This month's Pacesetter Chef, Maurita Plouff (also known as Madame the Chef) has enjoyed cooking ever since she became tall enough to reach the counter. About three years ago, with her elderly mother facing severe health problems, she left the fast paced world of high-technology consulting to start a new business that would allow her to be at home when needed, but also provide expanded opportunities later on. Madame the Chef Personal Chef Service started small, but has been a thriving business since its inception.

Having lived with the pressure of long hours and busy schedules, Maurita knew she could make a contribution to a better way of life for people who are stressed and out of time. Madame the Chef can simplify a client's busy life by providing healthy, home-cooked, preservative free food.

Maurita's cooking experience includes catering for various groups under less than perfect conditions, including the Warbirds of America at the EAA Fly-in at Oshkosh, where a tiny crew working in a little shack serve several hundred hungry people daily. She can produce a superlative dinner for 30 using a 2-burner Coleman stove, but prefers a nice big kitchen with lots of counter space.

"I am so thankful for the Personal Chefs Network", says chef Maurita. "The support and advice available from the professionals  of PCN has a big impact. I have colleagues nationwide, and each one has something to teach and learn." Many of Madame's customer favorites have appeared on the recipe bulletin board at PCN. Maurita writes The Tired Chef for the quarterly PCN newsletter, featuring "no-work" family recipes.

When not cooking for clients, Maurita is often found in her kitchen, nursing an ancient sourdough culture, making preserves and herb vinegars, or developing yet another recipe for first-class brownies. She grows a variety of herbs and is often found in Michigan's fields and orchards, hunting for the freshest berries, fruit, and vegetables.