Severna Park Native Launches Personalized Chef Service For Busy Families

When Mom and Dad are juggling full-time jobs and the kids are bouncing from school to sports practice and music lessons, it sure would be convenient to have a trained chef taking care of dinner.

Well, Severna Park families are now in luck. Chartridge resident Michael Avent, who grew up just down the street in Chartwell and has now returned to the Park with his family, has launched a new personal chef service called My Chef, Michael, which designs and prepares personalized meals for people on the go.

“I love this community and my goal is to give back through the gift of healthy, fresh, delicious food,” Avent said. “I want to give people who don't have the time or skill needed to cook healthy meals at home more time to do the other things they need or want to do with their evenings — after sitting down to a wonderful meal cooked by yours truly, of course.”

The service begins with an initial consultation to discuss the customer’s desired type of cuisine, as well as allergies, dietary restrictions and general preferences. Avent proposes a menu that the customer then approves, and once that meal plan is set, he does the shopping before coming over to cook the meal in the client’s own home. All he requires is a sink, a stove and an oven — the rest is on him. He brings the pots, pans, knives, cutting boards and anything else needed.

Avent hopes that his customers will get to know him better than simply as the guy who cooks their food. “I think the more I get to know the individuals and families I'm working with, the better I can serve them,” he said. “When their trust level goes up, people who usually stay within a certain box then become willing to step out and try different things.”

As a native to the Severna Park area, Avent is proud to say he started working in the restaurant industry at age 15, when he was washing dishes at Garry’s Grill, followed by stints at Pussers Caribbean Grille and the Annapolis Yacht Club. After graduating from Severna Park High School, he went to Johnson & Wales University to get a degree in the culinary arts. After that, he worked at many restaurants over the years, including three years in which he was a sous chef at Pazo in Baltimore before he left the industry to focus on starting a family.

“That time away from cooking professionally actually ended up bringing me closer to what I really like about cooking for others and the reason I fell in love with it in the first place: Food has this wonderful ability to bring people together and bond them to a shared experience,” he explained. “Food memories of my youth are some of my fondest, and the idea that I can be a part of helping others have that same thing is a big incentive for me.”

For more information, visit www.mychefmichael.com, find and like “My Chef, Michael” on Facebook, or email mychefmichael@gmail.com.