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Chef Sam Smithson

Personal Chef

Chicago, IL

13 years in Professional Foodservice

Chef Sam’s culinary journey began when his family of growers and academics sparked his curiosity about how food is cultivated and why it behaves the way it does. That curiosity grew into a passion for both cooking and food science, eventually leading him to the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and into the kitchens of the Boka Restaurant Group, where he trained across eight restaurants over two summers. After earning his degree, he joined the Girl & Goat Group and spent four years working in all four of its locations before moving into Chicago’s independent restaurant scene, contributing to Lao Peng You; Table, Donkey, and Stick; and helping launch the kitchen at 1308 Chicago. In 2019, he founded CultureBox, a fermentation company dedicated to monthly locally sourced subscription boxes, reducing food waste with small and mid-size farmers, and teaching home fermentation practices.

Healthy Meal Prep Private Events Consulting
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Professional Background

B.S. in Food Science - Hospitality Management, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
13 years in Professional Foodservice
Cooking with fermented products, Bachelor + Bachelorette Parties, Family Vacation Meal Prep, Fermentation Consultation, Workshops
Michelin Recommendation as Sous Chef of 1308 Chicago
ServSafe Manager Certified
Food Allergen Safety Certified
Founder of CultureBox

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Fun Facts

Meet Chef Sam Smithson

Client Review - Drop Off Catering
"I hired Chef Sam Smithson to drop-off a catering order at a birthday party of 60+ people. He was very receptive and creative with my menu requests, which made working with him very easy. He went above and beyond with the presentation including menu cards with descriptions and allergens. The food was fantastic. The level of detail for a large catering order was very impressive with garnishes and sauces for nearly every item. All of our party raved about the food."
Client Review - Family Vacation Meal Prep
We hired Sam Smithson from Elite Personal Chefs to prep meals for our family trip to Michigan. He prepared all the meals for 8 adults and 4 children for a week. Two dinners he prepared to be served on site and then he prepared all of the rest of our meals for us to fix throughout the week. Not only was this an amazingly convenient way to travel and do meals for a group but the food was delicious and pretty healthy. Our entire group truly enjoyed the experience and felt it elevated our vacation to the next level. We will absolutely try to repeat this in the future. It eliminated the hassle of grocery shopping, planning, prepping and the inconvenience of not having all of the correct ingredients or cookware. It also allowed us more time to all hang out together as opposed to one or two people being in the kitchen preparing the meal. Unfortunately I did not take many pictures of the food but it was all great. Sam even prepped sandwiches and snacks for our boat day. In addition to the great food, Sam was enjoyable to hang out with while he was in our home. I would highly recommend him for any type of gathering or event when you want someone to come in and cook for you.
Client Review - In-Home Meal Prep
We began using Elite Personal Chefs in September of 2024. We always worked hard to create healthy meals for our family of five, but the stress and time needed was beginning to become overwhelming with our hectic schedules. Enter Elite Personal Chefs. The process of placing us with a chef was easy and straightforward. After a few calls going over likes, dislikes, and expectations we were assigned chef Sam. We opted for the service that allows chef Sam one day a week in our kitchen to prep our dinner for the week. Chef Sam sends out a weekly menu the week before, and if we have any questions, comments or concerns we can voice them before he cooks a single thing. After the meals are prepped, packed, labeled and put away in the fridge we receive an email with reheating instructions. It’s been super efficient and incredibly helpful to be able to eat delicious and healthy home cooked meals during our busy weekdays. Chef Sam creates thoughtful and delicious menus that we truly look forward to and always leaves his workspace cleaner than he found it. I’ve recommended EPC and specifically chef Sam to multiple colleagues. If you’re on the fence, do it. It’s an incredibly worthwhile investment.
Client Review - Weekly Meal Prep
Thank you Chefs Sam and Dan for the fantastic experience these last several months! We initially reached out shortly after the arrival of our third child when keeping home-cooked meals on the table was a priority but materially harder with the chaos of a newborn in the mix. Sam and Dan stepped in to provide us with 4 nights of dinners and a couple of lunches each week that were tasty, fresh, diverse, and both easy to cook and clean. Their service was exactly what we were looking for and are an easy wholehearted recommendation to anyone looking for some week-over-week support with meals. Thank you!

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