Private Chef Robin

Private Chef Robin has been the only chef chosen to nourish yogis and yoginis at each of Daily Bliss Yoga’s 6 retreats in Ojai.
Each dish is fresh, healthy, and flavorful. Each meal is plentiful for vegans, vegetarians and non-​vegetarians alike. Robin is filled with love as she prepares the food, and one feels so nurtured after each meal.

We recently had the pleasure of enjoying Chef Robin’s delicious cooking at a 3 day yoga retreat in Ojai. I knew we were all in for a treat when I was greeted by an amazing aroma coming from the kitchen shortly after I arrived. Each and every one of the meals she created was fresh, healthy, flavorful and plentiful! A few of the dishes we were treated to were: coconut-​curried lentils and spring rolls, a fabulous quinoa-​arugula-​dried cranberry salad, caprese sandwiches and split pea soup, homemade falafel and hummus, to-​die-​for red pepper and walnut spread and the best brownies I have ever tasted in my life — divinely spiced with espresso, cinnamon, cayenne and chai spice. Breakfast was a nice array of serve-​yourself fruits, yogurts and every topping you could ever dream of to put on top of them. Due to many vegetarians and gluten free individuals on the trip, all of our meals had several options — in fact one woman who was gluten free said she had NEVER been able to eat so much great food in her entire life. Robin herself seemed calm, content and in her element while she cooked in the kitchen of our retreat house, and was genuine and kind to everyone. I would highly recommend Chef Robin to anyone and will look forward to her food on the next retreat!

We just returned home from a yoga and acupuncture retreat at Calliote Canyon in Ojai where we had Chef Robin feed us some of the most delicious, vegetarian food we ever had! Each and every guest raved about every meal, the presentation, and of Robin herself. She is very professional, on-​time, and reasonably priced. You can taste how much love and passion she puts into her cooking. She was very accomodating to some of the guests dietary restrictions as well. Her homemade peanut butter cups where out of this world! Thank you, Robin, it was as pleasure to work with you!

CHEF ROBIN IS AMAZING!!! So much so, that if I were a horrible person, I’d keep her a secret all to myself. She is just such a great, interesting person and a phenomenal chef. I was just so impressed by everything she made and the level of service.
The set-​up:
My husband was hosting a dinner/guy’s weekend for my brother-​in-​law, the week before his wedding in a private home we rented in SB. We wanted to have a private chef come in and cook a light lunch for everyone as they got in and a buffet style dinner around 6pm. Not being from SB, I looked online and found Chef Robin. I called her and a couple of other chefs. When we talked on the phone I could tell that she was just a great person, who had a ton of experience. I did a little research and saw that she had been working in the community for a long time. Also, she’s right up our alley in terms of the kind of food we like-​seasonal and farm to table California cuisine. Her rates were also very reasonable in my opinion. So, she was hands down my first choice.
Before the event:
Robin was so great. She checked in with me several times and even called the day before. I think she knew how important the event was for us and wanted to put us at ease. She really listened to the kind of food we were looking for and made the menu spot on.
The day of:
What can I say except that there are not enough stars! Seriously, I don’t even know how she hasn’t been snatched up by Oprah to cook for her. To a certain extent, I was nervous because I had never tried her cooking before the event and my brother in law is a real foodie. But the minute she walked in the door, I knew we had made the right choice. She was the consummate professional and just melded with the vibe in the house. She is one of those calm, laid back people who keeps you calm as well. And also so warm and easy to talk to. Things were a bit frenetic in the beginning and she helped keep us on track. Also, I think her chill vibe kept the mood very laid back as well. She also really rolled with cooking with and being with a bunch of guys all day.
THE FOOD:
Now to the important stuff. The house smelled amazing. I don’t even know what she was cooking at first, but it was the most mouth-​watering smell. The salsa was the best salsa I’ve ever had, hands down. The gazpacho was so smooth and delicious. She even suggested that the boys throw some vodka in to make delicious bloody marys. She also made they yummy panini sandwiches and a market salad for lunch.
Then, while the guys were hanging out, she ran to the fish market to get the fish as fresh as possible. In fact, all of the ingredients were so fresh and delicious. Finally, I tried the dinner the next day, as I wasn’t apart of the main party. I heard nothing but high praise from all of the guys about the food (seriously, I think I am my brother in law’s hero for hiring Chef Robin). The peach and tomato salad and the watermelon salad were so delicious and light and refreshing. The grilled hanger steak had the perfect smokiness to it and the fish was still so delicious cold the next day. Everything was so good! I can’t wait to have another event in SB, so I can hire Robin again.
Thank you so much Robin, for making this event so memorable!

