I recently found Chef Zaida as I was looking for a chef to provide meals for my parents in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. After several unsuccessful trials with other chefs/delivery services, I finally found Chef Zaida and my parents want to work with her for life!!! My parents feedback: 1) Every dish she makes is THE BEST EVER. We mean ever! She makes it so easy for us to simply reheat every meal, but they are still full of flavor and fresh! 2) Communication is amazing. Very responsive, proactive, trustworthy, reliable. Excellent through email or text. 3) Professional. 4) Easy payment transactions and transparency of price for groceries and service. I feel so lucky to have found her through Yelp myself! I can't recommend her highly enough and anyone would be fortunate to have her delicious, convenient meals. My parents were constantly ordering out for lunch and dinner...not the healthiest choices nor cost effective. The few delivery services they tried were complicated for them to navigate on apps and even when they got meals they weren't their favorite. Other chefs they worked with kept making the same meals (boring!) and they were dry or bland when reheating. Now my parents can open the fridge and reheat a delicious, healthy meal of their choosing. Chef Zaida provides great meal planning options while also listening to my parents feedback and incorporating some of their favorite dishes. She listens and truly cares about her clients! She checks every box! I wish I had her services near me in the Bay Area! read more

We hired Chef Zaida to come cook a private dinner for our team. She made a 3-course surf and turf meal for us, and let me tell you, her food was PHENOMENAL. It was beautiful. She created the perfect menu for us. The vinaigrette dressing for the salad was literally out of this world. The boys on our team aren't much for salads, but they devoured this one. We saved the dressing to use it all up on other things later that week! Also, her chimichurri sauce was pure perfection. Just the perfect amount of spice. The meat was cooked perfectly. And her unique dessert (chocolate avocado mousse) was soooo gooood. I'm literally drooling writing this. She is communicative, easy to work with and creative in the right ways! I have since hired her to cook for a private retreat I am offering separate from our work here at Balancing Paws. We are looking forward to having her back as often as possible. We highly recommend her!! read more

Chef Zaida trained in NYC and LOVES making food for all! A very talented chef! Her food is DELICIOUS. read more

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When our schedules get nuts, we hire Chef Heather every now and then to prepare our weekly meals. She asks what we feel like, then does the shopping, comes to the house and prepares the meals, and they're there waiting for us when we return from our hectic days. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in nice glass containers all neatly labeled. If you're on a low fat, low carb, high fat, vegan, fish-only, or you-name-it diet, she can accommodate. She asks for your weekly request and then like magic, there it is. I'm looking forward to the holidays when we can have some dinner parties and have Chef Heather over for the meal preparation, because I know whatever the menu, it will be fantastic. read more

Chef Zaida created a wonderful evening for our family celebrating a birthday! From the initial consult to the fabulous meal, she was a joy to work with. I requested an Artisanal Mexican food theme and she delivered a creative menu that was absolutely delicious and beautiful! An added bonus was how patient & wonderful she was our children who loved watching her work. A great chef and kind person all around! read more

Were do i start i decided i wanted to surprise my parents with a special valentines dinner so i started my search online and came across Chef Zaida and was impressed with he intro.. so decided to email her and got a response that same day she was very polite and very easy to work with .. and since i have never hired a personal Chef i did not know the cost or even dishes but we had a conference call and she worked with my ideas and she came up with the menu for them.. she showed up on time and was very friendly and got down to business .. she made my parents feel very special my dad was so happy and loved the food that he wanted more lol .. she even cleaned up and when she left it seemed like she was never there .. the only downside was that i couldn't be there .. but definitely will repeat.. thank you so much for making my parents feel special read more

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Chef Heather came into my home and served us a beautiful and DELICIOUS meal for our anniversary. She quietly and masterfully prepped, chopped, cooked and cleaned her way through four courses supplying everything from the groceries to the dishes. When she left our bellies were full and my kitchen was immaculate. It was such a fun and memorable night! We'd love to have her again! read more

