Chef Elena Thomas

Personal Chef in Peterborough

I am a professional chef with over 20 years of experience, having worked in Toronto for many years where I explored a wide range of cuisines. From burgers and brisket to truffles and tteok-bokki, my career has allowed me to cook across styles and cultures.

I love experimenting with new ingredients and techniques to create unforgettable dishes, and I look forward to crafting the perfect culinary experience with you.

For me, cooking is...

What sustains me, in more ways than one.

I learned to cook at...

Many different restaurants over the years, from pubs to fine dining, learning new skills and flavours at each one.

A cooking secret...

Sourcing local seasonal ingredients and showcasing them with unique flavour combinations

My menus

Fancy -2

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Saffron Arancini, lemon verde

Scallop crudo, citrus, fennel, capers

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Fresh tomato, burrata, chilli oil, herbs

Seared radicchio, charred grapes, ricotta, balsamic glaze

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Braised beef cheek, red wine jus, soft polenta, sautéed greens

Chicken tourte, wild mushrooms, parsnip

Hand made Linguini with clams, pancetta, white wine cream sauce

Truffled mushroom ravioli, hazelnut purée

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Hibiscus lemon posset, honey tuile

Chocolate espresso mousse cake, cocoa tuile

Classic crème brûlée

Fancy - 1

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Cured salmon, beet jam, fennel, grapefruit, puffed wild rice

Fresh tomato, burrata, chili oil, herbs

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Porcini truffle ravioli, leek purée, cured egg yolk, pecorino Romano

Riesling poached pear galette, Roquefort cream, hazelnut praline

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Braised beef cheek, red wine jus, soft polenta, sautéed greens

Porchetta, celeriac purée, fennel relish, seasonal veg

Juniper scented duck ragu, potato gnocchi, pecorino

Gnocchi, Gorgonzola cream, pomegranate

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Chocolate espresso mousse cake

Classic crème brûlée

Seasonal fruit pavlova

Delux dinner - 1

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Cucumber ribbons, crispy rice, sesame, furikake

White fish ceviche, kimchi, cured egg yolk

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Asparagus, Gruyère cream, rye crisp

Fresh tomato, burrata, chili oil, yuzu, microgreens

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

White bean miso agnolotti, green pea purée, black garlic oil, snap peas

Sous vide steak, jumbo shrimp, crispy polenta, corn, creole butter

Pork belly, rhubarb, white turnip

Szechuan duck breast, squash purée, green apple

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Chocolate espresso mousse cake, cocoa tuile

Seasonal fruit pavlova

Hibiscus lemon panna cotta, honey tuile

Delux dinner - 2

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Scallop crudo, citrus, fennel, capers

Duck croquette, cherry, pickled daikon

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Prosciutto parsnip tortellini, miso broth, Asian pear

Honey roasted beets, burrata, raspberry balsamic coulis, arugula, basil tuile

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Braised beef short ribs, pommes purée, beet Demi, horseradish crema

Porcini and leek tourtiere, seasonal veg

Porchetta, celeriac purée, fennel relish, seasonal veg

Szechuan duck breast, fois gras, squash purée, green apple

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Hibiscus lemon posset, honey tuile

Tres leche tiramisu

Chocolate espresso mousse cake, cocoa tuile

Delux dinner - 3

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Duck croquette, cherry, pickled daikon

Scallop crudo, citrus, fennel, capers

Kimchi tortellini, miso Parmesan broth, pickled Asian pear

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Asparagus, Gruyère cream, rye crisp

Fresh tomato, burrata, chilli oil, furikake

Cucumber ribbons, crispy rice, sesame, furikake

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Beef 2 ways - seared tenderloin, braised beef cheek, duxelles truffle butter, potato pave, Demi glaze

Crispy polenta, wine braised leeks, king oyster mushrooms, mushroom Demi glaze, black garlic oil

Pork belly, rhubarb, white turnip

Szechuan duck breast, fois gras, squash purée, green apple

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Hibiscus lemon panna cotta, honey tuile

