Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan Second Wave's On the Ground Battle Creek series.


BATTLE CREEK, MI — Stacey Kornegay says the meals she prepares as a personal chef in the Battle Creek area are medicine for the body.

A client of hers says it’s good-tasting medicine that he’s willing to pay extra for.

“I’m trying to stay away from carbs. Sugar is a trigger for me,” says Marty Spranger, Kornegay’s client. “I go out to eat, but I wanted to have something prepared that is good for the palate and I can enjoy.”

John GrapStacey Kornegay pours lemon juice into the hummus she is making.Kornegay has delivered  — literally — with sweets like a healthy biscotti-like cookie covered in cacao chocolate and a beef liver stroganoff that Spranger says “was to die for,” with the bonus of being good for him.

“I could feel my body saying I need this,” he says.

The two connected after Spranger saw an ad on Facebook for homemade breads and prepared meals made by Kornegay at her Standing Spoon and Kitchen business.

After sharing with her what his goals were for eating healthy, she came up with ideas for a higher-end menu with a focus on “fresh” and “organic."

For the past month, Kornegay has been making Monday deliveries of dinners for three nights, with enough leftovers for each.

John GrapStacey Kornegay watches her son Liam squeeze lemon juice into the hummus.What she lacks in formal chef training, Kornegay makes up for with a passion for food that she will tailor to meet the needs of clients. She learned how to do this while dealing with her own health issues.

“I was looking at food as medicine and that became really important to me,” she says.
The idea to start her own business began to take shape while she was doing DoorDash deliveries during the holidays. She was transitioning out of jobs in subcontracting and general construction, and the driving gave her plenty of windshield time to think about what she wanted to do next. A single parent, timing and logistics factored heavily into her “what’s next.”

DoorDash, she says, was never going to be a long-term gig, but what she learned while there helped her launch Standing Spoon.

John GrapStacy Kornegay keeps jars of homemade canned vegetables.“I was looking at what people were ordering and looking at the prices. I knew I could cook better than this and offer better quality and more affordability,” Kornegay says. “I know that delivery service in particular is important to people.”

Adding to the mix is that she’s always enjoyed cooking as much as eating quality food.

“I had all of this going on in my head at the same time,” she says. “I was talking to God and let him lead me and took my guidance from prayers. I kept asking myself what would I enjoy doing and what would make me happy. It always came back to offering that level of quality goodness that is nutritious and a good value for people.”

John GrapStacey Kornegay adds olive oil to the hummus she is making.While “playing around” with different ways of organizing a business, she came across a YouTube video about personal chef services. She hung out her shingle on Facebook in January, settling on Standing Spoon because she liked the idea of a soup so thick that a spoon would stand up in it, and added Garden to showcase a garden where she grows some of what ends up in the prepared meals.

Initially, she began offering quick breads and pies for sale as well as chili, turkey noodle soup, and cornbread. This took a backseat after her conversation with Spranger, who doesn’t enjoy cooking and had a personal repertoire of meals that could be made quickly.

In a nutshell, she is offering a service to people, including those who want to change their diet, but don’t have the time or desire to do it themselves.

A growing appetite for letting someone else do the cooking

The global personal chef services market size was valued at $15.86 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow 6.5% from 2024 to 2030, says a market analysis report by Grand View Research.

John GrapStacey Kornegay peels garlic for the hummus she is making.“As more consumers become health-conscious and seek to manage dietary restrictions or preferences, the need for customized meal plans has grown,” according to the report. “Personal chefs can cater to specific nutritional needs, such as gluten-free, vegan, or low-carb diets, providing clients with tailored and convenient solutions. 

"Additionally, the rise in disposable incomes and busy lifestyles has led many individuals and families to opt for personal chef services to save time and ensure they consume balanced, gourmet meals without the hassle of meal preparation and cooking.”

Kornegay purchases ingredients required to make customized meals for her clients, and this is how she determines what she charges.

John GrapThe recipe Stacey is using for making hummus comes from The New Moosewood Cookbook.She has set a high bar using only quality ingredients and no additives, which includes butter that she churns in her kitchen.

“I noticed a difference in the density of fats and oils in my butter, and that got me to wondering what is being added into the butter I buy at the grocery store. I like the taste of the butter I make in my own kitchen better than what I could buy.”

A Moroccan Beef Stew and Beef Curry she recently made for Spranger used meat from a grass-fed cow that he owns one quarter of. The curry was served with rice and a rainbow cabbage slaw, which included jicama, Macadamia nut oil, and mango that Spranger says he could eat every day because it is that good.

“It’s an investment in my health,” he says of Standing Spoon. “Food today, you don’t know what’s in it. I believe more and more health issues are related to the food we eat. There are some things I eat where I immediately get a negative response from my body. Paying for her chef services is worth it for me.”

In the past, personal chefs were often associated with luxury, reserved for celebrities, executives, and elite households, according to an article on the Chef Amore website.
“However, a significant shift is happening; students and young professionals are now turning to personal chefs as a practical solution for their busy lives,” according to the article. “As work schedules become more demanding and nutritional awareness grows, hiring a personal chef is no longer a lavish indulgence but a smart, convenient, and often cost-effective choice.”

John GrapCooking utensils are found on the counters and along a wall in Stacey Kornegay’s kitchen.Kornegay says she will work with individuals and families to create healthy, tasty meals that work for their budgets on a case-by-case basis.

She is also giving some thought to ways to serve groups of people who are trying to target specific health issues, such as sugar, hormonal imbalances, or liver or kidney function.

“I’m almost 50 years old and I’m looking at hormone adjustments for myself,” she says. Among the ways she’s planning to navigate this is by enhancing the nutritional value of vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and anything in the cabbage family in a way that tastes good.

“I’ve been cooking my whole life. I like colors and freshness and combining and stacking flavors to make eating healthy, good experience,” Kornegay says. “Eating healthy is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. My goal with Standing Spoon is to give everyone that opportunity.”

John GrapStacey Kornegay, her son Liam, and their dog Honey stand in front of their home in Battle Creek.