Due to the pandemic, we’re seeing a lot of creative ideas come out of the woodwork, especially when it comes to dining. Now, the team of Spencer Murray and Tyler Eggleston are bringing the dining experience right to your doorstep. They are doing this by launching “Your Chef” – a personalized in-home food forward dining experience that includes dinner table set up, meal prep, cooking, food and beverage service, and cleanup.
It takes all the best parts of culinary experiences and puts it all into one awesome night without leaving your house.
With so many people staying at home, dining options are limited – especially for people who are not accustomed to cooking. That’s where this duo comes into play – Murray has been in food and beverage for 20 years (casino, hotels, restaurants, country club) and is the head host for the evening. Eggleston grew up cooking and has always had a passion of being a private chef – this is a promising opportunity for both of these food lovers, who also love to host.
It might have taken a pandemic to realize this dream for the business partners, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And with so many people desperate for the pre-pandemic dining experiences, the two felt that this was their window to launch an in-home, customizable meal service.
“Your Chef” is considered a private chef/personalized catering company that travels anywhere in Erie and Cattaraugus Counties.
Why do they do it? “Because we love food. We love people. This is all about creating positive, fun and energetic events focused around making the customer comfortable and just enjoy the time with their family and friends.”
The business is in business to accommodate family dining, or small groups of friends. It’s a (suggested) four-course dinner experience, with plenty of fresh and healthy options, and beverage pairings for those that want to partake. All of the courses come with plenty of options, which can be mixed and matched (see here).
“We’ve been getting great feedback,” said Murray, who told me that this is a passion play for the two. “I’ve been in food and beverage my whole life – now I won’t have to worry about cooks not showing up to work, or patio season being over… it’s all about the experience now. Everything I do is food-based. We suggest the four course meal, but we can work with the customers ‘wants and needs.’ We can do less food and more wine, work with hard-to-please palates, and dietary restrictions. The meal include base wines (or other drinks), though we can escalate the experience for those that want to go in that direction. We want to work with our customers, to go above and beyond what they would ever expect.”
Yes, this is one of the directions that the dining industry is going, in certain aspects. We’re going to start to see these types of at-home dining experiences becoming more standard and relevant. And why not? These types of at-home restaurant-style dining options have launched in other cities, with great success. Now, we’re starting to see it in Buffalo… brought on quicker due to the pandemic and the resulting social distancing protocols.
Luncheons are also an option
Murray and Eggleston wear masks throughout the production, and even have a “heat gun” to check their own temperatures, and that of the guests if required