Chef Mark Tafoya of ReMARKable Palate PCS was profiled in a business feature for the Associated Press. The article, Popularity of Personal Chefs Rises, was picked up by newspapers around the country, including USA Today, Business Week, the Miami Herald, the San Jose Mercury News and the Arizona Republic, as well as ABCNews.com, FOXNews and CNBC.com. The article focused on the accessibility of personal chefs to busy working families, and also quotes USPCA Executive Director John Moore.

Westchester Magazine, the leading regional monthly for the northern NYC metro area, featured three of our chapter members in their Fall 2007 Home & Garden issue. Jonathan Taube of Rocky Rill PCS, Jennifer Urda (chapter President) of The Runcible Spoon PCS, and Stewart Goodwin of Dinner by Design were all featured. In the article, entitled Chefs for Hire, one client is quoted as saying “It was just fabulous. It was like being at a four-star restaurant in your own dining room.”

Chapter members Vickie Kirlick and Mark Tafoya were elected to the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the USPCA. They are both proud to represent the members of the New York Metro chapter and the membership as a whole to the national organization.

The NY Metro chapter has elected new officers: Jennifer Urda - President, Glenn Burgess - Vice President, Wendy Collett - Secretary, Lia Soscia - PR & Marketing, Mark Tafoya - Webmaster.

December 1, 2006 - Jennifer Urda, Jonathan Taube and Sarah Copeland were featured InTown Westchester magazine in an article about Personal Chefs.

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061110/CUSTOM02/611100306/1282

November 14, 2006 - Mark Tafoya of ReMARKable Palate Personal Chef Service was featured In the Wall Street Journal, on FineLiving’s AskMen.com and on AOL’s homepage as one of YSN.com’s Young and Successful series. AskMen article AOL article

November 1, 2006 - Vickie Kirlick of Traveling Gourmet in River Vale, NJ has recently contracted with Fagor America, Inc. to do demonstrations of their high-quality stainless steel pressure cookers and promote the personal chef industry at Macy’s Herald Square and at Fortunoff’s in New Jersey.

October, 2006 - Jennifer Urda of The Runcible Spoon in Westchster, NY conducted a cooking demo for “Helping Hands” of Westchester to help them raise money to provide much-needed funds to several local organizations that provide services for the poor. Some of the programs they support are: Hope House Food Pantry, Open Door Family Medical Center, Grace Church Soup Kitchen & Empty School Bags.

October 20, 2006 - Vanda Azevedo of Shilloh Personal Chef Service in Westbury, NY is the secretary of the NY Chapter. This year Chef Vanda joined the Williams Sonoma Store in the Roosevelt Field Mall developing recipes to promote W.S. products. Chef Vanda’s services promote a healthy living lifestyle and in support of that focus, Chef Vanda moderated a teleseminar on Health and Energy in October. In addition, Chef Vanda
offers a variety of Asian cooking classes, including the art of making sushi.

September 15, 2006 - Lia Soscia of Home Cooking Consultant Personal Chef Service in Long Island, NY joined the Viking Cooking School at Loaves and Fishes in Garden City, NY as a Chef Instructor for their culinary classes. She is a featured writer for the LongIslandGuide.com with her column “Dinner with Chef Lia” and is a member of the Test Kitchen team at the GildedFork.com. She recently filmed a cooking lesson for a popular TV show on The Learning Channel, scheduled to air in January 2007. Lia serves as Media Director for USPCA NY Metro Chapter.

September 10, 2006 - Sarah Copeland of Sarah Copeland Cuisine has been preparing a variety of delicious, nutritious meals for clients who love to eat but are too busy to cook for themselves. Busy professionals and working families are taking advantage of the free time that this service provides them.

September, 2006 - Wendy Collett of Creative Cuisine By Collett has teamed up with Equinox Gym of Roslyn, New York to help gym members reach their fitness and weight loss goals. Chef Collett works in conjunction with the personal training staff to augment their fine work by providing healthy and delicious meals that are packed with flavor — not calories and fat.

August 30, 2006 - Jonathan Taube of Rocky Rill Foods in White Plains, NY was recently selected as one of Westchester’s Best Personal Chefs by InTown Magazine. In addition, Jonathan recently attained his Certified Personal Chef status from the USPCA. He teaches cooking classes to sold-out crowds at Williams-Sonoma at The Westchester Mall in White Plains.

August 6, 2006 - The USPCA has awarded its annual Excellence in Business Awards at the national conference in St. Louis. Two of our NY Metro chefs were honored. Mark Tafoya was named Marketer of the Year, and Vickie Kirlick of The Traveling Gourmet was awarded the Boiling point 212° award for Personal Chef of the Year! Congratulations to both of them.

July 26, 2006 - Chef Donna Mintz of Basil & Barbells was lauded by Moxxie.com as “The Thigh Whisperer”, and a gal’s secret weapon for helping to stay fit with customized exercise plans as well as help in the kitchen.

