I like to use fresh herbs whenever possible and I grow many of my own, but I have a strong feeling that I can't use my own from home as part of my take-along pantry items when cooking for clients. If I only need a couple of T. of a chopped herb it seems silly to buy a whole bunch at the store. What do many of you do? Substitute dried herbs? Buy the bunch and take the rest home for personal use? Leave with the client? This is just one of many questions that have come to mind as I plan my business as a personal chef.
Great question! No, you should never snip from your own herb garden.
Having to buy a whole package of herbs falls into the same category as having to buy a whole or a half dozen eggs when you only need one egg, or a carton of half-and-half if you only need a 1/2 cup. If you decide to price "all-inclusive" (one price includes both your cooking fee and the groceries), you may take the remainder home with you. If you are "fee plus" (your cooking fee and the client reimburses you for the cost of the groceries), technically, the client owns the groceries. Just check with the client and if the herbs are just going to rot in their refrigerator, they'll probably be more than happy you take them home and use as you wish. (Very few of our clients ever have the time to cook for themselves.)
You can always try to gear your recipes to not include fresh herbs, but I realize that's kind of boring. If the client allows you to select their menus, you can always try to use up a package of tarragon in two different dishes. Most of the time when I purchase a package of fresh herbs, the quantity is so small that I'm able to use most of it in exactly what I bought the herbs for.
I've also been very fortunate many times that I've had a number of clients who grow their own herbs and specifically request that I DO NOT buy certain herbs, because they want to see their own stuff used (in fact, two this week!).
Hope this helps!! Hope to see you on the "inside" soon!
Thanks, Carol. You know, I hadn't even thought about something so obvious as eggs! I'm glad you brought it up. This is one of the reasons I think joining the APCA is well worth it -- there are too many little things someone new at this can overlook that I'm sure are all covered in the materials, plus the fact that answers to questions are pretty much only a "click" away. So I hope to be on the "inside" by the end of the year!
