FoodbytheChef

Food By The Chef is a concept dining experience where chef George Cooper cooks for you in your own home / accommodation – a private, fully waited, dining service aimed at providing a restaurant quality dining experience for your dinner party, family get together, corporate event and even weddings. We recently experienced the culinary delights of Foodbythechef, when my husband and I invited four of our close friends to a dinner party where George and partner Kayleigh gave us a dining experience we won’t forget in a hurry.
Everything was supplied – the crockery, napkins, cutlery and all their specialist cooking equipment. I didn’t even have to set the table. George and Kayleigh work as a team to turn your home into your very own chef’s table. With each course comes George’s insight into the evolution of the dish and the significance behind the flavours, and an explanation of how each ingredient has made its way onto the plate. They do everything from setting the table through to cleaning up afterwards, including taking away the rubbish (gotta love that). George and Kayleigh arrived at about 6pm, fully equipped. All we needed to supply was our own wine and glassware but they can supply glassware at an additional cost. While Foodbythechef is not licensed, George can advise you on local wine matching with the various dishes, encouraging you to visit the local wineries and taste / collect the wines before your event. Homemade bread was served with butter, also made by George.
Our first course was a delight – Esperance scallops, house bacon, broad beans, lemon, yoghurt, zucchini. The scallops were delectably sweet while the bacon added texture and flavour, with the additional ingredients coming together for an explosion of flavours. He explained how everything was made from scratch and not pre bought, the yoghurt included. George creates a menu using fresh, home grown, local ingredients using their extensive kitchen garden. It’s not about going to a supermarket, he said, but using fresh, in-season local produce. They work on a “No Menu” concept which means the diners won’t know what they are going to eat until the night – this allows them to create the freshest possible food using ingredients picked just hours before the event. dietary requirements are of course catered for.

George’s food reflects his Michelin background and he adds his own molecular gastronomy twist in a rather unique and exciting way. Another dish on the night was soft cooked local pork, native plum “sweet & sour”, Geographe Bay squid and wild fennel. The slow cooked pork was tender and the fennel was a marriage made in heaven. I couldn’t wait to taste the next mouthful. The dish also included local foraged herbs which was an enlightening touch. George’s passion for cooking is evident in the way he expertly cooks and plates up the food, and also in the way he explains the cooking techniques used. Our particular evening consisted of a seven course degustation, costing $195 per head, however packages start from as little as $75 per head.
While there are so many occasions where this service would be ideal, people on holidays in the South West often take advantage of it. To have a gathering where you can relax, have a few drinks over a fine dinner, not have to worry about babysitting or transport, and with no shopping, preparation or cleaning up afterwards to do, Foodbythechef is a definite yes for me. We found it was more than just a delicious meal – it was an exciting culinary experience, one for the foodie, and one of those evenings we will be talking about for years to come. Watch out Perth people as Foodbythechef is about to do a Perth series too.