Read the entire article at Moxxie

July 2006 - Lia Soscia is a featured writer for the Long Island Guide. Check out her column “Dinner with Chef Lia” on the homepage http://longislandguide.com.

June 15, 2006 - Chef Ryan Brown of Choice Cooking Co. was featured in a Wall Street Journal article about Personal Chefs. The article featured his delivery service!

May 23, 2006 - Chef Mark Tafoya was featured Canada wide on the CBC Radio program Food For Thought. The interview featured his work as a personal chef and his work with the Culinary Podcast Network.

To read more and hear the interview: Food For Thought

March 20, 2006 - Chef Mark Tafoya has created the Culinary Podcast Network, hosted and presented by The Gilded Fork. Bringing together 11 food related podcasts, the CPN is a one stop source for all the best food related talk on the internet, inlcuding Chef Ming Tsai’s Simply Ming Vidcast. In it’s second week, the CPN has jumped to the #2 spot on iTunes Food Podcast listings!

Read more about it at : www.culinarypodcastnetwork.com, or subscribe via iTunes.

March 6, 2006 - Jonathan Taube of Rocky Rill Personal Chef Service was cited in a Hudson Valley Magazine article about Personal Chefs. He was listed as one of the 4 standout chefs in the area for customized personal chef services!

February 1, 2006 - The ReMARKable Palate Podcast was cited in Time Out New York as a notable New York based Food Podcast. “Manhattan-based actor-turned-personal-chef Mark Tafoya combines his two greatest loves, food and performing, in his weekly show that usually runs about a half hour. His episodes have an unpredictable, New Agey vibe: One week it’s an in-depth interview with his neighborhood Greenmarket manager, another week it’s a discussion of Michelin stars or his favorite recipe for broiled salmon.”

Read the entire story here:

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/Details.do?xyurl=xyl://TONYWebArticles1/540/eat_out/sound_bites.xml

January 29, 2006 - NY Metro Chapter featured in the Sunday New York Times! The Long Island Journal section featured photos of Glenn Burgess and Vanda Azevedo, and quoted Cathy Toritto and Mark Tafoya.

Click here to read the full article (expand your browser to full size)

January 26, 2006 - Chef Mark Tafoya of ReMARKable Palate has earned the title of Certified Personal Chef (CPC) by the USPCA. The designation of Certified Personal Chef is the industry’s highest mark of excellence, indicating a recognized endorsement of demonstrated expertise. Personal Chefs honored as CPC’s have earned this designation through education, experience and professionalism. Clients can be assured the Personal Chefs with a CPC designation represent the upper tier within their profession and are committed to excellence.

January 13, 2006 - Chef Glenn Burgess of Supper’s Ready Personal Chef Service has become a contributing writer at the “foodie” website www.sallys-place.com Read his most recent article, “In Praise of Blue M&M’s” here: http://www.sallys-place.com/food/single-articles/blue_mm.htm

January 10, 2006 - The NY Chapter is helping to make Valentine’s Day a little more special for Metro New Yorkers by offering special consultations and Gift Certificates to celebrate this special day of romance. Please see the Chef Directory to find one of our members near you, and we will be happy to craft a special treat for you and your sweetie!

January 5, 2006 - Mark Tafoya has been named Executive Chef of the Test Kitchen for The Gilded Fork, a leading culinary website which celebrates the sensual pleasures of food. Chef Mark will be responsible for recipe development and articles about cuisine from a multicultural perspective.

December 20, 2005 - Jonathan Taube of Rocky Rill Personal Chef Service is now teaching ongoing coooking classes at the Williams-Sonoma store in White Plains.

December 15, 2005 - Bon Appetit magazine touts Mark Tafoya’s ReMARKable Palate Podcast as one of the “early standouts of this nascent medium”.

August 29, 2005 - Chef Mark Tafoya is now the host of a twice a week audio show, The ReMARKable Palate Podcast.  It’s a food and culture show which features cooking tips, recipes, spotlight ingredients, and interviews with purveyors, food producers and other chefs.  You can subscribe, and have the show downloaded directly to your ipod or mp3 player.  The show is linked at the foodblog:  http://remarkablepalate.blogspot.com

August 15, 2005 - NY Personal Chefs Appear on TV! Members of the NY Metro Chapter appeared on WLIW channel 21, the Long Island PBS station, answering phones as part of their regular membership pledge drive on Monday, August 15 from 8-11 PM. The programs was “Summer in Sicily”.

July 25, 2005 - 7 of our members attended the USPCA National conference in Atlanta July 22-25.  Pictured are:  Top Row - Cathy Torritto, Jennifer Urda, Jonathan Taube, Vickie Kirlick, and Glenn Burgess;  Front Row - Mark Tafoya and Vanda Azevedo

May 30, 2005 - Glenn E. Burgess of Supper’s Ready Personal Chef Service, Inc. is doing his part to help the fundraising efforts of the Hagedorn Little Village School - Jack Joel Center for Special Children in Seaford, NY.  At their 14th annual golf tournament on June 6, 2005, held at Tam O’Shanter Club, one lucky auction winner will receive a special four-course dinner for two, which Chef Burgess will prepare in their home.

