I totally agree with the review prior to this; I think this guy is a fraud. At the very least, he…read moreis a bully and incredibly unpleasant to work with. I know this first hand.
It was my fathers 80th birthday. My large family rented a home for a long weekend in February. I hired Stu to cook one "special" celebratory meal, and to stock the kitchen. He stocked the kitchen! That gets 4 stars on its own, but what happened after gets a negative 6 stars. This guy was terrible.
First, he showed up two hours early to our initial in person meeting the day before the big dinner. Being vacation, I lost track of time. I remarked that I didn't realize time had flown by, and I couldn't believe it was noon already. His response "it's 10am. I work on my time, not yours". This should have let me known all I needed to know about this guy.
The following day, he showed up several hours early. He arrived before 7am, when he was supposed to come at 10:30. He let himself in, and went to work in the kitchen.
Having 16 people in one house can get messy. Luckily I planned and had two full time housekeepers. We, the guests, didn't leave dirty dishes on the table after dinner. We discarded the food, and rinsed the plates. We did leave the washing to the housekeepers to tend to in the AM.
Unfortunately for our early (very early, and unannounced chef) there were plates in "his kitchen". He referred to it as his kitchen. It was only his second time there. And he wasn't a guest. He was a well compensated employee for the weekend.
Here's when it gets great. That same morning I get a knock on the door. My bedroom door. The door I was asleep on the other side of. This was around 9:30am. It was the chef! I didn't know it was him until he walked in. My partner and I were completely asleep 25 seconds prior. When I asked Stu why he was in my room, and if everything was ok, he started berating me for everything from leaving the kitchen in the condition it was in to letting me know how inappropriate it is to have a housekeeper bring me coffee in the morning. Had he arrived on time, the kitchen would have been sparkling. I won't even address the delivery of coffee, because it's my money that pays for the supplying of coffee, and the making of the coffee. I will have my coffee how I wish.
After our two "run ins" I decided I would rather figure out how to make a dinner for 15 people on my own than deal with this person again. I dismissed Stu. But, of course, not before he could manage to make several threats.
I am sure I will hear from this guy. What I said above is 100% true without embellishment. I have at least 9 adult witnesses (several lawyers, Stu). In hindsight, it was a little bit of entertainment. He managed to be the biggest drama in a family full of large personalities. But, far too expensive for the quality of the entertainment. I recommend the circus.
FYI: this guy never cooked for me or my family, though he demanded several hundred dollars for his "services". My credit card company and I couldn't pinpoint any service preformed.
Don't do it to yourself. Find someone else.