The women in Norman Rockwell`s life must not have had very hectic schedules. If they had worked, volunteered and run the children around like women do today, it`s a sure bet the hostess in his famous painting of the holiday meal wouldn`t have looked so darn happy.
Instead, weeks of holiday cooking, shopping, decorating and cleaning, on top of all her regular responsibilities, would have left the poor woman a wreck. She`d look exhausted, disheveled and stressed-ready to kill the first guest who dares ask if there`s gravy. (Everyone knows Aunt Mary is still in the kitchen spooning out the lumps anyway.)
The truth is, Rockwell`s holiday ideal is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. But that doesn`t stop American partygivers from trying. Tempers might boil along with the glogg, and bags the size of Santa`s might form under our eyes, but we`re bound and determined to have the most deliriously happy holiday ever-or else.
But it doesn`t have to be that crazy. There is a way to make your wishes come true without sacrificing your sanity or serenity. All you have to do is practice the art of illusion.
There are many people in Chicago whose job it is to make your life easier, at holiday time or anytime, from private chefs to decorators to personal shoppers. By hiring them, you can give yourself the best present of all-time to relax and enjoy your friends and family.
We came up with a list of elves, ready to help even at this late date. So go ahead and call. Norman Rockwell never would have known the difference. Food without frazzle
If the thought of cooking is getting you down, you might want to get help. Chicagoan Stan Holt is a private cook who says his mission is ”to help people have fun entertaining again.”
He specializes in small affairs in private homes, from cocktail parties to lunches to small sit-down dinners-just like Grandma used to make, only better.
He`ll deliver an entire dinner or a few side dishes or desserts to a home right before a party, so clients can serve it as if they made it themselves. Or he`ll work behind-the-scenes at the home, taking care of everything from setting the table to preparing and serving the food to cleanup.
A few side dishes or desserts from Holt would average $50 to $100, depending on the number of people being served. A full-course dinner for 12- including planning, preparation, table-setting, serving and cleanup-would cost about $500. He`ll also get everything ready and disappear before your guests arrive, if you want to keep the superwoman myth alive.
”Many of my clients are simply cooked out,” Holt said. ”They`re almost too busy to entertain, which is a shame because I think at-home entertaining is a very nurturing thing that can have wonderful emotional benefits. I make entertaining less terrifying and less exhausting for them, so they can enjoy their parties.”
While he will make a family`s favorite dishes, Holt says many clients prefer newer, lighter recipes, such as a Christmas Eve dinner of oven-steamed sea bass and pasta with homemade ice cream, cookies and fruit.
Because his food is homemade on a small scale and served on the family dishes, Holt says that ”nothing looks catered, but rather just like the hostess made it herself.”
Another private chef is Robin Manesky of Epicurean Services in Chicago, who specializes in vegetarian meals.
”Not all my clients are vegetarians,” Manesky said. ”Some are just interested in eating lighter, healthier foods and just want me to drop off appetizers or side dishes, or maybe meals for guests on special diets. Others hire me to do everything.”
Manesky`s charges an average of $300-$500, depending on the services desired, to cater a complete vegetarian or semi-vegetarian dinner for 10.
One course or full service
Just zeroing in on one course, such as appetizers, can make holiday entertaining a lot more manageable. Fredrick Cohn of Selectable Delectables, who has done catering for Oprah Winfrey, Harold Washington and David Letterman, can do a complete hors d`oeuvre reception for 10 or more with as little as 48 hours` notice.
”Take the cold hors d`oeuvres and put them on your own silver trays;
take the hot ones and pop them in the oven and you`ll be ready for anything,” said Cohn, who offers 250 appetizer choices, with prices ranging from 95 cents to $2 each.
”My most popular are mini beef Wellingtons, crab Rangoon and beef and chicken teriyaki, but I`m getting requests for dim sum brunch, with items such as pot stickers and spring rolls. Everyone is looking for something unique.” Renee Bradford of C`est Si Bon Ltd. in Hyde Park will jolt jaded palates with a Cajun feast, with such entrees as New Orleans spicy crab cakes, red beans and rice, jambalaya, seafood gumbo and the grand finale, a deadly sweet- potato cheesecake.
”We offer a full range of foods and a full range of services,” Bradford said. ”We can even decorate the home and provide little gifts for the guests. It just depends on how much you want to spend.”
Indeed. Colin Reeves of Experience Fine Cuisine in Chicago says that his dinners can range from $75 per person to $150 (”that`s when you do a lot of things with Beluga caviar”), but consumers should look at what`s being delivered, not only on the plate, but in the way of attention.
