APCA News June 2001 Members Profile

Member Profile-The "Dynamic Duo" of the Forums
by Christina Phipps

One night, four years ago just outstide of Boston,
a girl and a guy both went to their favorite barbecue
place - Red Bones - to enjoy southern barbecue and
drink microbrewed beer. Little did they know that their
chance meeting that night would shine in their life and
would lead to many "A Fresh Endeavor" together!

Christine Robinson, who moved around the world with her military family, was always taught to try and taste new foods. One thing she knew she loved was Red Bones' barbecue and microbrewed fruit beer. Dennis Nosko, an executive chef in the Boston area, also loved microbrewed fruit beer and especially the greens at his favorite barbecue place. They spotted each other from across the bar - and their mutual love of fine food and beer brought them together.

Two years later, their love of food spurred them on to order the APCA training materials and set out on planning a business together. But, it wasn't until after a lot of research, discussion and planning that they decided to take the plunge. Dennis found out about the APCA in a related forum - asking all the right questions - Are you tired of the long hours? Tired of no time with your family? Yes, he was, and he and Christine wanted some time together to do what they enjoyed.

Dennis actually monitored the APCA open forums for quite some time - as many of us do. He stayed behind the scenes and just watched and listened for a few months. He thought to himself - what is wrong with this picture? It really sounded too good to be true. He finally sat down down and laid out the pros and cons - and to his surprise - the cons were really limited and he thought out loud, "My God, this thing might work!"

Christine was unhappy with the drudgery of an office setting. She was working in student financial aid and found herself frustrated and fed up with the politics. Dennis wanted his life back. Being an executive chef and working 10-14 hour days left no time for his family. They both craved independence and really wanted to make their own rules. They needed to find a balance between family and work and life in general - and could tell that a career as personal chefs had the potential to provide them with that perfect balance. Dennis also really wanted to get in on the beginning of something big.

The dynamic duo started with the basic plan to work together on all cook dates and take it slow at first. They chose the name "A Fresh Endeavor" because they wanted "fresh" in the title and chose "endeavor" because they wanted to be sure that their name didn't limit them and could translate into other areas. Their marketing campaign consisted of brightly colored flyers with pulltabs that they posted almost everywhere. When they first started, they took day-long family field trips up the coast to blanket local communities with flyers and kept a note of which locations brought in the most clients.

Dennis continued working as an executive chef, at first, until they could get their business up and running. And then, a private chef position came open that allowed him to leave the restaurant and fit in more personal chef clients. The menus at "A Fresh Endeavor" started with the classics and basic foods you would find in restaurants but were soon modified and fine-tuned - especially since the first three calls they received were for special dietary needs.

Along with that, the Boston area presents quite a few "ethnic pockets" to serve and Dennis and Christine stop at nothing to make each of their meals as authentic as possible. They shop at local specialty markets for authentic Asian, Indian and other spices in order to prepare what their client base demands. They now specialize in a number of International cuisines, while still offering the classics and comfort foods. Dennis learned in culinary school that "taste memory" is a big thing.   He says, people remember tastes from when they are young - and they want to relive that memory. So, "A Fresh Endeavor" delivers.

Christine and Dennis found that two heads - and four hands - work better than one - but also found that they could cover more ground - and serve more clients - by working apart. They still go to some client assessments together and some cookdates. And, the help that they give each other with advice and providing one another a sounding board is invaluable.

The whole focus of their business actually evolved with each client they acquired. Now they compare the way that they do business to a doctor's office where the clients call and fill up a schedule. They have a big wall calendar that they post all of their cookdates and appointments.   Some of their clients they can set a clock by - but many are just once or twice a month and others are just once. They like the way it works for them and they are able to service more clients. They have about 25-35 clients now and their goal is to always get more cookdates.

But even with a large client base as that - they take the word personal in personal chef to another level.   It is awe inspiring the level of care and quality that they put into their clients and the menus that they create and prepare for them. They even have recipes that they make exclusively for one client or another.

With them pairing up the load, there are some clients that Dennis exclusively cooks for, some that Christine only handles, and some that they go 50/50 on. One of Christine's clients said to her recently, "The happiest day of my life is when I found you. No one takes care of me but you." This particular client who has been with them since the start just gave Christine her mom's special sauce recipe. It was an honor - and she returned the favor by preparing it just right. "Those are the things that make it worth it," Christine said.

Dennis has had extensive experience in the cooking world with two culinary Degrees and a number of executive chef positions.   He has taught Christine a lot over the years, but Christine has taught him things too. "Christine has delved into areas I didn't go as a chef in the restaurant business," he said. She has really put her focus into health-oriented, vegetarian and natural products.

Being big fans of the theatre and movies has worked for them in this business since they are often forced to improvise and think and "act' on their toes. Dennis and Christine enjoy comedies, action and science fiction movies most. They also enjoy going out to eat with friends, going into Boston to shop in the communities and taking long walks together.

The flexibility of owning their own business has afforded the two of them to take time for each other and Dennis' two teenage sons. Now that they make their own rules, they can drop everything on a Friday night and drive up to their favorite Chowder house in Portland, Maine to enjoy a meal together and stay the night. They also enjoy getting together with friends for big name boxing matches where they taste and rate microbrewed beers as they cheer on their favorite contender.
See the profiled members' website
Related Story: Check out last July's Christian Science Monitor article.