Eating healthy can be challenging. Menu planning, grocery shopping and preparing the ingredients – all before even beginning to cook – requires time that many busy families don’t have. Even healthy shoppers see groceries go bad before finding the time to use them, leading them to skip a healthy home-cooked meal and reach for a quick fix instead.
Palisadian chef Lisa Weintraub has a solution. A personal chef with a commitment to organic, sustainable cooking, Weintraub offers her clients a way to skip the hassle without skipping the nutrition.
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
Perusing through the tables and tents at local farmer’s markets, Weintraub selects the day’s freshest harvest from farmers and growers she trusts. Among the fresh-cut flowers, produce and herbs, she is shopping for raw ingredients she’ll whip into an organic turkey curry burger and Indian-spiced asparagus that promise to look good, taste good – and help her clients feel good.
“Words like ‘organic’ and ‘sustainable’ are very trendy right now, but my hope is to work with my clients to make it a lifestyle choice, not just a trend,” Weintraub said. “When you’re eating organic produce and ethically raised livestock, you can feel the difference. It’s important to be educated about what you’re putting into your body.”
After carefully selecting her ingredients, Weintraub does all the prep work in her kitchen in West Hollywood. Each meal is packaged and labeled with reheating instructions before being delivered to her clients at a scheduled drop-off time. The meals arrive ready to be heated and served.
Taking into account individual tastes and dietary needs, Weintraub provides a variety of flavorful cuisine from around the world she hopes will encourage her clients to expand their palate.
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
“I’ll cook anything and everything my clients request, but I really love introducing my clients to new flavors and cuisines. It’s important to try new things and develop a well-rounded palate,” Weintraub said. “Diversity is as important in life as it is in food.”
A graduate of University of Miami, the young entrepreneur takes her culinary influence from her travels abroad, pulling flavors from Spanish tapas, Indian curries and Italian spices to create what she calls an “organic fusion” customizable for every taste.
“My food is very much influenced by my travels. The world has so many flavors and unique ingredients to offer and I try to incorporate those as much as possible,” she said. “Everyone has an art form. For some it’s photography or dance; my passion has always been food and flavor. That’s my form of art.”
Weintraub, who grew up in the Alphabet Streets, studied entrepreneurship and marketing and is in the process of opening her own restaurant. But until she finds four walls to serve up her menu, she’s dedicated to bringing her culinary flair directly to her clients.
“Whether I’m creating food in my restaurant or in your kitchen, I want people to be eating healthy, organic meals. When food becomes less about the stress of preparation and more about having the freedom to enjoy each bite, I’ve done my job,” she said.
Plates by Lisa website coming soon. Lisa Weintraub, (310) 922-0274, l.weintraub1@icloud.com.
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