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August 17, 2001/Av 28, 5761, Vol. 53, No.45
Personal chef creates healthy, tasty cuisine
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Imagine coming home after a long day at work to a delicious, healthy meal, expertly prepared by a professional chef. Well, this fantasy is a reality to the famous and not-so-famous clients of personal chef Zipora Einav.
Einav recently moved back to Scottsdale after several years of cooking for the rich and famous in Los Angeles and around the world.
Chef Zipora, as she calls herself, originally moved to Phoenix from Israel 22 years ago. She brought with her three years of training from Tadmora, an international culinary school in Tel Aviv. She began a catering service in the Valley by cooking for friends and then by establishing a reputation by word of mouth.
In 1997, Einav moved to Los Angeles and applied to be a personal chef through Private Chefs Incorporated in Beverly Hills. She says that because the prestigious agency deals with many wealthy and famous clients, there is a rigorous screening process, including security checks and confidentiality agreements. The day after she became affiliated with the agency, she was sent to cook for Bob Hope, as his regular personal chef was to be away for an extended period of time.
After working for Hope, Einav went on to work for many Hollywood stars, including Pierce Brosnan and Cybill Shepherd. She also traveled the world with the Irish band The Kelly Family and last year, Einav went on tour with Mariah Carey as her personal chef. Einav says she is upset by the negative publicity that has surrounded Carey in the past several weeks.
"She is one of the nicest people I've worked for. She is so generous and kind to everybody."
While traveling the world, Einav says she had the opportunity to work with the most renowned chefs in the world. She recalls working with the hotel chef at the Imperial Hotel in China - she taught him how to cook a traditional Western brunch and he taught her authentic Chinese cooking.
Einav says part of the appeal of her food is that she focuses on fresh, organic ingredients (she calls it "California spa cuisine"). According to Einav, it is not always easy to find fresh ingredients in countries other than the United States.
"It's very hard. You have to go to a new city, a new country, a new market. Sometimes they don't have the ingredients you want. Sometimes you have to fly them from America."
While Einav says she has enjoyed her travels, she is always glad to be back home.
"I have been all over the world and I would never choose to live in any other country outside of the United States, and that includes Israel. They're fun to visit, but not to live there."
While Einav emphasizes that she is not a nutritionist, she does say she's done a lot of research and study about nutrition. Most of her Hollywood clients used The Zone diet and she says she's lost weight on that particular diet herself.
Einav is now looking forward to creating light, fresh and healthy meals for clients in the Valley.
"When people get up from the table, I want them to be happy and satisfied, but (not) stuffed and sluggish after a heavy meal."
Contact Chef Zipora at chefzipora@yahoo.com.
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