June Pagan

Private Chef & Menu Developer
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"June is an artist in the kitchen."

Al Pacino

 

 

"You helped me lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks!"

Elizabeth Taylor 

 

 

"During hard times, there are three people I would not let go - my trainer, my hairstylist, and my chef.  June has kept us healthy."

Judith Krantz

 

 

"Each evening, June prepares a beautiful and delicious meal,not only for my husband and myself but one that will please my two teenage sons, sometimes cooking two separate meals. June cooks with a great deal of variety and skill."

Sally Field

 

 

"You're hired." (after tasting June's warm-out-of-the-oven homemade ginger cookies on a chilly winter day.)

Diane Keaton

Savory Dining

for the

Health Conscious Gourmet

 

 

The Ten Commandments of Nouvelle Cuisine

by Henri Gault and Christian Millau - 1973

 

 

1. Thou shall not overcook.

 

2. Thou shall use fresh, quality products.

 

3. Thou shall lighten thy menu.

 

4. Thou shall not be systematically modernistic.

 

5. Thou shall seek out what the new techniques can bring you.

 

6. Thou shall eliminate brown and white sauces.

 

7. Thou shall not ignore dietetics.

 

8. Thou shall not cheat on thy presentation.

 

9.  Thou shall be inventive.

 

10. Thou shall not be prejudiced. 

 

When I started cooking three decades ago, Michel Guérard was the chef who inspired me to go into the kitchen. Guérard is considered to be the father of Nouvelle Cuisine style of cooking. Dr. Georges Halpern, Vice-President of the French Gastronomical Medical Society once said, “Guerard has a genius for satisfying the upper part of the body, the tongue, eyes and mind, without filling up the bottom part, the stomach.” The above ten commands were written by two French food critics during the 1970s – Henri Gault and Christian Millau. I keep these commandments foremost in my mind as I develop and present menus.

 

June Pagan

 

MY MISSION STATEMENT

 

To deliver flavorful, exciting food that is always made with the purest and highest quality ingredients available - food that is prepared with a respect for nutritional integrity.  There are two essential factors in bringing great meals to the table:  1) Selection of fresh ingredients, from local growers whenever possible; and 2) Preparing each dish by hand, in small batches, to ensure quality and uniqueness. Nourish your body, nourish your soul.

 

“Happily, there is still in our souls a primitive and essential awe for that central god of the kitchen, whose name is fire.”

Alan Watts 1968

 

 

 

The Value of a Private Chef is Measured by More Than Just Food Alone

Cost of Kobe Filet for four:  

$300

Cost of four ounces of Urbani Premium Cuison Truffles:  

$300

Cost of two bottles of 1997 Castello Banfi Poggio all' Oro:

$250

Cost of a private chef's integrity:  

Priceless

 

In my 20+ years as a private chef, I have seen it all - from family feuds and drug abuse, to infidelity and graft.  Early in my career, while working as a yacht chef, I learned that "loose lips sink ships."  Working in the family kitchen, a private chef is privy to many personal details that should be kept private.  The kitchen is the heart of every home, where intimate conversations often occur.  A chef with integrity will always have your best interests at heart.  This means: 1) Never eavesdropping on private conversations in the kitchen; 2) Respecting the privacy of clients by staying out of their personal conversations; and 3) Never sharing private information about the client.

 

“My faith in human nature tells me that our very nerves will force us to realize that there can be no taste at the table without love in the kitchen.”

 

From "Does it Matter"

By Alan Watts