The6packChef Catering by Hemant Kishore
Spring Salad – Micro Beets, Persian Cucumber, Arugula, French Breakfast Radish, Kumquat, Gorgonzola, Herb Avocado Oil
Meyer Lemon Rice, Kalbi Grilled Rabbit Leg, Green Cauliflower, Caramelized Ramps
Strawberry, Pomelo, Tango Tangerine, Kiwi, Peppermint- Macerated Strawberries, Balsamic, Dehydrated Honey
Originally meeting Culinary Institute of America graduate Hemant Kishore during his tenure at DTLV PublicUS it was admittedly a bit of a disappointment when the young Chef left the operation after just a few months, but using that exposure as a springboard to launch a professional catering service targeting athletes and the fitness oriented one can hardly fault Hemant for following his passions – both those for healthy, farm-fresh food and for the gym.
Instagramming as @the6packchef, a handle Kishore can boast after a personal weight loss journey that saw the native of India lose sixty pounds while reshaping his body and beliefs about food, TheHKLife is at this time a two-person operation with the Chef and his business partner providing service to over three-dozen weekly clients, and offering three-course meals Monday through Friday delivered to their door each ~700 calorie meal is based on the best the market has to offer with everything as fresh and local as possible, much of the produce organic while proteins are hormone and antibiotic free.
A frequent face at the Downtown 3rd and Downtown Summerlin Farmer’s Markets, both stocked with the city’s best ingredients including those of Intuitive Forager Kerry Clasby, Chef Kishore’s menus follow a ‘Chef’s Inspiration’ tailored to each client’s preferences for heat as well as intolerances and comprised of an appetizer, entrée plus fruit a review of offerings will show exotic meats and Indian spices to be quite prevalent while salads dance with color alongside meats and complex carbohydrates.
Competitively pricey for such a service, the current commitment including delivery within fifteen miles quoted at $150, Friday’s lunch began with a bold Spring salad that found tangles of Arugula mixed with sliced Beets, Persian Cucumbers and Radishes given a touch of sweetness by kumquats beneath a fragrant dressing rich in monounsaturated fats, and moving onto the entrée in microwave-safe Eco-friendly packaging the boldness of Kirshore’s cooking was brought to light by two lean Rabbit thighs roasted till tender atop a bed of caramelized leeks, the cauliflower still crunchy despite being fully cooked while the rice breathed softly of citrus with added intrigue from unannounced raisins.
No doubt a hearty meal, more than most might eat for a typical office lunch, “dessert” is offered as an exotic fruit cup and whether eaten immediately or saved as a snack for later the flavors are well composed and far better than anything likely to be found in the vending machine or big-box supermarket –the cure to afternoon sluggishness and decreased productivity both by way of not causing wide glycemic swings and as an effect of not having to leave the office.
FOUR STARS: A good deal for what it offers in terms of ingredients and skill, but potentially outpricing its target audience without being designed to accommodate “macros” in the way that some fitness competitors have come to expect, TheHKLife is restaurant-quality food delivered direct to the home or office and certainly well suited to the white-collar athlete or those simply looking for something better than the usual “boxed lunch.”
RECOMMENDED/AVOID: Options vary by day with all clients receiving similar meals, though Chef Kishore can accommodate allergies, intolerances and preferences for spice.
TIP: Offered Monday through Friday with delivery times between 11:00a – 2:00p.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.thehklife.com