Chef Zaida - Chef Heather prepping the seared scallops - Personal Chefs Near Me

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I was searching for a chef to come and prepare meals on location for a film project in San Diego in 2016. I searched several culinary websites and reviews on yelp, FB and other places. I narrowed it down to 3 chefs but I knew in my gut that Chef Zaida was going to be the final pick. She immediately saw vision for my project. She understood it and it was immediately in tune to the entire project and all the days and meals involved. We settled on pricing and a meal plan. She was easy to work with and highly accommodating but that was just the beginning. Chef Zaida and her assistant arrived the first evening well in advance of prep time to ensue everything would go as planned. The 5 star meal was amazing and we were blown away. The following days (I am certain) were a challenge for Chef Zaida as all of our plans were changed due to the filming locations and needs. She was now having to work under major constraints, changes with limitations and still managed to execute BEAUTIFUL and SCRUMPTIOUS meals for our guests, our film crew and our team. Her sensitivity to our project was above and beyond what I could have imagined or expected for anyone in her position. She excelled all expectations. AS A MATTER OF FACT... I had some items that I needed from the store but did not have a vehicle. She did some personal shopping for me. #wow Lastly, what it all came down to... the meals, the service, the attitude of both she and her assistant were incredible. They prepared meals for up to 15 people at a time and did so with ease. We are so grateful that we will be hiring her on a regular basis for all future projects in the San Diego area. I highly recommend Chef Zaida for ANY occasion!! You will not be disappointed. OH! And I almost forgot!! What Chef gives you their recipes?? This one. She overheard some of our guests and team raving about certain meals and she sent us those recipes for them to take home!! #awesome Just last week, one year after originally hiring Chef Zaida, our organization hosted it's first ever women's retreat in San Diego and naturally after last year's experience we hired her again. She is always one step above herself. Her culinary preparations are loved by all and she goes above and beyond to work with you and your needs whether it be for a personal or corporate experience. I highly recommend Chef Heather Zaida! read more

Wonderfully delicious!! Chef Zaida prepared all our meals for a beach weekend with family. We were so lucky to have her prepare all our meals for 3 days. Breakfast, Lunch & dinner were tasty beyond our expectation!! All dining experience was a flavorful explosion and presentation. Chef Zaida was very quick to reply back and very easy to work with. At the last minute I changed the menu for a special request which she very graciously accepted. We had one vegan in the group, Chef Zaida made a special plate each meal for them. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND her for a delicious private chef experience! read more

My husband and I decided we really wanted to get fit and make an overall change to our lifestyles. We started working out pretty hard which helped but between everyday regular life and dedicating time to the gym it became really hard to find the time to eat healthy. Enter Chef Zaida. I was really lucky to find her on Yelp. Her response time was great so it was very quick to negotiate our schedule/desires and get rolling. She was super flexible to our needs and I loved that she wanted to make sure we had variety too. She came to our house on Monday's while we were at work and prepped our weekly meals leaving directions for reheating behind. We came to a clean kitchen and a refrigerator full of wonderful food. I also appreciated that after each week she wanted to know what our favorites were in order to continually improve our experience with her. My favorites so far are any salmon dish (she has a gift with salmon), Canadian bacon and egg cups, chicken salad, white bean and kale soup with ham...YUM! We have gotten off track with Chef Zaida as we were on a trip and are just falling back into our schedules but will definitely be using her in the future! Highly recommended! read more

We hired Chef Zaida for a night during a bachelorette trip to Scottsdale. For the entire 1.5 months and countless emails leading up to the event, she was so helpful and friendly. We had some serious allergies that needed to be accommodated for, and Chef was still able to come up with a fun and tasty menu. As the person who usually cooks, it was a pleasure for me and the group to be able to relax and not worry about dinner. Thank you! read more

I met Chef Zaida through mutual friends. I hired her to create a unique but home-style menu for an early Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner for my daughter that is now stationed out of the country. Chef Zaida and her assistant went above and beyond all expectations with an incredible 3 course meal that everyone enjoyed immensely! read more

This is unparalleled talent, sophistication, farm:table culinary crafting at its best. Chef Zaida is absolutely in her element in a kitchen, and you realize this very quickly when eating anything she prepares. It is an awakening to her skills. I am floored time and time again with her generous flavorful meals. I feel it is more of an experience-- she makes you feel like you are tasting for the first time. She brings ingredients to their prime, gingerly creating dynamic but perfectly subtle flavors that awaken your taste buds. Any further praise to Chef Zaida would mean I have to fight for my fork and plate when she cooks. It's just time that she will have a restaurant, a dedicated cooking show, a set of pots and utensils named after her. read more

