This month’s Pacesetter is Chef Caren Levine from Mansfield, Massachusetts. She has been cooking for as long as she can remember. Caren has fond memories of spending much of her childhood assisting her Dad in the kitchen. Though he traveled for business, when he returned home, the pots and pans typically began flying. Eggplant Parmesan immediately comes to mind as a dish they used to spend hours preparing. 

Levine began her adult life in the medical field, first as a Medical Assistant and later as a Department Manager in a large Boston teaching hospital. Though she loved what she did, she was always cooking behind the scenes for friends, family and local restaurants.

After meeting her husband Lew and having their two children, Joshua and Emily, Caren decided to stay home and focus her attention on raising her children. During that time she ran a successful family daycare business. Cooking always played a part in her Preschool curriculum. “The children really enjoyed eating something that they were involved in making.” During that time Caren became host of a local cable television show “Cooking with Caren”. She hosted and produced over 30 different themed episodes with a focus of healthy, everyday cuisine. Her husband also got involved, serving as Director along with three other camera crews. 

When Caren’s children started school she began to look for a way to incorporate her love of cooking into a job she could accomplish during “Mother’s Hours”. “Friends always told me that I should cook for people,” Caren said. She did a little research which opened her eyes to the industry of Personal Cheffing. She knew that this was her answer. She immediately joined Personal Chefs Network and hasn’t regretted that decision for a minute. Caren says, “Sharon and Wendy and the service they offer was invaluable in the start up process of my business and continues to support what I do every day.” Thyme for Dinner, A Personal Chef Service was born two years ago and has been thriving ever since. In addition to cheffing for her regular clients, Caren also enjoys teaching cooking classes to both adults and children. She also offers birthday parties for children as part of her service along with small dinner parties and group gatherings. Caren has attended the last two PCN conventions and was honored to have the opportunity to teach a class at the most recent Boston convention. “The most wonderful thing about PCN is that we all learn so much from each other. It was great to be able to share some of what I’ve learned with others.”

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