Thyme for You prepares meals so that you have time for you
Loni Ingraham
06/05/02
Towson Times

Growing up in Wiltondale, she was the only girl in the Nichols family, says Beth Andresini. She had four brothers who made it clear that nothing she did was right.

But she summoned her culinary courage when she was 10 and asked her mother if she could make an angel food cake.

She separated a dozen eggs. She began whipping the egg whites. She whipped. And she whipped. And she whipped. And nothing happened. Nobody had told her she couldn't use a plastic bowl.

The typical angel food cake is six to seven inches high. Some are eight inches high. Her cake, from plate to top, was three inches high.

"Dad ate it," she says. "God bless him, he was wonderful. My mother put a piece in her mouth and spit it out. 'We can't eat this,' she said."

From such humble beginnings Andresini rose - unlike the cake - to become a capable cook, a very capable cook. And today 44-year-old Andresini, who still lives in Wiltondale now that she is married and has two children, runs a personal chef service with Rodgers Forge resident Pam Goeckeritz. It's called Thyme for You.

Thyme for You bestows upon you your own personal chef. She interviews you to determine your tastes and dietary needs, does the menu planning, does the dreaded grocery shopping, brings her own pots and pans with her, prepares the meals in your own home, leaves your freezer and refrigerator full, leaves your kitchen immaculate and vanishes without a trace - she even takes the garbage with her.

Well, not quite without a trace. She leaves behind things like vegetable-topped orange roughy, parmesan-crusted perch, rosemary-skewed lamb, lemon veal with rice, medallions of beef with horseradish cream, Greek lemon chicken, smoked turkey and cranberry pies ... all designed to provide four generous portions. All you do is heat and eat

There are 100 entrees on the list or you can have her make your favorite family recipes. And don't forget the choice of 14 side dishes like asparagus and mushroom saute, fruit salad with honey lemon dressing, spicy hot eggplant casserole and lemon basil potato salad.

Stop drooling, it doesn't become you.

Your personal chef is not cheap. "It's not for everybody," says Andresini. "It's not for people on a limited income."

"But you are paying for convenience and you are getting top-notch food."

And it's a perfect idea or gift for new parents, working parents, busy people on the go, parents who live at the ball field, homebound individuals and convalescents, she says.

I myself think it would be perfect for anybody who eats.

Andresini says she is very picky. She wants everything to be perfect and carefree for her clients. When she grocery shops, she won't buy anything she wouldn't serve her own family.

Goeckeritz, a part-time nurse, handles most of the administrative side of the business. Like Andresini, she has a passion for cooking, but she soon found that cooking a large number of meals was exhausting.

Andresini now handles most of the cooking. She, rare soul that she is, thinks preparing a large number of meals is "exhilarating."

"When I get done with a day of cooking and I know what I have done, I'm thrilled," Andresini says. "I like pleasing people, making them happy."

"Then I go home and cook dinner - if I have anything in my house. We're adjusting."

To find out more about what should be one of life's necessities, call Thyme for You on 410-337-8963 for a brochure or check out its Web site, www.thymeforyou.com.

Meanwhile, think about it: scallops and wild rice ... Maryland crab cakes ... shrimp creole jambalaya ... Grand Lagoon stuffed flounder ... pork loin Dijonnaise with peach sauce ... And it all started with an angel food cake. Heavenly.