The Company Chef caters to firms

A catering company specializing in $10.95 gourmet lunches under 800 calories is testing the marketing palate of Valley businesses.

The Company Chef was started less than six months ago by 34-year-old Scottsdale entrepreneur Aaron Bromagem. It has since delivered more than 8,000 lunches to employees at large and small businesses in the area.

"We're unlike any other catering company in Arizona," Bromagem said. "Our lunches are not only healthy, but they're exclusive."

Among the nine selections are chili glazed shrimp, a chicken salad wrap, lemon herb roast turkey and herb crusted sirloin. The food has 550 calories or less. The lunches, which come in a plastic container, also contain a snack with between 200 and 250 calories that is designed to be eaten roughly three hours after the meal. There is no delivery fee.

"The snack is to keep the employees' metabolism pumping so they don't have to reach for a double espresso, a candy bar or other sugar and caffeine highs around 3 p.m. to keep them from getting sleepy," Bromagem said.

The meals can be delivered to companies that have as many as 500 employees.

Bromagem, who also owns and operates a personal health training center and is a former owner of a Valley-based Web site that lists data about horses and riding equipment, said the key to The Company Chef is the company chef, Francine Marz.

Marz, a graduate of the Johnson and Wales University culinary school in South Carolina, has more than a decade of cooking experience. She prepares each lunch at the company kitchen in Glendale.

"I've always emphasized the marriage of flavor and nutrition in my cooking," said Marz, who has also supervised kitchens in large corporations, hotels, cafeterias and cafes.

"This is a chance to put my philosophies into practice. For about the same price as a burger, fries and shake or a couple of slices of pizza, we'll make you an Asian noodle salad or chicken Marsala."

Marz changes the menu every six to eight weeks. Meals are delivered between 9 a.m. and noon, but no breakfasts are yet available. Besides the lunch and snack, the meals include a bottle of water, utensils, napkins and a sugar-free mint. No tips, thank you. Minimum order: 10 lunches. Maximum: 500.

Coleen Beahm, executive assistant to the CEO of Border States, a national electrical supply distributor with offices in Phoenix, coordinated a two-day luncheon recently for 15 staff members with The Company Chef.

"It was not only a healthy alternative, but it was very reasonably priced," Beahm said. Additionally, Border States is encouraging "green" and wellness programs among its employees and the low calories and recycling of plastic lunch plates was a positive experience, Beahm said.

At Multi-Systems, which provides software mostly to the hotel industry, an average of 11 lunches are delivered Monday through Friday to its Phoenix office.

"Each employee can log onto The Company Chef's Web site the day before, type their name and identification number and order whatever they want," said Kim Gollehon, executive assistant. "The information also goes directly to our human resources department, where (the) cost of each lunch is deducted from the employee's payroll. This way we don't have to worry about paying or tipping the delivery person."

Bromagem said his plans include opening in other states, including California and Texas.

The Company Chef

(602) 235-0111 or www.thecompanychef.com