By - Robert Marcello “RAM”

Chef Mader Brings Portland
Home Entertaining To New Levels

Chef Mader has brought pride and skill to the culinary world. Her work is exceptional. It goes to show that if you really want something, have the passion, the sky is the limit.

Having no formal training I can tell you Chef Mader puts a multitude of Chefs that I have seen and met to shame. Her presentation and preparation skills are at the top. I do believe that Chef Mader is truly one of the up and coming Premier Chefs of the Portland Scene. Not to mention the rest of the United States.

Just reading what guests have to say about Chef Mader makes you want to savor her cooking.

You really need to check her site and view the dishes prepared. It will make your taste buds begin to activate and your mind want to try every dish and pastry.

My hat is off to you and how far you have come in such a short time. Not many achieve the level and skill that she has in the culinary field.

Web Site Information

Black Radish wants you to nourish your life with delicious, hand-made cuisine at a tasteful price. Say goodbye to frozen foods laden with chemicals and preservatives or to fast food-joints that don’t cater to your health and vitality. Say hello to savory palate and diet-specific meals prepared just for you to enjoy from the comfort of your home.

Our licensed and insured personal chef will help you reclaim the time you spend grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning and re-focus your energy on what’s important to you – whether it’s spending time with your family or relaxing after a long, tough day at work.And don’t think personal chefs are only for the wealthy! For about the same price you would spend eating out on a monthly basis, Black Radish is there to take the stress and worry out of the timeless question, “What’s for dinner?”. Our services target many different lifestyles including: Individuals trying to lose weight or on special diets Busy professionals with no time or energy to cook Single parents who want to spend more time with their children Career-oriented singles who are tired of dining out Working families that need the occasional break from shopping & cooking. Retirees that want to enjoy life and eat well Expectant or new mothers who need the gift of "time and energy".

Check out Black Radish Web, Services and Menu at: www.blackradish.net/index.html

"Chef Mader "Biography"

I grew up in Wyoming, but I always felt like a city girl trapped in a small, cowboy town at the base of the Bighorn Mountains. Visions of city life spurred me to move as soon as I turned 18. So I packed my little baby-blue Volkswagen rabbit and drove to Portland – having never been there before. After the long journey, when the freeway curved around downtown, I was mesmerized, terrified, absolutely excited and completely convinced I had moved to a city big as New York! I remember that now and laugh a little, humbled by the blissful ignorance of youth and knowing how small a town Portland really is.

I had always liked to cook – even as a child. Mom said I was the first kid on the block who could make beef stroganoff! Grandma and I did spend a little time making cookies together but for the most part I am a self-made chef.

I went to college for music, spent a lot of time as an admin assistant. But my real passion was planning parties and entertaining. I’d throw an amazing party for friends – planning every single detail, pouring over recipes and cookbooks, and throwing myself into it 100%. No sooner was the party over, than I was craving to throw the next one. It became almost an obsession until I realized that even with cooking for friends and family, it just wasn’t enough. I wanted more!

I came to cook professionally first by convincing a bakery/lunch spot to hire me. The owner said he was skeptical, as he had hired a lot of “home cooks” and they were just too slow and not good enough. I begged him to give me a chance for 30 days – and if I couldn’t handle it – he could give me the boot! Thirty days came and went, and I remembered about 3 months into the job he came up to me and said – “You really proved yourself. You’re the first one who really pulled it off. Good job.” It was a momentous feeling and a great confidence builder. Plus I learned so much there, as we did some catering, made wood-fired pizzas, bread, pastries, soups and tarts. They called me the “tart queen” because I made the best and most unusual tarts. One of the tarts was a Stilton Crème Fraiche tart w/ Honeyed Garlic Sauce.

After working at the bakery, I moved on to a Take-Out restaurant. It was a great place to practice freedom, as I was given full license to make whatever I wanted. One customer would come in day after day – asking me what “I” had made that day. She eventually told me that her employer was loving my food, and would I be interested in cooking privately for their family? I jumped at the chance, and spent evenings making dinner for a wealthy ranch owner and his family.

I think it was the feeling of feeding a family – one on one – that really solidified the concept of what I wanted to do with my life. I realized that I wanted to share my food with more than just one family, on a personal level. I didn’t want to mass-produce food to faceless crowds at a restaurant or bake 40 mousse tarts and send them off on a delivery truck.