”Most caterers have one person starting your food and then someone else finishing it off on site,” said Reeves, whose menus can start with rilletsof Muscovy duck on sage corn brioche and end with chocolate truffles. ”We have the same talent who cuts up your vegetables in the morning sticking with the dish all the way through; we also take only one job per night. A really good firm will maintain that tight control . . . and give you the menu of your choice at the location of your choice, which allows you to operate as a top-tier restaurant.”
Beauty without bother
There`s more to the holidays than great food, of course. You want your house to look its best for your guests.
Most full-service florists will come to your home and decorate it with flowers, wreaths and garlands for an hourly fee, incorporating family ornaments into the design scheme.
”A lot of people come into the shop looking kind of lost as to what to buy for the holidays and how to put it all together in their home,” according to Donna Mastandrea of Donna`s Garden Florists, 4155 W. Peterson Ave. ”When needed, I`ll go out to a home and help coordinate everything.”
Mastandrea, who charges $15 an hour (plus the cost of purchases) for in-home services, said, ”I`m glad to help, but I draw the line at decorating anyone`s Christmas tree. I`m lucky if I get my own up!”
On a grander scale, some interior designers also offer holiday decorating services, including Nancy Folkers of Interior Classics in Arlington Heights. Working mostly with her regular clients, she will help a family select a special holiday theme, such as a Victorian Christmas, to decorate a room or entire home. She will buy and install ornaments, lights, flowers and greenery, color-coordinated to the decor. And she does trees.
”I`ve done trees on themes like fox-hunting, music, flowers or fruits,” Folkers said, ”and once I did a tree in honor of a new baby, decorated with toys and baby items in pretty pastels.”
Her services are not inexpensive. To transform an entire house into a winter wonderland, inside and out, she would charge a few thousand dollars, including buying the new decorations. Still, the results are magnificent, according to her clients, and perfect for the high-profile business and social entertaining.
Finally, if you love decking the halls yourself but hate cleaning them, splurge on a bonded cleaning service. Some, such as Dial-A-Maid in Evanston, charge a flat rate of about $50 for a general six-hour house cleaning. Others, such as Merry Maids, with offices throughout the Chicago area, customize their services to your needs, doing general cleaning in addition to such special projects as shining silver, polishing woodwork or spot-cleaning carpets.
Santa`s helpers and more
If you already are doing enough running around to make anyone dizzy, consider hiring a personal-service professional to run at least part of your life for you.
Beverly Steinberg of Help Unlimited says she does ”just about anything” that saves her clients time, energy and frustration. For $30 an hour she`ll organize your kitchen cabinets, plan your parties, pick up groceries, find you a handyman, clean your closets and pay your bills. She`ll even do your holiday shopping, wrap the presents, mail them and handle gift returns to boot.
”Before I buy the gifts, I interview my clients about the persons they`re giving to so I know their interests and background, and I`ll have them pre-sign the cards. I always let them know right away what I`ve bought, so they know exactly what everyone`s getting,” Steinberg said. ”It`s a little sneaky, but when you`re really busy, it makes sense and no one knows the difference.”
Marilyn Feinman of At Your Service in Evanston serves clients throughout the northern suburbs, helping mainly with party-planning and gift and grocery shopping. Complete party-planning services, from invitations to cleanup, cost $17-20 an hour, while party assistants can take care of basic errands and related projects for about $10 an hour. Feinman`s shopping services average $5 a stop, plus 10 percent of total purchases made.
”When you`re working 90 hours a week, you just don`t have time to do all the little things in life,” Feinman said. ”This way everything gets done that needs to be done, and people can enjoy themselves more.” –
Further information is available from:
Stan Holt, private cook, 312-944-7792.
Robin Manesky, Epicurean Services, 312-296-4032.
Selectable Delectables, 312-847-0877.
C`est Si Bon, 312-536-2600.
Experience Fine Cuisine, 312-829-3663.
Donna`s Garden Florists, 312-282-6363.
Nancy Folkers, Interior Classics, 708-640-8715.
Dial-A-Maid, 708-869-6243.
Merry Maids, 800-WE-SERVE.
Beverly Steinberg, Help Unlimited, 312-583-8885.
Marilyn Feinman, At Your Service, 708-869-2380.
For additional personal-service company referrals, call the National Association of Professional Organizers at 708-272-0135 or check the Yellow Pages.
