~ Personal Chef of the Year ~
2004 - 2005

It is with great pride that we announce the Golden Whisk Award™ winner for ~Personal Chef of the Year~ at Personal Chefs Network. This award was voted upon by the membership at Personal Chefs Network and the Network Advisory Council. The Personal Chef of the Year exemplifies everything our organization stands for; personifying what each of us strives for.

We are honored to bestow our Personal Chef of the Year Award to:

Personal Chef Laura Whalen
CPPC - Educational Coordinator
Chef/Owner
Thyme to Savor Personal Chef Service

Chef Laura Whalen grew up in the Buffalo, New York area – but spent every summer in Western Pennsylvania with her Grandparents. Plucking still-warm eggs from the chicken’s nests and pulling carrots from her maternal Grandmother’s kitchen garden gave this chef an early appreciation for the freshest and most wholesome ingredients. Growing up in a large family, with a Mom that had a flair for delicious meals increased Laura’s knowledge of cooking and love of food.

After attending both a local community college for culinary courses and SUNY Buffalo for a BS in Business – Laura joined the business world. Working for a variety of companies Laura sharpened her skills and had the opportunity to view business world from many different angles. But her favorite job was working for local gourmet retailer as a Manager and barista!

During these years Laura was happily experimenting with new recipes that her family enjoyed – her husband, Jim and son, Patrick are her toughest critics! While friends were reading novels, Laura was studying the Grand Diplôme series of cookbooks and trying new methods of cooking.

Relocation to the Boston, MA area and a subsequent workforce reduction at her high-tech company gave Laura the feeling that the ‘universe’ was telling her something. After several months of research she decided to finally pursue her true passion, and become a Personal Chef, joining Personal Chefs Network® in August 2001.

Joining Personal Chefs Network (PCN) was one of the most important changes in Laura’s life; she quickly became involved in starting a PCN Chapter in the New England area. Laura attended Boston University’s Personal and Private Chef Program and became certified in 2002.

With a move back to the Western New York area, Laura was challenged to begin her business anew and is happily cooking for many busy, hungry families in the area. She also enjoys cooking for dinner parties and teaching cooking classes in her client’s homes.

Chef Laura is currently completing her Nutritional Consulting coursework and plans to expand her Personal Chef business to include information and guidance on helping those who struggle with the balance of ‘happy eating and healthy eating’. She believes that delicious food can be the basis for a very healthy life.

She is a proud member of The Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty, a fourteen County-wide initiative dedicated to establishing links between local agricultural producers, wineries, and area restaurants and chefs, for promotion of the entire Finger Lakes Region in Central New York.

In her spare time, Laura enjoys cross-country skiing, flower and herb gardening, catching up on reading Fine Cooking Magazine and experimenting with new recipes.

http://www.thymetosavorhealth.com/
thymetosavor2002@yahoo.com

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