Carol Borchardt - About Me - From A Chef's Kitchen

Hello, and I’m happy you’re here! I’m Carol Borchardt, a personal chef with 22 years of experience cooking food people want to eat! I’m also a former newspaper food columnist and mom to rescue kitty Jade. Here, you’ll find easy, step-by-step, chef-tested gourmet recipes for the modern home cook!

About From A Chef’s Kitchen

I started From A Chef’s Kitchen in 2014 after an accident in a personal chef client’s kitchen. With a fractured kneecap and six weeks of recovery, I had the time and energy to start this venture.

By that point, my passion for food photography had already captured me. In addition to my chef business, I wrote a biweekly food column for The Commercial Appeal, Memphis’ daily newspaper, that enjoyed a seven-year run. Entitled Dinner for Two, I penned recipes, how to make each successfully, and photographed each dish. The positive reception and growing interest in my culinary creations paved the way for From A Chef’s Kitchen.

Here, I share easy, creative, chef-inspired gourmet recipes from my kitchen for the home cook. My recipes are inspired by the seasons and ingredients I already have in my pantry, freezer, or refrigerator–the way everyone else starts a home-cooked meal. Here, you’ll learn how to take ordinary canned baked beans and make them rave-worthy or a Beef Braciole that even Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond would love!

I include plenty of tips and information to help you succeed in making each dish. However, if you need assistance with any recipe, don’t hesitate to contact me at carol@fromachefskitchen.com or ask away in the comments section of each post.

Praise From Readers for From A Chef’s Kitchen

“Whenever I’m in a cooking rut, I visit your site for inspiration. You never disappoint.”

“Thank you for the great recipes you create and the inspiration to try new dishes.”

“James Beard would be proud!”

“Every recipe Carol puts on her site is above and beyond just an ordinary recipe. She has a magic touch and is so creative in her cooking. When I make any of her recipes, I never worry if they will turn out.”

About Me

As with many passionate cooks, chefs, and food bloggers, my background in the culinary arts began at home with instruction from my mother, a prize-winning cook who developed original recipes while feeding our large family.

From the moment I discovered my mother’s old Betty Crocker cookbook as a child, I’ve been fascinated with food and cooking, and I’m always dreaming up new recipes as my mom did.

The farm-to-table, free-range, and wild-caught concepts so important today is how I grew up on a picturesque central Wisconsin farm. For us, milk didn’t come from a carton; it came from the barn.

Almost everything we ate and that my mother cooked came from the land, the barn, or the chicken coop. Until a few years ago, my amazing 97-year-old father tended a huge garden, foraged for mushrooms and berries in the woods, hunted, and fished.

Cooking was my creative outlet while living in Wisconsin and working in various office roles for over 20 years. I honed my culinary skills through self-instruction, multiple classes, and practical experience working for a caterer on weekends.

In 1995, I met the love of my life, had a whirlwind romance, and moved to the Memphis, TN, area. After helping to raise two stepchildren and experiencing severe office job burnout, I decided in 2002 it was time to follow my passions, and I established A Thought For Food Personal Chef Service. Through this highly personalized service, I bring thought and care back to the home meals of our time-starved society.

What I love most about being a personal chef is when my clients tell me they can feel the love and care that went into what I prepared for them and what a positive difference I make in their lives. My goal at From A Chef’s Kitchen is to infuse that same love and care into each recipe so it extends to your loved ones.

My passion for travel–especially throughout Europe and the Mediterranean–is reflected in my cooking. While traveling, I like to immerse myself in the local cuisine. I’ve done week-long training in Italian Gastronomy at the Academia Barilla in Parma, Italy, classes at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in Napa Valley.

I’m the only personal chef in the Memphis area with 22 years of experience providing a wide range of allergy and diet-specific cuisine. My other qualifications include being licensed, insured, and certified as a Food Protection Manager through ServSafe™—the same certification mandated for restaurant managers.

I’m always adding new, creative recipes, so grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and let’s get cooking!