Testimonials
Ingrid Restrick
“We BOW to the Salad Goddess!”
With Love,
Ingrid Restrick
Ladies Auxiliary, Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club
Karim Teresa Rochelle
I am thrilled to recommend Chef Carol Wood’s expertise as a personal chef! Ms. Wood was Head Chef of the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club from 2000 to 2005. I am a member of the club and was head of the Kitchen Committee for membership. I feel fortunate to have enjoyed almost daily dealings with Carol during my tenure.
Carol took a tired menu and created a new dining experience for the LHYC members. She brought delicious and interesting salads to our club, which was a very welcome change. She developed our menu, bringing us a wider range of gourmet dishes, in addition to finding many great local ingredients. Her tenure saw a huge increase in the number of diners at the club. In addition, she trained her staff to give high quality professional service. Finally, Carol is a whiz at presentation. It wasn’t enough for the food to be delicious, it also had to look beautiful! As a result, the yacht club became a sought after venue for engagement parties, weddings, birthday parties and catered events. Carol was also greatly sought after for private parties at the lake, as well as in private homes in Sussex and Morris Counties, because of her reputation for putting together such impressive feasts.
The Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club was very lucky to have Chef Carol for five years, and we are very sorry to see her go. We wish her well in her upcoming move to Florida. Her new business venture, The Occasional Chefs, will certainly be well received by all of her clients! Bon Appetit!
Sincerely,
Karim Teresa Rochelle
Head of Kitchen Committee / LHYC
Chef Don Niffenegger
Ms. Carol Wood has been a contract employee of mine over the past many years. I am a retired executive chef, now in the catering business, and have called on Carol many times to act as my chef. She has been in complete charge of all planning, purchasing, and kitchen management. Carol has also managed menu planning, implementing procedures and all aspects of the food service, which she has developed into a smooth system. This type of successful orchestration makes food service very special.
I most highly recommend Carol. She is very creative, of good character, honest, dynamic, and most diligent. Her fine temperament is suited to her exceptional cooking skills.
I have been in the food service industry for 48 years, member of Chef Cuisine and American Academy of Chefs, and have been a successful chef and restaurateur. It is a pleasure to know Carol, and I am honored to act as her mentor for these past 12 years!
Sincerely,
Chef Don Niffenegger
American Academy of Chefs
Chef Paul Sorgule
I vividly remember a day a few decades ago, as a relatively new chef-turned-educator, when a former forestry/environmental student entered my class intent on changing direction. He wanted to cook. From that day on I have been a fan of Joe Taradyna. He remains, to this day, a talented and passionate culinarian with a heart committed to making his guest’s day special through food. Some people choose to cook while a few unique individuals are drawn to the field. I am a strong believer that the best cooks are born to the job – Joe is one of those individuals. I think the most significant attribute that he possesses, beyond his technical skills, is his engaging smile and the sense of trust that this brings. Anyone who chooses to seek him out as a chef knows immediately that he will do everything he can to make your event special. You know you are in good hands.
Chef Paul Sorgule
President
Harvest America Ventures, LLC
Restaurant Consulting
www.harvestamericacues.com
Warren Anderson
The Occasional Chefs, Carol, Joe & Jason, are the best!! Our family has been using them for years. We give them an idea of what we want and they take care of everything; the guest tables, bar set up, buffet, personalized menus, floral arrangements, rentals, you name it. The food is always excellent. We are still getting comments from friends on a party they did for us earlier this year. Everyone was blown away. If you want great food and great service, call The Occasional Chefs!
Warren Anderson, President/CEO
The Anderson-DuBose Company
Gene Vignolia
Dear Chefs Carol, Sarah & Jason,
Thank you for all of your hard work and wonderful gourmet meals. You truly went above and beyond all expectations! Multiple times, Carol surprised me with thoughtful favors and extra love which you added to the vacation for the Stones. I will be sure to use your services for any future clients and programs we sponsor, and will most certainly refer you to partners of ours. The Stones thoroughly enjoyed their Fort Lauderdale vacation, mostly due to the fact that they enjoyed such wonderful and delightful meals and professional, friendly service. They complimented every aspect of your personal chef expertise, reporting that you and your staff accommodated their every request, took care of additional daily grocery shopping needs, offered special touches, and customized cooking, plus lots more. Your menus, service and culinary skills as a personal chef are exceptional, and we are all thrilled that we were able to obtain The Occasional Chefs for this special family holiday vacation.
Cheers!
Gene Vignolia
Co-Founder, Sorted Entertainment
NYC
P.S. If you ever have any needs in the sports and entertainment world, please do not hesitate to call me.
Michael Laginestra
Every time I think of Joe, my mouth waters! Joe and I grew up with the same circle of friends in Northern NJ. We lost sight of each other until about 10 years ago, when I took my extended family to dinner at the Twisted Elm. Much to my delight and surprise, Joe had noticed my name on the reservation list and came out to reconnect our friendship with a hug. Much more to my delight, we had some of the best food I had ever eaten, causing us to continue making trips back there. We were constantly delighted by Joe’s unique talent for blending flavors into culinary delights, no matter what direction your palette took you that night. I would call Joe’s cooking a God given talent, because you can’t teach perfection.
As time went on and being Face Book friends, I watched as Joe’s budding FB romance with Carol blossomed into one of the greatest love stories ever. Joe moved to Florida to be with his now-wife and soulmate Carol, and I have happily followed their foodie posts (yep, she was not only perfect for Joe, but they share a passion for gourmet cooking, as well). I now almost daily follow pictures of his culinary creations with his farmable artistic presentations.