Chef Zaida is the real deal: conscientious, easy to work with, pleasant to be around, and outstanding at what she does. I first had her to my house to prepare some meals back in early May. One bite of the first meal she prepared (salmon with orzo), and I practically swooned. After that, I was hooked! Chef Zaida has since been to my home numerous times. Sometimes I am there while she is cooking, but I can always trust her to be in my home without my being there. What a gift! I love going off to an appointment, meeting, or errand -- knowing that amazing food, beautifully packaged and labeled, awaits me when I come home. Incidentally, I grew up in a family that knows the meaning of outstanding food -- both personally and professionally. So I venture to say my palette is reasonably sophisticated. Chef Zaida has met and exceeded my expectations. She has also expanded my palette with new dishes and new combinations. If you have a favorite familiar recipe, you will find her more than willing to work it into the mix. From simple comfort foods (like steak) to more complex dishes, she will plan the menu, let you look it over and make any changes, do the shopping, come over to cook for you, and leave your refrigerator well-stocked for the week. And your kitchen will be as spotless as it's been in days -- and it will smell amazing. :-) Any time I've had to give her friendly feedback (more of this kind of dish, less of that), Chef Zaida has always been MORE than willing to hear it and make changes for the next time. I am thrilled to have found her! read more

In response to business response to my review: 1) I meant every word, including quality of ingredients. Corn may have been not from a can but it doesn't change the fact it was tasteless - perhaps it would be better from a can after all. The "farmer market" was Sprouts - not known for amazing meats and fish; she used the cheapest tasteless grape tomatoes in lieu of heirloom tomatoes she put on the menu and it was half per toast. Regarding the salad - my guest who asked if there was dressing clearly tried to communicate that the dressing needed to be added. instead Chef described the type of the dressing she supposedly sprinkled. I clearly recall putting dry lettuce in my mouth and thinking in horror how embarrassing... I asked my daughter about the incident and she recalls telling Chef "it is ok" after the dressing exchange with the guest, because she was worried Chef got so annoyed, it may impede her performance even further. People were taking photos of food? Of course - people take photos of everything during birthdays. People were raving??? In what language - thought she didn't speak Russian.... but jokes aside - people were trying to make me feel better as they saw how upset I was with the food. My guests and I were trying our best not to focus on the elephant in the room during the event and ignore the food situation as much as possible. 2) What a condescending comment about my "Russian speaking" guests...Considering that a number of them are renown professors at UCSD (including my husband) who do not only teach in English but write books. Most of the guests are PHDs, engineers, computer scientists, artists, biologists - everyone is more than FLUENT in English. There was no language barrier - this Chef just doesn't know how to smile. 3) Now, regarding greediness and dishonesty - I stand by everything I said and I have her emails to prove it. She planned to bring 3 helpers but adjusted to 2 after I said I will have my assistant - she changed it last minute to one. She knew about the buffet style from the start and it is peculiar she started to "worry people will take more" two days before the event - basically she felt (correctly) I wouldn't argue with her over $150 few days before my birthday and after paying her a deposit, so she simply decided to take advantage of me. Like I said, I would have overlooked all of it if the food was good but as we already established, it was NOT. People weren't excited to eat it, so portion control was never an issue - I ended up throwing it away. read more

Booked Chef Zaida for a last minute New Year's Eve dinner. She and her staff were wonderful and prepared an amazing meal. The Beef Wellington was one of the best I've ever tasted. Her pricing was more than reasonable for the service we received and I will be using her again in the future. read more

I was searching for a chef to come and prepare meals on location for a film project in San Diego. I searched several culinary websites and reviews on yelp, FB and other places. I narrowed it down to 3 chefs but I knew in my gut that Chef Zaida was going to be the final pick. She immediately saw vision for my project. She understood it and it was immediately in tune to the entire project and all the days and meals involved. We settled on pricing and a meal plan. She was easy to work with and highly accommodating but that was just the beginning. Chef Zaida and her assistant arrived the first evening well in advance of prep time to ensue everything would go as planned. The 5 star meal was amazing and we were blown away. The following days (I am certain) were a challenge for Chef Zaida as all of our plans were changed due to the filming locations and needs. She was now having to work under major constraints, changes with limitations and still managed to execute BEAUTIFUL and SCRUMPTIOUS meals for our guests, our film crew and our team. Her sensitivity to our project was above and beyond what I could have imagined or expected for anyone in her position. She excelled all expectations. AS A MATTER OF FACT... I had some items that I needed from the store but did not have a vehicle. She did some personal shopping for me. #wow Lastly, what it all came down to... the meals, the service, the attitude of both she and her assistant were incredible. They prepared meals for up to 15 people at a time and did so with ease. We are so grateful that we will be hiring her on a regular basis for all future projects in the San Diego area. I highly recommend Chef Zaida for ANY occasion!! You will not be disappointed. OH! And I almost forgot!! What Chef gives you their recipes?? This one. She overheard some of our guests and team raving about certain meals and she sent us those recipes for them to take home!! #awesome read more

