Centre County personal chef expands services with grazing boxes featuring local items

For Amanda Cruz, cooking and hosting has always been a creative outlet and a way to bring joy to others, but she never had the intention of turning the passion into a business. Then, while teaching at Centre County Christian Academy in Bellefonte, she began offering in-home, personal chef services for a small selection of clients.

“Originally, I saw an ad from someone on Craigslist, looking for someone to cook for their family, and that’s how I ended up with my first client. I saw the ad and thought, ‘I can totally do that.’ It became a thing I really enjoyed. ... It was a great creative outlet,” Cruz said.

For three years, she worked as a personal chef for clients in their homes a few nights each week, in addition to teaching. The business was “just a hobby,” she said, something to do on the side for fun and supplemental income.

But as she received more and more referrals and more families joined The Gourmet Girl Personal Chef Service waitlist, she had to make a choice.

Nine years ago, she went full time with the business and left teaching.

Typically, Cruz meets with a client for a consultation session, then provides weekly menus, after which her team completes all the grocery shopping for all the meals Cruz will be cooking for clients throughout the week. However, with the need for social distancing precautions this year, she’s adjusted her business to continue to serve clients safely.

“This last year has been different. With COVID, we transitioned out of cooking in clients’ homes, after a little time off in March,” she said. “I began renting commercial kitchen space and we’re now offering doorstep delivery for our clients.”

The change in pace, however, has allowed Cruz to focus additional attention on a project that’s proved extremely popular, allowing The Gourmet Girl business to grow in an unprecedented way.

“In the midst of it all, I had time in my schedule to give the grazing boxes a try,” Cruz said. “It really took off right away.”

The Gourmet Girl grazing boxes are Cruz’s version of a culinary trend that’s popped up on social media and at events over the last few years. Grazing boards often offer an array of cheeses, charcuterie, fruits, nuts and other small bites, for an upscale snacking experience. Cruz packages that experience into an array of boxes that customers can enjoy as a family, as part of a unique date night or at a socially distanced gathering.

“I was already interested in adding (grazing boards) to hosting and events, but what I found with COVID is that we’re not hosting events right now, typically, or I wasn’t, and a lot of the things I planned for the summer, like themed dinner parties for clients, weren’t happening,” Cruz said. “(The grazing boxes are) a way to be creative and do something fun, when people are looking for ideas for date nights or ladies nights, backyard things, staying home or going out to a winery and social distancing.”

Each week, she said they try to put something new and different in the boxes.

“I’ve had a lot of repeat orders, so we try to make it so that each time there’s something new and exciting. I’m always on the lookout for new products just to keep it fun,” Cruz said. “We’ve also been able to feature some local things in our boxes, different berries from some of the local farms ... we’re on the lookout for local businesses to work with for the boxes, and for each ingredient to really be something special. No filler things. We want it all to be great.”

So far, the most popular Gourmet Girl grazing box is the Classic Graze, which serves four to six people for light snacking or two people for a full meal. Each Classic Graze box includes gourmet cheeses, charcuterie, crudités, fresh fruit, artisan crackers, some salty and sweet additions like olives or dried fruits and an additional surprise item such as a seasonal jam or jelly. Cruz plans to offer seasonal box variations as well, such as an upcoming box that celebrates peach season. The Burrata Box is likewise a special summer offering that Cruz says has been popular.

Each week, The Gourmet Girl takes box orders for Friday pick up until Wednesday night at midnight. Boxes can be then be picked up at either J.L. Farm & Cidery or Happy Valley Winery, depending on the week.

“I really like the fact we’ve been able to partner with these businesses, and ... of course it’s incredibly generous of them to host us. They want to succeed, but also help other businesses in the process, which is amazing,” Cruz said.

Grazing boxes and boards can be purchased at gourmetgirlpersonalchef.com and start at $25 for the Mini Graze box.

“I’ve always loved taking care of people through food and bringing happiness to them. For me and my family, growing up, food was a way we showed we loved each other,” Cruz said. “The grazing box is bringing a spark of joy to people ... and giving them a moment of delight in the midst of chaos.”