“POULSBO – Melissa Steele was getting tired of the commute from Edmonds to Bellevue, but when she relocated in Poulsbo about a year ago things went from bad to worse. On average, Steele was spending 20 hours a week traveling to and from her job. Sitting in traffic. Ferry lines. Bad drivers. The works. She’d had it. To make things more unbearable, typical commuter food, she found, leaves a lot to be desired. Living in the fast-paced world left Steele with very little time to cook and even less time to eat. Like the majority of those who spend their weekdays stopping and going on their way to work, her diet consisted of a wide array of grocery deli grub, fast food, pizza and (ugh) frozen dinners. I got tired of eating those microwave dinners that tasted like the boxes they came in, Steele explained with a laugh. She was also growing weary of the eight-to-eight commute. So much time in the car, however, did have some benefits because she began using her kitchen as a refuge on the weekend. Steele would spend hours there – concocting fantastic and healthy dishes which would help take care of dinner throughout the work week. A natural behind the stove, the idea of cooking for a career began to take shape. Cooking really became a passion and an escape, she explained excitedly. Then one day at work, Steele came across an ad for personal chefs. After some consideration and a few months time, she had quit her job on the eastside and opened her own business in Poulsbo. Commuter Cuisine, personalized home chef service, is just taking off but Steele said she is just plain happy doing something she loves to do. The process is fairly straight-forward and totally customized. This is one of the more important things, she said, indicating a questionnaire which seeks tastes, likes, dislikes and other input from clients. Steele comes to a client’s house, prepares the entire meal using fresh meats, vegetables, breads, fruits, seasonal herbs, cheeses and other sources and then labels each dish – telling how best to reheat the food. She even does her own dishes. They’ll come home and it will smell like a great restaurant because I’ve been cooking there all day, she remarked. They save time and stress and best of all, they’ll be eating healthy food. In addition to dinner menus, Steele also does breakfast and lunch dishes to suit the needs of just about everyone. I thought that this is something that’s not only beneficial to commuters, but older people and people who have restricted diets, she said. The concept is to save both time and money. Steele, who is a self-taught chef and a member of the United States Personal Chef Association, said her primary focus at the new business is and always will be customer satisfaction. If the customer isn’t happy then the business isn’t a success, she explained. With dishes like braised Chinese chicken, kielbasa and vegetable couscous, sweet bourbon salmon, roast beef Wellington with horseradish sauce and gazpacho shrimp salad at the ready, keeping customers smiling shouldn’t be a problem. “