Robin was an absolute delight to work with and the food and presentation was perfect for our event.
And, I just enjoyed Robin as a person. She was kind and thoughtful. and has a beautiful energy.
We used Robin’s services for a yoga retreat in Ojai and will recommend to everyone!
She was accommodating to our vegetarian needs from the get go… and then accommodating to our vegan needs the DAY BEFORE. She proactively offered to provide vegan versions of the menu for some of our dairy-​free participants. Such a thoughtful professional and such a beautiful gesture to make.
Our retreat participants RAVED about the food.
She catered two lunches for more than 50 people over two days:
DAY ONE MENU: Asian Themed
Vegetarian Rice Paper Wraps With Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce Filled With Crisp Vegetables And Tofu With Fresh Mint And Cilantro
Vegetarian Sushi Rolls… Some…Avocado, Carrots & Spicy Cashew Butter /​Some… Miso-​Sweet Potato Filling with black sesame seeds
Crunchy Asian Salad With Miso Vinaigrette with Scallions And Ginger
dessert– Coconut Chocolate Macaroons
DAY TWO MENU: South of the Border
Sweet Potato, Kale & Black Bean Enchilada Bake Layered With Corn Tortillas Melted Queso Fresco And Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde — Avocado Cream On The Side
Mexican Cabbage Salad With Cilantro-​Lime Vinaigrette and Toasted Sunflower Seeds
dessert — Mexican Cinnamon-​Chile Scented Brownies
Thank you Robin! You helped to make our retreat yummy and beautiful!

Robin catered my wedding on 7÷27÷2013, and I could not have asked for a better experience!
The food was DELICIOUS (menu posted below) — my guests couldn’t stop talking about it! We had an outdoor ceremony and outdoor reception, with the appetizers served at the ceremony site and the buffet-​style dinner served at the reception site, and Robin did an incredible job of coordinating with our two different locations and doing it all out-​of-​doors. Robin set up a tent in the reception venue (it was a large backyard) where she cooked and heated the food, so all of our guests (we had around 130 attend and eat at the wedding!) got to enjoy piping hot fresh, organic food.
Robin’s staff were wonderful — friendly, professional and efficient, and she even coordinated with the bartenders and cake baker (both hired separately) to make sure everything ran smoothly — which it did!
I also cannot express how helpful Robin was in the planning process; she obviously has catered many weddings and large events in the past, and she was invaluable in helping us figure out how we wanted to organize the wedding.
All in all, our wedding was a huge success, in large part thanks to Robin!
Here’s our delicious menu:
Appetizers:
–Ceviche (made with Chilean Sea Bass)
–Beef Empanadas
–Sweet Potato Empanadas
Main Course/​Buffet:
-«Tomato mania» and grilled peach salad with basil oil with aged crumbled goat cheese
–Tri tip with cowboy cocoa-​coffee spice rub with smoked paprika and garlic
–Roasted salmon fillet chimichurri with meyer lemon
–Grilled asparagus and artichoke with lavender-​sea salt
–Tri color quinoa with pears, toasted almonds, dried plums, mint and citrus
–White Bean and Potato Salad Tossed With Cannellini Beans, Organic Kale And Roasted Peppers
There was also breads and breadsticks with olive oil and olives on each table.