Traveling Chef
Shelly Witchley brings casual and fine dining experiences to clients
By Margaret McCormick
Shelly Witchley grew up in Central New York, but never had the opportunity to spend much time in the Finger Lakes. She was too busy working in restaurant kitchens.
These days, the chef spends a lot of time in the popular vacation destination for food, wine and nature lovers, bringing casual and fine dining experiences to clients.
“Until moving back here, I didn’t really know much about the Finger Lakes,’’ Witchley said. “Now I love going out there. It’s a treat for me.’’
Witchley, 56, owns and operates Chive, a personal chef and catering business based at Towne Centre at Fayetteville. She travels mainly within an hour and a half of Syracuse and estimates that 65% of her business is in the Finger Lakes.
She might serve as an on-site chef at a bachelorette party on a Friday night or at a reunion of college friends on a Saturday. Or, she might spend an entire weekend preparing custom meals for the same group, who’ve booked a vacation rental for a couple days of touring, relaxing and socializing — and leaving the cooking to someone else.
“They want a chef experience,’’ Witchley explained. “They kind of want a restaurant to come to them.’’
She’s happy to make that happen and make their visit a memorable and tasty one.
Witchley isn’t alone in this capacity.
Trade organizations like the United States Personal Chef Association and market research companies like IBISWorld say the coronavirus pandemic boosted an already strong market for personal chefs and custom caterers, as consumers sought alternatives to dining in restaurants.
She arrived at this place of entrepreneurship after a long and varied career in restaurants — and a lifetime of wanderlust, hanging her chef’s coat in multiple states and traveling the world and savoring its cuisines.
Witchley grew up in Canastota and got her start in the restaurant business at 16. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do when she graduated high school but eventually enrolled in college in New York City and supported herself as a server at a variety of upscale restaurants.
“I often found myself in the back of the house asking cooking questions and watching techniques,’’ Witchley recalled. “I had dinner parties and cooked for friends, who encouraged me to go to culinary school.’’
After two years of college and not settling on a major, she decided to attend Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education). The one-year program gave her a solid foundation in culinary and pastry and included an externship with chef and restaurant owner Anne Rosenzweig at the Lobster Club in New York City.
After graduation, she worked as a food broker, calling on restaurant owners and chefs, before landing her first job as a chef at The Dark Room in DeWitt (now The Dark Horse Tavern). Stints at a long list of CNY restaurants followed, including Julie’s Place (when it was owned by the late Karen White), the former La Cena in Fayetteville and Bacio in Hanover Square. At one time, she operated a southwestern food stand at the former Paradise Market on Erie Boulevard in DeWitt.
Living in one place wasn’t the life for Witchley. The restaurant road took her to Washington state, Washington, D.C., California, Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland and Florida.
“I moved around a lot, as I think the gypsy in me wanted adventure and to experience our vast country,’’ Witchley said. “It is amazing how different parts of the country yield such different cuisine, people and history… I have also traveled overseas quite a bit, eating my way through places like Thailand, South Africa, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Czech Republic, Poland and Turkey, to name a few.’’
Today, Witchley’s catering menus reflect both her personal travels and her restaurant journey, incorporating a wide range of American and international fare. There’s Italian food (arancini with sundried tomatoes, basil and mozzarella), French (Brie and caramelized pear tartlets), Indian (potato and pea samosas) and classic American like scallops wrapped in bacon.
And that’s just a few of her appetizer selections. Some clients book three- or four-course plated meals. To date, her most requested entrees are braised beef short ribs in port wine, served with roasted root vegetables and garlic whipped potatoes and pan-seared seabass with citrus buerre blanc, lentils and grilled vegetables.
Her menus can be tailored to suit vegetarians and vegans and those who avoid gluten and dairy. She will cater to pretty much any craving a client has — which once involved procuring 30 live lobsters.
“I have a vast menu,’’ Witchley explained. “Everything I cook is something I’ve prepared many times. My clients seem to like the options and variety. But I will cook anything a client wants.’’
Witchley moved to Miami several years ago and launched a private chef and custom catering business. It was doing well and then the pandemic changed the world. She returned to her Central New York roots during COVID-19 to be close to family, including her mother, sister and nephews.
“I rolled the dice,’’ she said. “I said, ‘I’m going to take the business I started down there and bring it up here.’’’
And that’s how Chive came to be. Witchley’s clients find her by word of mouth and via the internet.
When she’s not traveling to the Finger Lakes, there’s no shortage of opportunities closer to home. She sets up at private homes and at venues small and large, for events ranging from dinner parties to birthdays, anniversaries and weddings.
She shops in advance for gigs and does prep work in her Fayetteville kitchen, then packs everything up and heads to her venue. Each course of a meal is finished on site shortly before serving, so guests can see (and smell) what’s to come and ask questions.
If it’s a small party, Witchley works on her own. If it’s a dinner party for, say, 12 or 14, she brings in help to assist with food prep, plating, serving, wine service and clean-up.
A significant number of Witchley’s catering jobs come from the owners of private planes who make use of the state-of-the-art Million Air hangar near Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport. This could be a drop-off of hors d’oeuvres for a gathering at the facility or a chef-prepared breakfast or lunch to be served on board to pilot, passengers and crew.
“I love doing all these different things,’’ Witchley said. “I get bored if I do the same thing over and over.’’
For more information on Chive Personal Chef and Catering and its services, call 315-345-1884 or visit www.chivechef.com.
Margaret McCormick is a food writer and food blogger in Syracuse.