We chatted with Paula Morris from Happy Home Chef:
Tell us about Happy Home Chef
I’ve been a chef for over 18 years but Happy Home Chef was born 2.5 years ago. Whenever friends would come to my house to eat they would leave with takeaways of the leftovers. They wanted my food so I started making them weekly meals. Then their workmates wanted meals and soon enough I was making 100 meals every Monday!
I rented a shared kitchen at Wandering Cooks in Southbank and my business took a new direction after around 6 months as a lot of people wanted me to cook at their house due to food allergies. We now go into 100’s of home kitchens in Brisbane and surrounds and cook anything from 25-100 meals, that are all freezable, nutritious and delicious! We can cater to all dietary requirements and can make even the fussiest person drool over our food!
What happens after you make a booking?
Once you make a booking we order you shop online or give you a shopping list if you like to do your own shop. The shopping is delivered the day before we come. We arrive with all the necessary equipment, cook up a storm, package the food, label the food and then clean your kitchen!
What dishes do you offer?
We offer over 100 homemade dishes on our menu from all around the globe.
What’s your most popular dish?
Our most popular dishes are yummy curries, sausage rolls and warming English and Irish slow-cooked stews.
What are some of the other products you sell?
We also have a snack and dessert item menu!
What special dietary requirements do you cater for?
We cater for all dietary requirements ranging from keto, LCHF, DF, GF, nut-free, FODMAP, vegan and so on.
Tell us about your services for N.D.I.S participants?
We are registered with the NDIS so anybody that is a participant can use our services. You book the cook, we issue an invoice on the day and the NDIS pay- It’s that simple!
Can you describe a typical day?
My fellow chef Danny and I wake up at 5.15 am and go to our local ‘live life get active boot camp’ in Hamilton Reach. After our exercise, we make a yummy breakfast, coffee, shower and head to our first booking. We cook anything from 25-100 meals and up to 150 snacks and then clean down, quick wash and change and head to your second/last booking of the day! Once we are home we cook our own fresh meal- yes we LOVE cooking for ourselves too!
What do you love most about what you do?
I have been a chef since I was 16 and I’m now 38. I have always loved to cook and love how much people enjoy my food and how much time it gives them back with their family and things they enjoy! I also love how shocked people are when they see how fast we are at cooking up 100 meals!
Who or what inspires you?
My nan always inspired me. When I grew up I loved her cooking and the smells in her house. There was not much money for food, but whatever my nan, made no matter what the cut of meat it was always tasty and the dish was always full of seasonal vegetables. Her beef stew ‘scouse’ dish is actually on my menu and people love it!
Do you have any predictions for the food industry?
With the corona virus looming I think the hospitality industry will suffer a big hit, but Uber Eats and takeaways may be able to keep the small restaurants afloat during this hard time. As long as the shops and markets stock up with fresh veggies and meat, I don’t think my business will suffer much. There is always a way to improvise with ingredients!
Do you have any plans for the future?
My plans for the future are to live a healthy, happy life with a good work-life balance – and hopefully have a healthy baby this year as unfortunately, we lost our little girl ‘Angel’ at 6 months in October last year.
About Happy Home Chef
Paula Morris is a qualified chef of 18 years and runs Happy Home Chef. She goes into people’s homes and cooks meals for the family, filling their freezer and fridge up for weeks/months ahead. She has been running for over 2 years and is registered with the NDIS so she can help Brisbane disabled community as well as people without disabilities.
Website: https://www.happyhomechef.com.au/
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