Jan. 23, 2020

Chef Ellen Doerr is opening a retail location where customers can buy grab-and-go meals or pick up prepared orders that she will cook on-site.

Doerr, who started her personal chef business Chef Ellen two years ago, is leasing the former Cheese World space in a retail center at 69th Street and Western Avenue. She will build an open kitchen at the site, which also will allow her to host cooking classes for up to a dozen people and private parties such as bridal and baby showers that will include the preparation of food.

“I like the personal aspect of being a personal chef,” Doerr said. “I don’t want to be the chef stuck in the kitchen. I want to share that love of cooking and food.”

Doerr has been working out of commercial kitchen space that she shares with a catering business, but juggling schedules can be tricky, she said. She recently worked overnight to fill orders. Now, she’ll also have more room to store inventory, which will allow her to take advantage of good buys on ingredients.

The chef, who is a graduate of the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Colorado, started her business cooking out of clients’ homes and expanded her clientele with a website that allows customers to order individual or family meals every week that she then delivers. They order from a choice of rotating entrees or build their own “mix and match” meals. She also offers entrees that follow keto-friendly diets and The Ideal Weigh plan. She envisions expanding offerings to include vegan meals and more seasonal selections.

“The transition will be to stock that variety at the store,” said Doerr, who will use the open coolers that were filled with cheese to hold the grab-and-go meals. “If people want to pre-order, they will be able to.” Instead of taking meals to customers’ homes herself, she might work with a delivery service.

She’s looking forward to having people stop in the store to talk about how she can help them eat healthier.

She’ll continue to cook out of clients’ homes, mainly for those with severe food allergies. Using their cookware and utensils ensures their safety, she said.

Doerr plans to use her new space to help other small businesses too. Her lease will allow her to sublease the kitchen area.

“Hopefully, that will help people who are starting out to have a place to cook out of and a place to sell their food. There’s a couple of people I’ve been chatting with, and we’re excited to see what possibilities it will bring.”

She hopes to be open in March. Doerr knows the store will be closed on Sundays but hasn’t set a schedule yet.