Chef Zaida is a very talented chef. She offers us a variety of meals suited for low carb/low sugar dietary needs which helps my boyfriend stay on track....and she's quick too! Delicious! read more

Had to pleasure of partaking of Chef Zaida's freshly made delights over a 3 day weekend retreat! Loved every single morsel from breakfast to dinner! read more

I was visiting for the weekend and we had hired Chef Zaida. I am the only vegan in the family and she was so accommodating! Everything she made for me was beautiful and absolutely delicious. Everything that was non vegan also looked beautiful and everyone loved it. She was very professional and friendly, she will also share her recipe with you if you ask! I would highly recommend her. read more

Chef Zaida came to prepare a dinner for 10: she did a fantastic job. The whole meal was refined and delicious. She and her team were well on time efficient and professional. I was really happy with the way everything turned out. read more

If we could give Chef Zaida 10 stars ... we would! We were 4 couples getting together for a long-overdue 'friends' trip. From menu, meal prep, cooking all the way to clean up, Chef Zaida was phenomonal! Hired her last year when we originally were suppose to go to & had to abruptly cancel. When we rebooked this year, I contacted Chef Zaida and she offered to use our deposit from last year which was fantastic and very much appreciated. We had a Mexican themed dinner...Fish tacos, shrimp & corn appetizer along with the BEST GUACAMOLE I have every tasted (who knew pomegranate would taste so darn good in guac!) Chicken dish to die for and don't get me started on the chocolate avocado mousse dessert! We also had her shop and meal prep a complete breakfast, lunch & dinner for us for the next day! Again OUTSTANDING! The egg & ham breakfast cups were perfect for the boys before their early morning golf round & the marinated chicken/steak and veggie skewers were again - DELICIOUS! THANK YOU CHEF ! We will not doubt be back there and will be calling you again. Best, "The Italian's from Chicago" read more

Chef Zaida was one of our vendors and sponsor for our 36th Magical Evening fundraising event. She cooked delicious salmon appetizers for all our guest, and she also helps us to be the Chef four our's Founder's dinner live auction. WRC raised over $90,000 for survivors of domestic violence and their families! Thank you very much Chef Zaida for helping us to make a difference! read more

Heather is fantastic and easy to work with! She makes us dinner and lunches weekly and we eat well and healthy! I wouldn't have it any other way! Soups are fantastic those are a must try! She made a Thai dinner the other night for 10 of us it was fantastic! If you are on he fence give it a try! She will sell you for sure! read more

Thank you for the wonderful food and service for a delicious 60th birthday celebration. Chef Heather and her assistant arranged a delicious meal that catered to multiple food allergies and preferences. I would highly recommend her for any catering or private chef needs! read more

We asked Chef Zaida to come cook a wedding anniversary dinner for us at home after just having a baby. We loved the experience! Chef Zaida put together an amazing customized menu for us with organic, locally sourced ingredients, and gave us a wonderful evening with our newborn on our special day! It was such a fun way to celebrate our anniversary - we'd choose her over a night out any time! Her prices were extremely reasonable, especially for the quality she offered. We highly recommend her and hope her business prospers! read more

Chef Heather did a fantastic job!! Food was delicious! She worked quickly and cleaned everything throughly afterwards. Very easy to work with. We'd highly recommend Chef Heather! read more

Chef Zaida has an exceptional grasp of progressive farm to table cuisine. She creates amazing fare that truly tastes as good as it looks. She has engineered several meals for my son and I and all were to die for. She makes it a point to understand your palate and generates meal plans and prices accordingly. Not cheap, but great food never is. High marks for this Chef. Every time. read more

My one sentence review of Chef Zaida- Chef Zaida is exceptional. Her cooking is confident and coursing with energy. One of my favorites is her Oysters Rockefeller. They are luxuriously rich and satisfying, intensely pleasurable. I also adored her crab cakes: splashed with bright citrus and fresh crab, they are spectacular. No other chef is able to make even the most basic ingredients feel new, food that bewilders and thrills. The experience with Chef Zaida is a pleasure that lasts, offering memories of flavors that may return later in a dream. She provides personalized menus and ideas and is committed to an extraordinary experience for her customers. Chef Zaida is something of a rarity: she has the maturity to choose the best trends and novelties, the experience to know what will be delicious, the managerial skills to pull it off, and the time to make it work. I will be booking her regularly, for everything from work dinners to intimate dinners with friends. read more