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Private senior companion care in Kelowna
Senior companion care with a Red Seal Chef.
Spend an afternoon cooking, talking, getting out of the house, running a few errands or simply enjoying some good company. Steve spends 4 to 6 hours with each client, and every visit follows the person.
Good food. Good company. Something to look forward to.
Sometimes you just want someone around.
You can live independently, manage your own life and still miss having someone to cook with.
Or someone to go to the market with.
Someone who'll sit down for lunch rather than dropping something off and leaving.
Someone who has time for the long version of the story.
Companion Chef gives older adults a regular 4 to 6 hour visit with Steve, a Red Seal Chef who loves food, conversation and the ordinary things that make an afternoon good.
Your afternoon, your way
What should we do today?
There is no standard Companion Chef itinerary. Cooking often gives the day a natural centre. The rest depends on what sounds good, what needs doing and what kind of day you're having.
Cook something together
Pull out an old favourite, try something new, or finally make the recipe you've been talking about for six months.
Sit down and eat
A proper dinner, eaten together. No meal dropped at the door. No eating over the sink.
Plan a few meals
Figure out what sounds good for the next few days, make a grocery list, or prepare something extra for later.
Go somewhere
The farmers market. Coffee. A walk by the lake. The butcher. A favourite shop. Wherever the afternoon takes you.
Run some errands
Groceries, pharmacy, post office, or picking something up around town.
Get something sorted
A stubborn iPad. A recipe drawer. Planning the family birthday dinner. Some small thing that's been sitting on the list.
Just visit
Sometimes the best use of an afternoon is coffee at the kitchen table and nowhere else you need to be.
One simple rule
The visit follows the person.
Why food?
Food gives the afternoon somewhere to begin.
Cooking is unusually good company. There is something to do with your hands while the conversation wanders. An old recipe brings up a story. A trip for tomatoes becomes an excuse to get out.
Something starts smelling good. Eventually you sit down and eat what you made. Companion Chef takes Steve's professional kitchen experience somewhere much more personal: around your kitchen table.
Regular company, at your pace
Choose the rhythm that fits.
Some people want a familiar face every week. Others want a good afternoon together once or twice a month.
Weekly
Every Week
One 4 to 6 hour visit every week
Groceries additional.
Regular time together creates familiarity. Steve gets to know what you like to cook, where you like to go, what you've already told him three times and which stories are worth hearing again anyway.
Approximate monthly cost: $1,040
Ask about this rhythmEvery two weeks
Twice A Month
One 4 to 6 hour visit every two weeks
Groceries additional.
A regular afternoon together twice a month, with enough consistency for a genuine relationship to develop.
Approximate monthly cost: $650
Ask about this rhythmMonthly
Once A Month
One 4 to 6 hour visit each month
Groceries additional.
A substantial companion day each month for cooking, going out, getting a few things done or simply having some company.
Monthly cost: $360
Ask about this rhythmEvery option includes the same flexible Companion Chef experience. Frequency is the only difference.
Meet Steve
Red Seal Chef. Genuinely good company.
Steve Stewart is a Red Seal Chef, a BC Wine Ambassador and holds WSET Level 1 in Wine.
Those are the credentials.
The more relevant qualification for Companion Chef is that Steve genuinely likes people.
He's curious about what your mother used to cook, what you're making for dinner, where you buy the good tomatoes and why nobody can make your grandmother's pie quite properly anymore.
He's comfortable in a kitchen. He's comfortable around a table. And he knows the real value of cooking together is everything that happens around the food: choosing what to make, chopping and stirring, stories surfacing, conversation wandering, sitting down for dinner, and having nowhere else you need to be.
For sons, daughters and families
You can't always be there. Someone good can be.
Your parent may be doing perfectly well on their own. They may also be eating more meals alone, getting out a little less and having fewer ordinary afternoons with another person around.
Companion Chef gives them someone familiar to cook with, talk with, go somewhere with or simply spend part of the day beside. Because Steve spends several hours with each person, he actually gets to know them.
The same person comes back
Companion Chef is built around a real relationship with Steve, with no rotating schedule of unfamiliar people.
There's time to actually do something
Four to six hours gives the afternoon room to breathe. Cook something. Go somewhere. Sit down and eat. Stay for the story.
You can hear how the visit went
With the client's agreement, family can receive a brief update about what they did and how the afternoon went.
Would this feel good?
This might be a good fit if...
Sometimes company is enough of a reason.
- You live independently and enjoy your own company, although you'd happily trade one quiet afternoon for a more interesting one.
- You miss cooking with someone.
- You'd like a reason to go to the market, grab coffee or take a walk.
- Cooking for one has become pretty uninspiring.
- You have family nearby, although everyone seems to have seventeen things happening at once.
- Your family lives somewhere else.
- You could use an extra pair of hands for the ordinary stuff.
- You'd enjoy having someone familiar around regularly.
- You have absolutely no interest in traditional home care, because you don't need it.
Clear from the start
A little important housekeeping.
Companion Chef provides non-medical senior companionship and practical everyday support.
Companion Chef can include
- Companionship
- Cooking and shared meals
- Meal planning and grocery shopping
- Errands and outings
- Walks
- Light practical help
- Support with everyday activities
- Transportation during agreed activities, subject to service policies
Companion Chef does not provide
- Nursing or medical care
- Medication administration
- Bathing, toileting or dressing
- Personal hygiene care
- Transfers
- Hands-on mobility assistance
- Clinical monitoring
If you're unsure whether Companion Chef is appropriate for your family member, a conversation with Steve is the easiest place to start.
Service area
Serving the Central Okanagan.
Live nearby? Ask. Depending on Steve's schedule, other Central Okanagan locations may be possible.
Good questions
A few things you may be wondering.
How long is a Companion Chef visit?+
Most visits are approximately 4 to 6 hours. The exact length depends on what you feel like doing that day.
Do we have to cook?+
No. Food is part of Steve's background and often gives the visit a natural centre, but every afternoon is flexible.
Can Steve cook meals for later?+
Yes. If it makes sense during the visit, Steve can help prepare something extra for later or help plan meals for the coming days.
Can we go out during the visit?+
Yes. Coffee, groceries, farmers markets, walks and everyday errands can all be part of the afternoon.
Are groceries included?+
No. Groceries and other purchases made for the client are additional.
Is Companion Chef home care?+
Companion Chef provides non-medical companion care. Steve doesn't provide nursing, personal care, medication administration or hands-on mobility assistance.
Will Steve always be the person who visits?+
Yes. Companion Chef is intentionally built around a direct relationship with Steve.
Can family receive an update?+
Yes, when the client wants that. Steve can send a short note after the visit letting family know what they did and how the afternoon went.
Can we start monthly and change later?+
Yes, subject to availability. Families can change frequency as needs and schedules evolve.
The easiest place to start
Maybe you should meet Steve.
Tell Steve a little about yourself or your family member, what an ordinary week looks like and what kind of company would actually be enjoyable. Then see whether it feels like a fit.