Tres leche tiramisu

Chocolate espresso mousse cake, cocoa tuile

Fancy - 3

STARTER

Choose 1 dish

Leek and potato soup

FIRST COURSE

Choose 1 dish

Tomato and whipped ricotta salad with balsamic, herbs, and chili oil

Arugula salad with fennel, grapes, cucumber, feta, lemon basil dressing

MAIN COURSE

Choose 2 dishes

Red wine braised short ribs, garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal veg, horseradish crema

Steak + shrimp with Cajun butter, garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal veg

DESSERT

Choose 1 dish

Sticky toffee pudding

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Chef Elena's reviews

4.7

•

68 services

We enjoyed a delicious 4 course meal from chef Elena, for my 40th birthday celebration. All courses were really good, most surprising was the Roquefort - Pear Gilette! Communication was smooth and easy and she was very flexible in co-curating the menu, and went above and beyond to include something special for our kids as well.

Great communication and professionalism and the food was amazing

We had Chef Elena come and prepare a Thanksgiving Dinner for our extended family. We chose to do the full service, so she arrived and unpacked and warmed up a few things, prepared the dishes family style, set our table and served us dinner. Every dish was delicious! Especially the pumpkin pie! Chef Elena cleaned up headed out. Everyone raved about the food! It was the perfect Thanksgiving Dinner! Thanks again, Chef Elena!

Terrific meal. Great variety of menu items to choose from. Kitchen was left spotless.

We had a great experience with Chef Elena! She was very easy to communicate with leading up to the dinner, and able to accommodate our food requests and restrictions!

She was fantastic, this was the second time our group has had her come cook for us and both times we were blown away with how amazing everything was.

Chef Elena gave us an unforgettable experience for our dad’s birthday celebration! The food and service were impeccable and we would recommend her unreservedly to anyone looking for a truly inspired culinary adventure.

Elena catered a fantastic four course dinner for our bachelorette weekend up north. She was very pleasant and professional throughout the entire process, from selecting the menu options in advance to the full service the night of. Elena’s dinner was the highlight of our entire weekend - we could not stop talking about the truffle porcini ravioli! She was very attentive without imposing on our meal, a difficult balance to strike! She also left the kitchen spotless after her service (even stacking the other dishes that were in the dish washer for us to put away). I would highly recommend her service to anyone!

We used Chef Elena to cater our weekend yoga & wellness retreat and she was amazing (five stars.) The feedback from our participants was amazing and we will definitely be using her again. Thanks Elena!!

Highly recommend

Chef Elena was an incredible addition to our Cottage Weekend!! She was so well prepared, punctual and friendly! Her food was delicious and Abundant! All 13 of us agreed that having her there was the most special part of the entire weekend! I will definitely be hiring her again for cottage weekends!

Chef Elena was punctual, the food was incredible and she was so quick with cleaning as well, we didn't even realize it was time for her to leave at the end. The kitchen was sparkling and we all felt so relaxed knowing we just enjoyed a perfectly timed meal and had nothing to do after but enjoy another glass of wine. Thank you Chef Elena for such a lovely meal and evening.

What a dream experience. Every course was phenomenal, and beautiful. Chef Elena was flexible and accommodating. Can’t wait to book her service again.

Chef Elena was extremely punctual, professional, and respectful. The dishes were fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented. I would highly hire Chef Elena again!

Elena and her staff were excellent. The food was prepared very well and served professionally. Everything tasted delicious and was presented very well. Elena put together a menu that met all our food restrictions and preferences. Everyone loved the meal. They worked great, were done on time and cleaned up the entire kitchen. Thanks for an excellent meal and great evening!

Elena was incredible! She prepared and cooked 4 meals for our elopement weekend that were absolutely incredible. She accommodated a dinner pick-up on Day 1, cooked and served 2 meals (breakfast and dinner) on Day 2, and even left us prepped food for Day 3 breakfast. After hearing the dietary restrictions, she absolutely nailed the weekend menu right out the gate with very few modifications from our side. The food was fantastic, aesthetically pleasing, and delicious. Elena even shared some of her secrets to some exceptional breakfast potatoes. 10/10 would recommend her to anyone looking to cater a dinner party or family function!