A Day in the Life of Rezdôra
More than just cooking: shopping, planning, research and personalised meal prep in Amsterdam.
Have you ever wondered what a typical working day looks like for Rezdôra?
Most people see the cooking part, but there’s quite a lot happening before I even arrive at a client’s home. And, believe it or not, the work doesn’t necessarily end when I leave their kitchen.
So here’s a little look behind the scenes of my home cooking and meal prep service in Amsterdam.
7 AM – The Day Begins (With Food, Obviously!)
My day usually starts around seven in the morning.
First things first: breakfast and packed lunches for my family. Yes, even someone who spends a good part of her day cooking for other people still has to sort out breakfast and lunch at home!
Once everyone is fed and organised, it’s time to take my daughter to school.
Whenever my schedule allows, I squeeze in a gym session. As a woman in my fifties, I know how important it is to stay healthy and maintain muscle strength, so I aim for four sessions a week, whether it’s strength training, Pilates or cardio.
Do I love going? Not particularly. But I know it’s good for me!
One Client a Day – And There’s a Reason for That
Before we get to the cooking, there’s something important I’d like to explain about how I run Rezdôra.
As a rule, I only book one client per day.
There are occasional exceptions, of course, but this is a deliberate choice.
Why?
Because I want my clients to know they can count on me, not just on their regular cooking day.
By keeping my schedule flexible, I leave room for those unexpected requests. Perhaps a client needs an extra cooking session, has guests coming over or simply needs my help on a different day.
For me, a personalised service isn’t just about what I cook. It’s also about being there when my clients need me.
Shopping – One of My Favourite Parts of the Job
And I absolutely love food shopping.
Not the enormous, soulless supermarket kind, if I can help it.
I’m talking about small, independent food shops, where people know their products and quality really matters.
I’m lucky enough to live in Abcoude, a lovely village just outside Amsterdam, where we have an excellent butcher, fishmonger and greengrocer.
Whenever possible, that’s where I buy ingredients for my clients.
But I’m also constantly discovering new places around Amsterdam.
If I’m working in a particular neighbourhood, I like finding out where the best local shops are. Who sells excellent fish? Where can I find beautiful seasonal vegetables? Is there a butcher worth visiting?
And, just as importantly, are the prices reasonable?
Because let’s be clear: excellent quality doesn’t necessarily have to come with an outrageous price tag.
Some shops have wonderful products, but their prices can be rather ambitious!
My aim is always to find the right balance between quality, freshness and value.
Finally, Time to Cook!
Shopping done, ingredients packed, and off I go to my client’s home.
This is where the main part of my working day begins.
Every household is different, and that’s something I genuinely enjoy about my work.
For me, personalised meal prep isn’t about preparing endless identical containers of food. It’s about cooking proper homemade meals, in my clients’ own kitchens, according to their preferences and dietary requirements.
Some dishes are intended to be enjoyed over the following days, while others can be portioned and frozen for later.
It’s practical, flexible and, above all, tailored to what each client actually wants to eat.
Back Home – But the Working Day Isn’t Over
After cooking, I usually head home.
A little rest, a shower, and then it’s time for the less glamorous side of running a small business.
Invoices, expenses, receipts, administration, taxes, emails and enquiries from potential new clients.
Not exactly the most exciting part of Rezdôra, but unfortunately, cooking doesn’t make the paperwork disappear.
If only!
Once that’s done, however, I get to one of my absolute favourite parts of the job.
Research.
My Cookbook Collection – And the Research Behind Rezdôra
I love cookbooks.
I buy them, collect them, read them and spend a considerable amount of time studying recipes.
But what interests me most isn’t simply discovering a new dish. It’s understanding the recipe behind it.
Sometimes I’ll come across an interesting variation of a traditional recipe and start asking questions.
Why has the author chosen that particular ingredient? Is it a regional variation? Is there a historical reason behind a certain technique? How does it compare with other versions of the same dish?
That’s when the research begins.
I compare recipes from different cookbooks, look at alternative methods and search for additional information online.
I find this process genuinely fascinating.
And while I certainly don’t claim to know everything about cooking, I believe that curiosity, research and a willingness to keep learning are essential.
Cooking is a practical skill, but there’s also an enormous amount of knowledge behind it.
For me, researching recipes isn’t something I do occasionally when I have a spare moment. It’s a regular and important part of my work.
And, fortunately, it’s also something I thoroughly enjoy.
The Weekly Food Cards – Where Everything Comes Together
One of the things I spend a considerable amount of time on is preparing my weekly selection of recipes.
Every week, I aim to put together around six to eight dishes for my clients to consider.
I always start with the seasons.
Seasonal ingredients form the foundation of my recipe collection. I like cooking with what’s available, fresh and at its best.
From there, I adapt the selection according to each client’s preferences and dietary requirements.
That might mean adjusting ingredients, quantities, cooking methods or nutritional balance.
I prepare food cards showing the dishes and their ingredients, giving clients a clear idea of what I could cook for them.
They can choose all the recipes, select just a few or suggest something completely different.
Perhaps they’ve seen a dish on Instagram, discovered something on holiday or simply fancy a particular recipe.
I’m always happy to explore new ideas.
Because, ultimately, the menu should reflect what my clients want to eat, not just what I feel like cooking.
And that’s what makes personalised meal prep so different from simply following a standard weekly menu.
So, Is Rezdôra Just About Cooking?
Well, yes. And no.
Cooking is certainly at the heart of everything I do.
But behind every session in a client’s kitchen, there’s shopping, planning, research, recipe selection and a fair amount of organisation.
I take all these aspects seriously because they contribute to the quality of the final result.
And that’s also why I’ve chosen to keep Rezdôra small and personal.
I don’t want to cook for as many clients as possible. I want to cook well for the clients I have, give them my full attention and offer a service they can genuinely rely on.
After all, good home cooking starts long before the first ingredient goes into the pan.
Buon appetito! ❤️
Chiara
Rezdôra – Personalised home cooking and meal prep in Amsterdam and Abcoude.