Put simply, if Joe played baseball for the Yankees, he would be Babe Ruth!!!!!
Michael Laginestra
New Jersey / Florida
Dave Hannon
In light of my friend's new endeavor, I'd like to share my experiences with Joseph Taradyna. I met him while applying for a job at his new restaurant, Legends, in the early 90’s. Because of Joe’s great kitchen personality, I fell right into the mix on his line. He was in control, he was having a good time, and above all, he was detailed- but not petty. Pretty impressive for a Chef!
As our years together went on, I called him the 'ZEN' Chef, because nothing could rattle him. Always calm, pleasant, and communicative. I thought of him often, and occasionally visited him at other kitchens, but I was most thrilled to go visit Joe and Carol three summers ago in Florida. I thought I'd keep the visit short; a little reminiscing, a little calamari. I didn't want to bore them, my memories might be different from Joe's. Carol dispersed that worry immediately, as Joe's memories seem to be as sharp as mine!
Upon Carol's insistence, my wife and I spent the whole evening and stayed with them at their home overnight. Incredible breakfast the next morning - that's what you get when there are two chefs in the house! Here's to Carol and Joe Taradyna!
Much luck and love,
Dave Hannon
Sous Chef, NJ
Gary M.
YELP REVIEW ~
The Occasional Chefs~ Bread Pudding that rivals the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs!!!
Being a bread pudding snob, I have rarely found it prepared well, let alone at the lofty level that I place the bread pudding I adore at the luxury resort, The Broadmoor Hotel.
The Occasional Chefs’ bread cubes were perfectly transformed into the custardy texture that one expects but never gets to experience. Their Kentucky Bourbon Sauce is exceptionally well done with a vibrant bourbon flavor but not overly sweet...just right! (Goldilocks would be trilled!)
Stop reading and just get to the Yellow Green Farmers Market in Hollywood, FL. The Occasional Chefs have a booth there. It is definitely worth the trip!
Gary M.
Judy Fill
After interviewing three companies to cater my daughter’s engagement party for a destination location in Ft. Lauderdale, I settled on hiring The Occasional Chefs.
What can I say, apart from FABULOUS! The food was amazing- everyone commented on how lovely and tasty everything was. I was so excited to find a company that, from first contact, understood what I wanted. They were so creative and went above and beyond all expectations. I left everything in their hands and it was superb - FIVE STAR rating, for sure!
Carol, Joe, Jason, and Sarah certainly have the caring personalities to make each and every event successful. This is truly the best catering company in the area.
Judy Fill
Michigan
Sue Sell Bernstein
Carol and Joe are first-class chefs with unsurpassed attention to detail. They consistently challenge themselves by creating new dishes, while continuing to update 'the classics'. They are both more than happy to share their experienced insight and advice, so that you can perfect your cooking, as well. I cannot recommend their services more highly.
Sue Sell Bernstein
Former Founder & Owner
Cook 'N' Tell Cooking School
Colts Neck, New Jersey
Lorraine & Ray Price
Jason acted as our personal chef in Miami for many years. In a word, he is AWESOME! Not only a great chef, he was always willing to work with us to satisfy all palates. Shopping, cooking, and cleaning up were always a given. He made our busy lives so enjoyable and so much less stressful because we knew we could count on his hard work and expert attention to detail. Jason’s flavorful dishes always made us want to come back for more. He has the diversity and creative talent for turning a simple meal into a gourmet feast!
Lorraine & Ray Price
Miami
David Ralston
Chef Jason Wood has been an outstanding Personal Chef for my mom for the past 5 years. He is a great guy - very professional, yet full of energy and fun. Jason’s menu suggestions and meal plans have been especially helpful, and my mom just loves his company whenever he’s around. The food is amazing, and he is most efficient and thorough with menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking, and clean up. (He always goes that extra mile and leaves the kitchen even cleaner than he finds it!)
Jason has also catered several dinner parties / holiday meals for us and the KUDOS are always plentiful, just like his delicious food!
Sincerely,
David Ralston, FL
Joyce Perez-Paret
Dear Carol & Sarah,
Thank you both for your fabulous gourmet food! And Sarah is a wonderful young lady. She outshined herself with her impeccable manners, and she is as beautiful as ever! The recital was wonderful and everyone enjoyed the delicious dishes.
Thanks again, Carol - its not every day that I come across such extraordinary people like you and Sarah.
God Bless you both; we will be doing business again soon!
Sincerely,
Joyce Perez-Paret
Stephanie
Good Morning, Carol! A quick email before we head out today…
Thank you so much for making the beginning of our vacation stress-free and so delicious and enjoyable. The dinners and desserts have been amazing! And the girls LOVED their Easter baskets; I cannot thank you enough for putting them together and hiding them for us!
We’re going to the beach for a few hours and should be home a little after 4pm - hope that will be a good time for you to start this evening's supper. You are a wonderful chef! And you and your daughter are so attentive and professional, yet so friendly and personable. I'm so glad we found you, because you guys have totally MADE our vacation!!!
I will definitely be calling you in the future, should we vacation in Ft. Lauderdale again. I will also leave glowing reviews on whatever platform you suggest.
See you later today for what I know will be another spectacular meal!
Sincerely,
Stephanie