Listening and Serving: How Chef for Hire Delivers More Than Just Meals

At Chef for Hire, every meal served is rooted in quality, care, and conversation. Behind each dish is a team dedicated to understanding the unique preferences of their customers—especially older adults across Indiana. In this interview, Jeff Scheck of Chef for Hire explains how flexibility, feedback, and fresh ingredients set their meal service apart in a growing industry.

Interviewer:
I want to help our audience learn a little more about Chef for Hire—what you do and who you serve. What would you say sets Chef for Hire’s meal offerings apart from others in your industry?

Jeff Scheck:
Chef for Hire focuses on high-quality meals made with high-quality ingredients. We offer a variety of products—fruits, vegetables, oils, and meats like chicken, beef, and pork—that we prepare fresh in our kitchen every day. We also listen to our customers. If a menu item isn’t popular, we can rotate it out. We create menus that appeal to the Midwestern palate, and I think that flexibility really sets us apart.

Interviewer:
I love that. Tell me more about how you listen to your customers. How do you collect feedback on their preferences and dietary needs?

Jeff Scheck:
We have a few ways of doing that. One is through an annual survey we send out to collect direct feedback. Some of our larger clients, especially from Area Agencies on Aging, also conduct their own surveys. We hear what people are saying at congregate meal sites too. If a new menu item is introduced, I usually hear right away whether it was a hit or if it didn’t go over well. That kind of input really helps guide our menu decisions.

Interviewer:
Yeah, that's awesome!