A CHEF OF YOUR OWN TIRE? HUNGRY? A PRIVATE CHEF CAN HAVE DINNER READY WHEN YOU ARE.

Byline: Natalie Haughton

Food Editor

In Tinseltown, if you have a private chef to look after your culinary needs, you've arrived.

Whether you want lunch and dinner on the table for the family five nights a week, or plan to entertain at a last-minute dinner party for 25, Richard Florczak can create it.

The private chef has worked for several Hollywood A-listers, including Jennifer Garner, but his gig for the last decade has been preparing meals for Mel Gibson and his family.

Every weekday at noon, you'll find Florczak driving across town from his home in Agoura Hills and stopping to pick up the highest-quality groceries. (He calls the markets -- Pacific Coast Greens in Malibu, Whole Foods and Bristol Farms -- ahead for details on the freshest produce, deli items, meats, poultry, seafood, etc.) Shopping seasonally takes about

1 1/2 hours daily. He then heads to Gibson's home to starting cooking lunch and dinner, usually arriving around 1:30 p.m.

"Lunch is casual -- sandwiches, salads, etc," says Florczak. At dinner, an entree, vegetables and salad are routine, along with dessert twice a week.

"I cook enough for nine or 10 people every day at dinner."

Usually by 7 p.m. he's finished his culinary magic for the day, served the evening meal family style, cleaned up, left the kitchen spotless and is headed back home, unless he's cooking for an occasional special dinner party.

The work might sound glamorous (traveling is, but cleaning a stove isn't, he notes), but he's a one-man show with no assistants. However, he's not complaining.

"What's cool about my position here is that it's truly the kind of job that private chefs pray for. The boss always treats me with the utmost respect and they (the family) like everything (I cook)," says Florczak, adding that they don't eat high-end cooking every night.

Garner also enjoyed his creations when her busy schedule led to the need for a private chef.

"The meals were always fresh, healthy, delicious and beautifully presented," she writes in the forward to his self-published cookbook, "The Private Chef" (Hamilton Group; $29.95). The book includes more than 60 easy, attractive recipes, some that have been enjoyed by his clients over the years.

"The most difficult part of the job is coming up with a different menu every day that appeals to adults and kids," says Florczak. "I take standard dishes and create a twist."

Food magazines and cookbooks often inspire him. Although he favors Asian cuisine, he cooks a wide range of creations, mostly without recipes. Taste and presentation are of the utmost importance.

On any given night, the family might be dining on Scorpion Rolls, Pan Seared Sea Bass With Black Bean Sauce, Malaysian Noodles With Chicken and Spinach, Grilled Filet Mignon With Horseradish Sauce, Blazing Shrimp With Cool Cilantro Sauce or Poached Asian Pears with Cinnamon Chopsticks.

On the weekends, the Gibsons are on their own. Florczak might leave some prepared food in the fridge or an array of ingredients handy so they can ad lib.

"My (cooking) motto is, I will cut a corner if it doesn't cut quality."

He uses canned Italian tomatoes for a consistent sauce and little containers of chicken, veal, mushroom or seafood demi glace to make classic French sauces fast.

Florczak became interested in food during his childhood years, when he helped his mother cook ("she's still the greatest cook") while growing up in Bound Brook, N.J. He was exposed to many ethnic foods, along with scallops, seafood, desserts and much more.

Although he has a bachelor's degree in film and made his way to California in 1985 to work in the "biz," it's in cooking that he's found his niche.

"One day while working a catering job, I heard another chef say that he was the personal chef to Amy Irving. It piqued my interest, so I picked his brain."

Then it was on to professional cooking and baking courses at UCLA Extension and elsewhere to get into the private chef field (restaurants turned him off). Soon he landed an entry-level job as a cook/driver for world-renown architect Charles Luckman (now deceased), which lasted four years.

His first "real" private chef job was cooking lunch and a formal four-course dinner Monday through Friday for three years for a Los Angeles philanthropist and her husband. A two-year position with a jet-setting celebrity was next.

Burned out after the long and demanding hours, he planned to spend some time traveling. Then a friend said, "I work for Mel Gibson and he is looking for a chef -- and the rest is history."

The job has afforded Florczak an opportunity to see the world. He cooked for Gibson on location in a house near Rome for six weeks. The chef went in advance to familiarize himself with the area and markets and took along his trusty knife bag, tool box and spice box. In his 18 years as a private chef, he's accompanied clients and cooked for them in South Carolina, Colorado, Hawaii, London and Paris.

"Being a private chef is not for everybody," he says, adding that if you have an ego, you'll have to leave it at the front door.

Florczak and his wife of 6 1/2 years, Heidi (her specialty is cheese melted on Triscuits in the microwave, he jokes), enjoy entertaining on weekends. With a pizza oven in their backyard, it's no surprise that pizza is Florczak's passion.

"It is the quinessential perfect food."

Natalie Haughton, [phone]

[e-mail]

Personal vs. private chef: There's a difference

If a private chef is out of your league, consider hiring a personal chef.

"You don't have to be Oprah to have a personal chef," says Candy Wallace, founder and executive director of the San Diego-based American Personal & Private Chefs Association, which represents about 4,500 of the 9,000 working personal chefs in this country.

Personal chefs, estimated to be serving 72,000 clients in the United States, provide customized Monday-through-Friday meal support and convenience for busy people who don't have time to cook but prefer home-cooked meals prepared with fresh ingredients.

A personal chef usually works for several people, and shops and cooks numerous custom meals on an appointed day in a client's home kitchen. Once prepared, the entrees or meals are packaged and stored in the refrigerator or freezer with instructions so the client can heat them before serving. The chef cleans up and leaves the kitchen as he or she found it.

