Frequently Asked Questions

I love food and I love to cook.  I don’t necessarily have a signature dish, at least I don’t think I do, rather I do have many, many favorites.  Regardless of what dish it is that i’m making I always treat it like it’s my favorite.  But it is hard to pick just one because there are so many factors like the season, the weather outside or just my current mood and craving that determines what i’m going to cook.  With that said, I do love grilling and comfort foods are definitely what I lean towards the most.

My first official job in a restaurant came about when I was 14 yrs old, I was washing dishes in a pizza shop.  My culinary career really took off around 2001.  I have been cooking professionally for a little over 15 years and privately for a little over a year now.

Most people tend to confuse the job description of a personal and private chef.  The main difference is a private chef will cook for one family exclusively.  A personal chef on the other hand will cook for multiple families each week, usually cooking in each of those families homes or alternatively delivering fresh pre-made meals to those families.  In both instances, the goal to make your life easier is the same.  The menu is custom designed based on the clients’ particular requests and specific needs if any.  The chef does the menu planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning up after themselves when they are done, you get to relax, eat and enjoy!

The first step will be to have a conversation about your needs and why you are seeking help.  I will have you fill out a detailed questionnaire so that we have a tight overview of your preferences, how you want to eat and what you want to eat, likes, dislikes, allergies and medical issues that may affect the way you eat.  From our discussions we will come up with a menu to suit your needs.  Once you’ve approved the menu, we’ll set a cook date and time, I’ll do the grocery shopping and bring any additional equipment needed and cook.  You will get to sit back and relax and enjoy the aromas of home cooking.

What sets us apart is our attention to detail and strong work ethic, going above and beyond to exceed every one of your expectations.  We will customize a menu or event around your tastes which may involve a special theme or type of cuisine or just a menu set around one specific dish.  Whatever the case, all of our menus will capture the freshness and flavors of the season to the delight of your family and your taste buds.

All meals will be prepared in your kitchen.  I will bring any additional equipment and tools that you may not have and all you need to have is a working stove, oven, refrigerator and freezer.  The time we set to cook will be determined by how extensive your menu is, which will also determine the length of time I will be in your kitchen.  Typically this may take anywhere from 3-6 hours from start to finish after clean up.

This is up to the clients discretion along with the timing of meal schedule.  You do not need to be home when I cook as long as appropriate arrangements are made in advance for me to gain access to your home.

I do all of the shopping.  Depending on the scheduling of the meal prep I will either do the shopping on the day before or day of cooking.  The cost of these groceries will be added on as an addition of the chef service per our prior agreement.

This too is up to the discretion of the client.  I will use and maintain the equipment you already have, if you do not have something that I need I will bring my own equipment.  If we are doing cooking lessons with the purpose of you taking what you learn to cook more for yourself at home then I can suggest quality equipment and brands so that you aren’t out spending money constantly replacing items.

I use a variety of containers to package the food depending on whether it’s to be chilled in fridge or frozen, or to be heated in a microwave or just stored.  This too can be a client preference, and we will discuss at the consultation.  Meals can be packaged as single servings or family sized. Other packaging options are available if you choose to invest in reusable containers and I will make suggestions as needed.

We will go over all of this in our initial consultation.  I will customize the menu to meet your tastes and dietary requirements. I have a diverse background in a variety of cuisines from around the world and cooking styles; healthy cooked meals, vegetarian and vegan.

Depending on how extensive the menu will determine how much payment will be made in advance, that amount will not be less than the amount for the services once the cook date has been set.  As the cost of food is variable and separate from the cost of services that amount will be finalized the day of cooking.  If the cook date is cancelled 3 days or less before the scheduled date, the chef fee is non-refundable.  If a deposit has been made on estimated food costs that money will be returned.  Rescheduling will be based on date openings and at the discretion of Chef Wildman.

Yes, gift certificates are available for all services with the exception of the the restaurant and private chef consulting.  Gift certificates are a great way to surprise someone with cooking lessons, a romantic dinner for two, small party or just towards a weekly meal package.

Bird Valley Foodstuff, LLC is a condiment company created by Jacob Wildman in 2015.  Bird Valley will be launching it’s first product, “Central Coast Spice Blend” in the summer of 2016.  The spice blend is a nod to the barbecue flavors of my childhood when we would eat what is popularly known now as “Santa Maria bbq”.

Bird Valley is a nod to the “Pajaro Valley” where I was raised and the lush agricultural history of the area.  Pajaro (PAH-hah-roh) is spanish for Bird.  The “California Quail” represents many things.  First it has the honor of being the state bird of California since 1931.  Second has to be it’s good looks, the California Quail is a handsome, plump, ball of a bird with a rich gray breast, intricately scaled underparts, a forward-drooping head plume and is just a little smaller than a pigeon with a black bib with a white stripe under the beak.  Thirdly is their daily activities, California Quail spend most of their time on the ground, walking and scratching in search of food.   Lastly, quail is just as delicious on the plate as cool as it is in the wild.