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.

Chef Shawn grew up in Queens, New York. At age 18 he enrolled in the New York Restaurant School. Shawn launched his career at Olives at the W Hotel, where he learned under celebrity Chef Todd English. Always attracted to new and exciting opportunities, Shawn helped prep kitchens for TV shoots and even helped contestants prep for a “Live with Regis & Kelly” competition. Shawn later worked as Sous Chef in three of Seaway Valley Restaurant Group establishments, mastering concepts of new American, fresh Italian, and California Tex-Mex cuisines Shawn moved to Maui where he continued to refine his skills working at the Four Seasons Wailea Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante.

On the side, he worked with two different personal chef services, helping to entertain tourists with great food and parties. Shawn especially likes to prepare fresh pastas, braised meats, and to cook on outdoor, coal-fired BBQs. When he cooks for himself, he enjoys Asian-style noodle dishes. When he eats out, he prefers food he wouldn’t cook for himself, such as dim sum venues, which offer unique dishes and large tea selections. Shawn spends his free time with his six-year-old twin boys and keeps in shape by weight lifting and kettlebell workouts.

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.

Robin was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio until the age of 10, after her family decided move to Atlanta. Growing up, Robin was an adventurous foodie who enjoyed helping her grandmother and mother cook.  Robin accompanied her mother on weekly trips to the grocery store, where her mother would teach her how to select ripe fruit and vegetables.  Robin’s first introduction into the culinary industry was at 15 when she started working at Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Later, she was a catering server at Stone Mountain Park.

Prior to entering into the culinary world full time, Robin was one of Atlanta’s influential beauty mavens.  Robin has over 16 years of experience as a dedicated licensed nail and skin care therapist.  During her career, she was able to hone in her skills set for superb customer quality, care and her eye for detail.  In the fall of 2011, she launched her own beauty salon.  For four and a half years, Robin owned and operated Evidence Nail and Beauty Boutique in Snellville, before the decision to do a career change.

In the summer of 2016, Robin enrolled in Atlanta Technical College in Atlanta.  Robin often refers to ATC as Atlanta’s “culinary jewel” because of the rich teaching experience the school offers.  A top student amongst her peers, Robin was on the President’s List, awarded five scholarships, a member of National Technical Honors Society and was nominated for GOAL Student of the Year.  Under Chef Tieaka Blocker’s leadership, Robin learned cultural aspects of food, menu development, nutritional influences and organizational priorities.  Robin frequently dines at Marcel’s where she delights in their soft crab omelet.  Aside from being busy preparing meals for others and managing her lifestyle blog, The R District, she is an active mother of three children who keep her full with adventure and love. We are excited to have Robin on the Atlanta Personal Chef Service team!

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 Ari’s professional background began over a decade ago as a young prep and line cook in and around Savannah, Georgia. His love and interest for cooking led to a formal degree from L’Academie de Cuisine in 2006 in the art of French cuisine. Upon his graduation, he cooked at Citronelle, in Washington DC, where while working with Michel Richard, he began to experiment with color and texture.

In the years to follow, Ari worked as a personal chef, chef instructor, and cooked in a number of restaurants, hotels, and diverse settings. Chef Ari has traveled the world cooking for yoga retreats and workshops, and, for the summer of 2014, interned at Restaurant Geranium, Rasmus Kofoed’s 2-star Michelin restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark. His unique and eclectic background has enriched in him his love for sharing and providing others with sustainable as well as thought provoking dishes.

Chef Ari enjoys gardening, foraging outdoors for wild ingredients, pickling and preserving, and while eating out in Atlanta, he keeps the Kimball House at the top of his list for their extensive oyster program and use of local ingredients. He continues to learn and grow in the field of cooking and accommodates all diets.

Chef Tram has always had a passion for cooking and entertaining. While pursuing a degree in Urban Design at Virginia Tech, she often hosted dinner parties for friends. Preparing everything from scratch, she found satisfaction in fulfilling other college students’ yearning for home-cooked meals. Upon graduating from college, Tram opened a small wedding cake business in Blacksburg, VA.

She and her husband moved to Atlanta a few years ago while she pursued a degree at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Tram has worked at Cherokee Country Club and 103 West where she cultivated experience in high-demand, fast paced fine dining establishments. She has a passion for exploring new ways to create wholesome food from scratch such as sausages, tofu, cheeses, breads, pasta, and more, and loves to use her sous vide machine to prepare all kinds of dishes, both savory and sweet.  She is adept at catering to specific diets and meal plans. Tram joined the Atlanta Personal Chef Service team in January of 2014.

In her free time, Tram likes to spend time with her husband, her 2 year old son, and their dog, as well as experiment with new cooking techniques. Tram is a common Vietnamese name, but the pronunciation is tricky.  The best English phonetic pronunciation is “Chum.”