Many regular clients of personal chefs also hire them to cater small dinner parties and events, says Wallace, co-author of the just-released book "The Professional Personal Chef," written with Greg Forte (John Wiley and Sons; $50).

To serve multiple clients in a day and expand their businesses, some personal chefs are renting out and cooking in commercial kitchen space and delivering the meals.

Wallace says personal chefs charge an average of $200 to $400 a day (depending on level of culinary service) plus the cost of the food -- which averages out to about $15 to $18 per person per entree. Typically, the chefs cook five different customized entrees for four people in a day.

For more information on personal and private chefs or to hire one, go to:

American Personal & Private Chef Association -- www.personalchef.com; [phone].

United States Personal Chef Association -- www.uspca.com; [phone].

Richard Florczak -- www.theprivatechef.com

-- N.H.

GRILLED FILET MIGNON WITH HORSERADISH SAUCE

4 (8-ounce) beef filet mignon steaks

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 pint (1 cup) sour cream

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish 

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Heat outdoor grill to high. Brush steaks with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill steaks 5 minutes per side. Place steaks on a baking sheet, transfer to a preheated 400-degree oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes for medium.

In a small bowl, mix sour cream, horseradish, mustard and salt to taste; set aside. After removing steaks from oven, let rest 5 minutes. Serve steaks atop sauteed fresh spinach, if desired, and serve with horseradish sauce alongside.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe from Richard Florczak.

MANDARIN SESAME VINAIGRETTE

Of all my salad dressings, this is the most popular. It always receives rave reviews.

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 thin slice fresh ginger

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons orange juice

3/4 cup canola oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a blender, cover and blend until ginger and garlic are dissolved. While blender is running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until incorporated. Use immediately or cover tightly and refrigerate until serving time.

Makes 1 1/2 cups

From "The Private Chef," by Richard Florczak.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD 

1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried and shredded

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced julienne 

1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced julienne

1 yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced julienne

2 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced into 2-inch long julienne strips

1 cup snow peas, blanched and cooled, strings removed

3 green onions, sliced (green parts only)

2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast

Mandarin Sesame Vinaigrette (see recipe above)

Place all ingredients except Mandarin Sesame Vinaigrette in a mixing bowl. Toss with a light coating of Mandarin Sesame Vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

From "The Private Chef," by Richard Florczak.

MALAYSIAN NOODLES WITH CHICKEN AND SPINACH

1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

4 teaspoons regular soy sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

1 cup water

1/4 cup peanut oil

8 ounces fresh baby spinach

1 (12-ounce) package dry chow mein noodles, cooked in boiling water, drained and rinsed with cold water until cool

Mix chicken, regular soy sauce, garlic and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together dark soy sauce, cornstarch and water. Heat peanut oil in a wok or frying pan until hot. Add chicken mixture and stir-fry until almost cooked through. Stir in spinach.

Add cooked noodles (rinsed under cold water to separate) to wok or pan with chicken and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir dark soy sauce mixture, then stir into mixture in wok or pan, tossing until noodle mixture clears, thickens and is hot. Serve on a large dish or in individual bowls.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Recipe from Richard Florczak.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE PIZZAS

4 (8-inch) prepared pizza crusts (such as Boboli)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 quart fresh strawberries, rinsed, dried, hulled and thinly sliced

Mint sprigs, for garnish

Lightly brush edges of crusts with butter. Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over edges of crusts. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven 5 minutes or until crusts become crispy. Remove crusts from oven and cool.

Whip cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread cream cheese over center of crusts to within 1/2 inch of edges. Arrange strawberries in starburst patterns/designs over cream cheese. Garnish with mint sprigs. Cut into slices to serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Recipe from Richard Florczak.

BLAZING SCORPION SHRIMP WITH COOL CILANTRO SAUCE

SHRIMP:

16 large peeled and deveined shrimp, tails left on, if desired

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon paprika 

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

CILANTRO SAUCE:

1 cup chicken stock OR broth

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 shallot, chopped

Fresh cilantro for garnish

For Shrimp, in a large bowl, toss shrimp with oil to coat. Mix paprika, cayenne and salt; sprinkle over shrimp, toss and set aside.

For Cilantro Sauce, place all sauce ingredients except garnish in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook sauce until it is reduced by half. Let cool, puree in a blender and strain sauce into a bowl.

Cook shrimp on a hot grill until slightly blackened and cooked through (will take only a few minutes). Spoon 1/4 of Cilantro Sauce onto each of 4 serving plates. Top each plate with 4 shrimp and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe from Richard Florczak.

HOT CRAB GRATINEE

1 pound fresh OR frozen, thawed and well-drained Dungeness OR Snow crab

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 French baguette, cut into slices AND/OR assorted crackers

In a large saucepan, combine crab, cream cheese, mayonnaise, 1/2 of Cheddar cheese and horseradish. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly heated.

Spoon crab mixture into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese. Place under a hot broiler until cheese is melted and begins to brown. Accompany with bread slices or crackers.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

From "The Private Chef," by Richard Florczak.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Creating an appetite

Private chef Richard Florczak has recipes even finicky stars eat up

(2 -- color) Richard Florczak, who cooks for Mel Gibson's family, displays Malaysian Noodles With Chicken and Spinach, one of the recipes from his arsenal.

(3 -- 4 -- color) Blazing Scorpion Shrimp With Cool Cilantro Sauce and Strawberry Cream Cheese Pizza are two of the many recipes that Florczak, an Agoura Hills resident, cooks for his clients in their home kitchens.

(5 -- color) GRILLED FILET MIGNON WITH HORSERADISH SAUCE

(6 -- color) MALAYSIAN NOODLES WITH CHICKEN AND SPINACH

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(5 -- color) no caption ("The Private Chef")

Box:

Personal vs. private chef: There's a difference (see text)