By reviewer fucillo 2007-01-05 10:52:31

I've found the new 'meal preparation' businesses to be an interesting and time saving way to make sure there is something worth eating after a long work/school day. After trying Fresh Prep Kitchens in Santa Cruz, I was delighted to see Chef Danes was very close to my house in Santa Clara. I've been twice and have almost nothing but positive things to say. The produce is fresh and all ingredients have been very high quality, especially the meats, poultry and fish. Chef Dane is on-site and almost all of his recipes have been absolutely delicious, easy to prepare, and quite gourmet. They boast free-range, hormone-free chicken and Choice beef, however I would like to see them use more organic and locally-grown ingredients. They are more costly than their competition, in part because I understand many of these businesses are using frozen foods, which is why Chef Danes is wary about carrying higher priced organic ingredients. I've expressed this wish to them and see that they are trying to balance the requirements of a national franchise with the values and desires of Bay Area residents. Chef Danes is also making some improvements on offering more vegetarian dinner options, though it is still limited. Overall I LOVE Chef Danes and believe it is quickly becoming a household staple. The service is wonderful-- Jason runs the place like a well-oiled machine. As a coupld that loves to cook but finds time at a premium-- I highly recommend spending an hour at Chef Danes. Assembling 12 meals for 2 in an hour (including many side dishes and fresh produce) has made my evenings wonderful-- any my husband appreciates that I no longer recommend we have cereal or soup for dinner!

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