Chef & Culinary Arts Services
Taste That

Dinners cooked in your kitchen, and classes that teach children and adults to cook for real.

Chef Yen  ·  Classically trained  ·  Inquire about a date
I
French
Technique, sauce work, pastry
II
Latin
Sofrito, empanada, coconut rice
III
Asian Fusion
Umami, balance, heat
IV
Mediterranean
Herbs, olive oil, brightness
V
American Bistro
Comfort, done properly
What I do

Two ways to work together.

Most chefs cook one cuisine. Years of work across five means a menu built for your table, not pulled off a list.

Intimate Dinners

From $450  ·  groceries billed at cost

Multi-course dinners prepared and served in your home. Anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, or a Tuesday that deserves better.

Date night2 guestsfrom $450
Small gathering3 to 6 guestsfrom $650
Dinner party7 to 8 guestsfrom $900
Larger parties9 or morecustom quote

Chef fee shown; groceries billed at cost, plus NJ sales tax.

  • Menu built around your guests
  • Dietary needs and allergies accommodated
  • Plated or family style
  • Kitchen left cleaner than I found it

Cooking Classes

From $40 per session  ·  four-week series

Hands-on classes for children and adults, grouped by skill rather than age. Everyone eats what they make, and leaves with the recipe.

  • Six students per session
  • Knife skills through composing a full plate
  • Recipe card each week, bound at the end
  • Adult and parent sessions by request
  • Sponsored seats for families who need them
Empanadas being filled and folded by hand, with a rolling pin behind Close-up of golden fried empanadas
Coming soon The Fold Up Empanadas made from scratch with my own sofrito: chicken, beef, and vegetable, plus a gluten-free empanada made with yuca.
Coming soon That Sofrito Tho My sofrito and marinades, the same base that goes into every empanada, bottled for your kitchen.
Coming soon Taste That Flavor Dry seasoning blends from my kitchen to yours, for the dishes you already love to make.
From the kitchen

Five kitchens, one table.

Whole fried fish on a white platter with lime wedges and fresh herbs
Golden pan-fried cake topped with a poached egg, cilantro and a bright pepper sauce
Brunch display of strawberries, grapes, blueberries and blackberries with small dishes alongside
Plated dinner over potato purée with asparagus, roasted peppers and a dark reduction
Seared shrimp with arugula and mushrooms
Seared scallops on quinoa with an herb purée
Seared tuna steak over potatoes with arugula and roasted tomatoes
Lemon tart with curled citrus peel and lit birthday candles
Cheesecake ringed with fresh strawberries and raspberries, decorated for a birthday
Who's cooking

Chef Yen Helms

I started cooking young, long before I knew it would be a career. What began as something I did for the feeling of it became years of professional work and a classical culinary education.

My cooking style is of French techniques with different cultural fusions that carry a Latin flair. The cooking path that I have followed is one of creating great flavors, and meals with ingredients at hand that are fresh, healthy and purposeful for a healthy lifestyle. Food is health, and a good table should be where people meet and leave feeling their best.

I live and work in northern New Jersey, where I also teach. Every class series sets aside seats at no cost for children whose families can't afford tuition.

TrainedThe French Culinary Institute, New York, under Dean Jacques Pépin (now the International Culinary Center)
ExperienceYears of professional work across five cuisines
ServingNorthern New Jersey & surrounding
GivingSponsored class seats, through Maria's Daughter, Inc.
Giving back

Maria's Daughter

Maria's Daughter, Inc. is a faith-based nonprofit I founded and named for my mother, Maria. Its work is food education and culinary enrichment for the next generation, especially children who have come through trauma and children without families, and the families who carry them.

A kitchen is one of the few places a child can be fully present: hands busy, making something real, fed by their own work. Taste That is my business. Maria's Daughter is how that work reaches the children who need it most, starting with sponsored seats in my classes.

Taste That LLC and Maria's Daughter, Inc. are separate organizations. Payments to Taste That are not donations. Gifts to Maria's Daughter are made directly through its website.

Maria's Daughter, Inc.

501(c)(3) public charity  ·  New Jersey
  • Sponsored seats in Taste That cooking classes
  • Food education for children and families
  • Faith-based, community-rooted
Visit Maria's Daughter
Get in touch

Tell me about your table.

Dinners, classes, or something you haven't figured out yet. Send a note and I'll get back to you.

Or reach me directly  ·  tastethatllc@gmail.com  ·  571-577-3443