Personal chef services based in Leander

A mutual passion for cooking brought chefs Jay and Janelle Reynolds together, and they say it is that force that keeps their business running smoothly.

Under the name @ Large, the couple offers personal chef services based out of their Leander home. The duo creates custom menus for special events and then prepares and serves the meals on-site. Many clients call on them for holiday parties, graduations and weddings, Jay said.

"I may do some of the prep work here so it comes off seamless, but we are doing all of the cooking out of their kitchens and off of their grills. This gives us the opportunity to serve food at the peak of its quality," he said.

Both Jay and Janelle say they grew up around grandmothers who made food from scratch. But it was only after leaving the Navy that Janelle said she realized her dream to become a chef, which led to meeting her husband and business partner about nine years ago.

"I moved to Austin and I enrolled in culinary school, and this guy was my teacher. I waited until I got out of his class and asked him out," she said. "The love for my husband aside, he's one of the best teachers I ever had because he has so much passion for our craft. And he's a walking encyclopedia of food knowledge."

Unlike in traditional catering, each @ Large meal is custom-designed to meet the client's wants and is often based on seasonal ingredients. Janelle said during events, she and her staff—composed mostly of former culinary students and professional colleagues—often become part of the show.

"At some point in the evening, the guests end up migrating to the kitchen, seeing what we have stirring on the stove and talking to us about what's on the menu. What we really enjoy doing for our clients is bringing the restaurant experience into their homes," Janelle said. "There's no stress for our clients when we are involved because we do all the work, and we come prepared with everything that we need. We do plated dinners, buffets, whatever the client wants."

Jay and Janelle also raise their son, Jace, while maintaining full-time jobs outside of @ Large, Janelle said. They plan to open a restaurant in the Leander and Cedar Park area within the next two years that reflects their "locally sourced and globally inspired" concept.

"This has been giving us a chance to really develop our style of food together and create a following," Janelle said. "It's been a plan of ours all along to open a restaurant so that we can continue to work together and raise our family."

@Large, 512-350-6365, [email protected]