Appetitbyalisa

How many good things can I condense into one review about Chef Alisa and her husband, Alex? I reached out to Alisa by simply searching for a 'private/personal chef' on Google. She was one of the first few chefs in the Houston area that popped up on my screen and I decided to do some more "research;" and by "research," I mean I searched for her on social media platforms to see pictures of her dishes before contacting her...Come on, we're all guilty of it. lol To my pleasant surprise, Chef Alisa was one of the winners on The Food Network's "Supermarket Stakeout" which I thought was a pretty cool thing to have on her resume. :) So of course, naturally, I contacted her to check out her prices and menu. Now, by no means am I accustomed to having a personal chef in our home, but to celebrate a special occasion, I thought it would be a fun experience and a great "date night" for my husband and I. My review is strictly based off of my first experience having a chef come to my home to cook for me and the communication between Chef Alisa and I throughout the whole process. From the very beginning of getting into contact with Chef Alisa, she was extremely prompt in her e-mail responses and very transparent about her rate and any additional costs. After reviewing other chefs in Houston, I decided that I wanted Chef Alisa as our private chef to celebrate a special occasion with my husband, and after that, she sent me a menu with several delicious selections for each course (i.e., appetizer, salad, main dishes, desserts). I think choosing just one option from each course was the hardest part about this whole process, I wanted to try them all.During the selection process, I e-mailed Alisa back and forth a few times asking if I could make small changes here and there (e.g., sub an appetizer, or add a protein), and each time I heard back from her, she was timely in her responses and tactfully offered her professional recommendations. What I liked about Chef Alisa was that she was helpful and respected any accommodations or changes I wanted to make to the final menu. To give you an idea of some of the changes, I asked for, Chef Alisa recommended an appetizer, a salad, main dish and dessert; whereas, my husband doesn't like salad, so I asked if we could have two hot appetizers instead. Chef Alisa was accommodating and made two hot appetizers for us to replace the salad and added a protein to one of the dishes she normally serves as a main entree. While at the store, she even accommodated when I wanted her to change one of the proteins (last minute). Her ability to be flexible and accommodate her clients made her really pleasant to work with. After making my selections, I had to pay 50% of the total cost to Alisa to secure the date and then on the day of, I would pay the rest as well as any additional costs (e.g., groceries). Additionally, Alisa asked for a picture of my kitchen so that she could work her way around the kitchen with ease on the day of her arrival.On the day of, Alisa and her husband Alex (her "sous chef") came over about 3 hours before I wanted our meal served (appetizers by 6:15pm), and she started to cook up a storm as if my kitchen was her kitchen all along. I got to know them as a couple while she was cooking and Alex was prepping and it really felt like I was just chatting with friends. They're a really sociable couple and Alisa's food turned out amazing. The entire meal was served perfectly well-timed, and they were attentive to our needs. The icing on the cake was that there were no dishes for me to do at the end of the night! They left our kitchen cleaner than it was before they came over. :) If you're looking for a fun date night or even a get-together with friends, hiring Chef Alisa for a special occasion will be a treat.

Alisa G. and her team helped me host a wonderful 12-person birthday dinner celebration for my wife. She made my first private chef experience fantastic and, because of that, it will not be my last. She presented, at our request, a Mediterranean-themed dinner with appetizer, entree with side, and desert. Every dish she served was delicious and her team took exceptional care of us and our guests. It was all very much appreciated. I highly recommend Alisa G and look forward to using her services the next time an opportunity arises.

Chef Alisa went above & beyond all expectations! Exceptional service & phenomenal food.We hired her private chef services for our wedding anniversary and the entire process was seamless from start to finish. She was very accommodating for allergies and any additional needs to make sure we were all aligned with our dinner menu. When she arrived at our home she got started right away and was super friendly/attentive throughout the whole night. Now for the food, my goodness! Everything was plated beautifully and tasted amazing. We still can't get over how delicious each dish was (we were literally speechless during our meal). I HIGHLY recommend hiring Chef Alisa for any special occasion or as a treat yourself!

My wife and I have been using Alisa's weekly meal service and it has been terrific! We wanted to lose some weight while eating healthy, fresh, and tasty meals. Alisa creates a new menu each week (we can review and make changes) and then delivers the meals each week. The meals taste great and are super healthy. She does the planning, shopping, & cooking, and we just do the eating. I have lost 5 pounds so far after just two weeks!

Alisa makes phenomenal food. She put a lot of thought into every dish she makes. Her food excites the palate. Nothing lacks from any dish - everything from her savory dishes to her delectable desserts they are each perfectly balanced with taste and presentation.

I recently took a cooking class taught by Alisa. I wanted to let you all know that it was a wonderful class. I had such a good time and learned at the same time. Alisa is extremely knowledgeable so it was lovely talking with her and learning the history behind the entrees. I will certainly consider taking more classes from her. Thanks Alisa!!