May 26, 2005 - Mark Tafoya of ReMARKable Palate has teamed with Mersy Productions and StreetLight Pictures to shoot the pilot for a new cooking TV show with an interesting International twist.  The producers will be shopping the pilot to networks, so watch this space for more news soon!

May12, 2005 - Lia Soscia, Owner of Home Cooking Consultant now has a monthly cooking column on http://longislandmag.com/.  Check it out!

May 3, 2005 - Mark Tafoya, President of the NY Metro Chapter, and owner of ReMARKable Palate, was published in the May/June issue of Personal Chef Magazine.  He wrote an in depth article about international cuisines and how Personal Chefs can incorporate them into their service.  He shared several of his Thai and Vietnamese recipes.

April 27, 2005 - Donna Mintz of Basil & Barbells was featured in the May issue of Health Magazine, in an article about personal chefs helping their clients lose weight.

Read the full story here: http://www.health.com/health/article/0%2C23414%2C1047337%2C00.html

April 26, 2005 - Mark Tafoya, owner of ReMARKable Palate, has been named exclusive culinary consultant and demonstration chef for Granoff Caviar, LTD.  “I’m excited to be representing Granoff’s Black Label line at the upcoming National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago May 21-24, demonstrating the many uses of this fine new gourmet product.” says Chef Tafoya.  Granoff is a caviar alternative that is capturing the attention of a growing number of chefs since its introduction at the New York Fancy Foods Show in 2004, where Chef Tafoya created a number of innovative dishes.  An affordable option, this caviar can be used in all of the same ways as traditional caviar. It also has the added benefit of being used with hot foods, unlike caviar. Taste tests place Granoff close to Osetra caviar in flavor and close to Beluga with its buttery texture, with a clean finish and no after-taste.

Read the full story here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb232796.htm

April 26, 2005 - The NY Area USPCA Chefs Drive for Spices to Feed our Troops in Afghanistan - Jennifer Urda, Vice President of the NY Metro Chapter of USPCA and owner of The Runcible Spoon, is heading up our first charitable event: Spices to Feed our Troops. USPCA Chef Pat Day from Houston decided to put her Personal Chef business on hold in order to go to Afghanistan as a chef with Brown and Root, cooking for our troops stationed there.  So we at the NY Chapter have organized a drive to put together a shipment of spices for Pat and her fellow chefs to use to feed our troops. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Jennifer at: RuncibleSpoonPCS@aol.com

Read the full story here:http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb232460.htm

April 10, 2005 - Donna Mintz, owner of Basil & Barbells was featured on National TV!  Business Week Money Talks interviewed Donna for their Personal Business segment.  Donna discussed her business, and explained how a personal chef service works.  The interview ran on ABC on Sunday April 10.

March, 2005 - Donna Mintz, Personal Chef and Owner of Basil & Barbells, was recently interviewed in an article for American Fitness Magazine March/April 2005 “Pots, Pans and Push-Ups”.
The article discusses how Donna’s busines was born out of the idea that healthy is not about being thin.  A healthy diet is not a weight loss program; It is a way of life. By offering personal chef and personal training services, we help our clients achieve their ultimate health goals.

March, 2005 - Glenn Burgess, Personal Chef and Owner of Supper’s Ready Personal Chef Service, Inc. was published in the March ‘05 issue of Personal Chef Magazine.  He wrote a down-to-earth account of the early stages of starting your own Personal Chef business.  Glenn took time to share his thoughts on obstacles and solutions to those obstacles that can keep you on the right track!

March, 2005 - Lia Soscia, Personal Chef and Owner of Home Cooking Consultant was recently interviewed by Chef Educator Today for an upcoming article about career options for culinary students.  She was also welcomed by her local Chamber of Commerce in Bellmore with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony that included local legislator David Denenberg and Assemblywoman Maureen O’Connell.

January, 2005 - Mark Tafoya, Personal Chef and Owner of ReMARKable Palate Personal Chef Service, was interviewed by a camera crew from Yale University for a television show called “Bulldog Profiles”, which features Yale Alums who have chosen unusual career paths.  He spoke about his circuitous route from the Ivy League to teaching French, to Broadway, and on to the Culinary world.

October, 2004 - NYC Personal Chefs Raise Money for HIV/AIDS Education Program
Three Personal Chefs from New York City (Jennifer Urda, Jenny Bloom, and Mark Tafoya) participated in Tasting Beyond Belief, an international food tasting to benefit the HIV/AIDS prevention education organization Living Beyond Belief, in memory of Wayne Fischer. The event, organized by Mark Tafoya of ReMARKable Palate Personal Chef Service, attracted 125 guests and raised $4,000 for the organization. Their event was written up in Personal Chef Magazine, Sept/Oct. 2004.