How would you like to come home to blue cheese lasagna with spicy Italian sausage and button mushrooms, with baked bread and a strawberry/blood orange salad with strawberry balsamic dressing – and not have to prepare it?

We had the good fortune to meet and try the food of local personal chef Robert McMahan this past week in our offices. Bob contacted me to tell me about his service, one that has been quickly gone from a service for the wealthy to being used by working families and singles.

Bob and his wife moved to Baldwin County to be near their grandchildren. The name of his business is the Silver Spoon (www.thesilverspoonchef.com) and he has clients all over both counties. He has over 28 years of experience, and has lived in Japan, Korea, Germany and Italy. And his menus are more than meatloaf.

McMahan has over 300 recipes for his clients to choose from. You begin by sitting down with him and completing a questionnaire that documents food you never want to see, what ethnic foods you like, how spicy you want food to be, allergies, etc. He works with you as part of the deal on calories you may want, or low salt, low fat. But it is a slight bit more for a consult to develop special meals for diabetics, heart patients – anyone with special needs.

Pricing may vary depending on certain factors – like an extra person per meal. For example to prepare four portions of five entrees plus sides is $360 for one person for four weeks, two people for two weeks or four people for one week). That includes groceries, preparation, packaging and clean up. Special diets or weekly service is $300 plus the cost of groceries.

He told us his portions are large, and oftentimes his clients say they take leftovers for lunch. So think you would have 10 days of dinners plus some lunches for two people over two weeks are not a bad price. And, he is a great cook.

What happens after you create the menu? He comes into your kitchen for five to six hours and prepares all the meals, packages and labels them with heating instructions and places them either in the freezer or refrigerator. Bob then “leaves your kitchen cleaner than I found it.” He brings all of his own equipment to use in preparation as well. Health codes require he cook in your kitchen. You reserve a cook date and secure that with payment at least three days ahead of time.

Here is a sample of one of his meals:

Filet Mignon served in Early Times Bourbon with sprinkles of blue cheese served with fresh herb-flavored Lemon Green Beans and Tarragon Potatoes with gruyere cheese and a roasted red pepper cream sauce. Or the lasagna we ate that was quickly devoured, served with fresh lemon basil pesto with pecans on foccacia (that we all fought over) and a mixed green salad with roasted peppers and balsamic vinegar.

If you have kids, he can also prepare some good cookies, but tries to stay away from desserts as a rule. I might try it out, my birthday is coming up soon and it would be nice to have two, or what I could stretch out to be more, weeks of meals. He can be reached at 964-8234.

Bay Area Food Bank Chef’s Challenge

I am making plans to attend this year, as I have had conflicts in previous years. This will be held on May 1 at the Convention Center from 6-8:30 p.m. Guests will have an opportunity to taste the creations of Naman’s Catering, Tyner’s Catering, Wintzell’s, The Original Oyster House, Bienville Club, Zea, Macaroni Grill, Blue Bell, Bilotti’s, Sonny’s, Saucy Q, Greer’s Fairhope Market, Budweiser, Wings, Pepsi and Atlanta Bread.

There will be live jazz; tickets are $35 per person or $350 for a table of ten. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling Anita at 653-1617 or at the door.

Coffee is a two-way street

Royal Street is getting coffee, right next to the Compass Bank building – no lease has been signed but negotiations are underway. Named Serda’s Coffee, John Serda has two other sites in mind should this one not come to fruition. John began his coffee entrepreneurship while on a study abroad program in Costa Rica and opened up an Internet café while there with a friend.

Today he has one store in Tillman’s Corner. Downtown, he will be serving coffee, tea, ice cream, paninis and wraps, smoothies, beer and wine. The paninis and wraps alone sound like a welcome tasty addition to downtown. He is committed to helping out the local music scene, and plays and sells local music in his stores. He plans at first, to see how it goes, opening Monday through Thursday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and until 11 Friday and Saturday’s.

Please listen here – many, many of us have desired a true, local coffee shop on this side of Government. No matter where he locates downtown, those of us who work and live down here must support it. I for one plan to camp out on Saturday mornings to read the paper and drink copious amounts of coffee. Check out his site at serdascoffee.com

Later Loretta’s

Loretta’s in LoDa is no more. The restaurant has closed and the space is for lease.

Just asking…

What well-established local restaurant has many people whispering that it is headed downhill? Friends recently took out-of-town guests early on a Saturday evening to find almost everything on the menu was not available. Let’s hope it was just a bad, one-time experience.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

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