Noreen Biegalski has owned Savor Your Thyme Personal Chef Service since 2007. The Lindenhurst wife and mom creates homemade meals for clients living in Lake,  McHenry and Kenosha counties. Her clients then can heat and serve the meals. To learn more, go to www.SavorPCS.com or call 630-337-9690.

Q: Who are your clients and what do you do for them?

A: My clients have come from many backgrounds from busy professionals and singles to senior citizens and families with hectic lifestyles. I come into the client's home and stock their refrigerator and freezer with delicious, customized, homemade meals. I provide a simple answer to people who are busy, stressed out and in need of more quality time, but want to eat healthy food.

I offer cleints an opportunity to recapture the "family dinner hour" and get families back around the dinner table. My goal is to help people take better care of themselves with healthy, wholesome
meals that the whole family can enjoy.

Q: When did you learn to cook and from whom? What were some of your favorite things to cook?

A: Cooking has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. As my mother cooked, I would perch myself nearby watching, smelling and tasting. I remember as a child the lovely fragrances filling our spotless kitchen. The smell of sauce in a pan, meatloaf in the oven and the warm flavor of freshly baked cookies are all wonderful memories.

As I grew older, my mother would let me help with some dishes. I would roll out crackers for her moist and delicious meatloaf and help her shape the loaf before baking. My mother’s love of cooking and nurturing her family inspired me.

I learned to cook because I love to eat well and I like to eat that way every day, not just on weekends and special occasions. I believe so much of what it means to be a family happens in the kitchen. Mealtimes are opportunities for family and friends to be together. Many people tell me they love to cook, but don’t have the time. Satisfying food does not have to be complex. Often the simpler it is, the better it tastes. My cooking is about clean flavors, enhancing my dishes with a few fresh ingredients
that still taste like they are supposed to. My favorite things to cook are pasta dishes and soups and stews.

Q: What made you decide to start this business?

A: Besides the obvious (that I love to cook and eat and nurture others), I wanted to have a job that allows me to set my own hours around my family. It's hard to be a Mom and work long hours at a restaurant. This works much better for me. Plus, I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I've sold Avon and Mary Kay, as well as ran my own home daycare business for five years.

Q: What do you like about what you do?

A: I love constantly challenging myself to make new dishes. I have always felt the deepest sense of joy and accomplishment when feeding people.

Q: What can get to be difficult about what you do?

A: Special diets can be a demanding part of the job. Some people have food allergies or sensitivities or are diabetic, which sometimes requires extensive research, so I can make the client happy.

Q: What has been the strangest or most difficult request you've received
from a client and how did you handle it?

A: I have a client that I regularly cater for who is allergic to garlic AND onions, something I use often. I’ve spent hours coming up with menus for her to choose from.

Q: What is your winning recipe and why does it work so well?

A: My vegetarian lasagna is one of my most requested dishes. It's full of delicious vegetables and is much lighter than traditional lasagna.

Q: Do you cook for your family, too? What do you make for them?

A: I’m always testing recipes on my family (husband Tom,  12-year-old son, Robby;  7- year-old daughter Megan and our Goldendoodle, Ginger). Ginger enjoys my Italian meatballs the most.

Here’s a recipe from Chef Noreen, which she created recently at the Grayslake Farmer’s Market.

Bruschetta

8 Roma tomatoes -- seeded and finely diced
1 loaf Italian bread -- cut into 2" pieces
5 cloves garlic -- cut in half
3 cloves garlic -- minced
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh basil -- chopped
Salt and pepper – to taste

In a large bowl, add tomatoes, 3 cloves garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Stir ingredients until well mixed and let them rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Toast both sides of bread slices
under the broiler until well browned. When the slices are cool enough to handle, rub them on both sides with the garlic cloves. Top each slice with a heaping teaspoon of the tomato mixture. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 as an appetizer.