shifted a bit towards his palate,” Justin explains.