The Story Behind LiveGreensPDX

Built from a belief that food heals.

LiveGreensPDX started with a simple realization: dietary restrictions deserve real expertise, not an afterthought. Fifteen years of cooking for thousands of people across the country led to one mission. Make it easy for people to eat food that actually takes care of them.

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Pan-seared wild salmon with seasonal vegetables, LiveGreensPDX personal chef service

The Origin

It started with a diagnosis. It grew into a mission.

"When someone finds out they cannot eat gluten, dairy, or whatever it is, it is overwhelming. Research, label-reading, social anxiety around every meal. We exist to take all of that off your plate."

Dietary restriction expertise isn't a specialty we added on later. It's the foundation LiveGreensPDX was built on. Long before "gluten-free" was a mainstream menu category, our team was already treating it as the starting point for every dish, not an inconvenience to route around.

That grounding runs deep. Formal culinary training in classical French, Italian, Asian, and Mexican technique, plus real experience in restaurant kitchens, gave our lead chefs a foundation most personal chef services simply don't have.

The personal chef model was the answer. No restaurant politics. No compromises on ingredients. No cutting corners to hit a food cost. Just real food, built from scratch around the person eating it.

LiveGreensPDX launched in Portland in 2020 and has grown into the brand it is today. A team of skilled chefs, a roster of loyal weekly clients, and a track record that includes everything from weekly Portland families to 300-person events at SXSW.

Started in 2009. Still going.

Every year building toward the same mission. Real food for people who need it.

2006

Education & Training

Culinary Arts Foundation

Formal culinary arts training in Appleton, WI, focused on French, Italian, Asian, Mexican, Indian, braised meats, and smoked BBQ. That training became the technical foundation our lead chefs still cook from today.

2009

The Beginning

First Personal Chef Model. Austin, TX

The personal chef model launched in Austin just as the gluten-free movement was exploding in Texas. Dietary restriction expertise wasn't a reaction to the trend. It was already the standard.

2013

SXSW. Austin, TX

Russell Simmons / Def Jam Records & Jon Favreau's Chef

Two landmark events in one festival. A 300-person fully vegan BBQ for Russell Simmons of Def Jam Records, followed by a private plated dinner for 75 guests at the SXSW premiere of Jon Favreau's film Chef.

2020

Portland, Oregon

LiveGreensPDX LLC Founded

Brought the model to the Pacific Northwest. LiveGreensPDX launched in the Portland metro and Vancouver WA market, a region with a natural alignment to the brand's values of health, local sourcing, and food as medicine.

2026

Pacific Northwest

FUBBQ by LiveGreensPDX at Oregon Country Fair

FUBBQ (Friends United Barbecue) by LiveGreensPDX joins Oregon Country Fair as an official food vendor. One of the Pacific Northwest's most beloved cultural institutions, drawing tens of thousands of attendees annually. Confirmed, paid, and on the calendar.

Fresh Pacific Northwest ingredients including wild salmon, chanterelle mushrooms, and seasonal vegetables

Food is Medicine.

This is not a tagline. What you eat every single day determines how you feel, how you perform, and how long you thrive. The western food system has made it easy to eat badly and hard to eat well. We exist to flip that equation for the families, athletes, and professionals we serve.

Health is Wealth.

The clients who invest in their food are the ones who show up fully in every other area of their lives. This is not a luxury service. It is a productivity decision, a health decision, and a quality-of-life decision. The ROI on eating well is compounding.

Restrictions are the starting point.

We do not adapt a standard menu around your dietary needs. We build the entire menu from them. Celiac, SIBO, dairy-free, vegan, nut allergy, keto. These are the first thing we ask about, and the first thing that shapes every dish we design.

Real food. Pacific Northwest rooted.

We source locally and seasonally where it makes sense. The Pacific Northwest has some of the best ingredients in the country. Wild salmon, Dungeness crab, chanterelle mushrooms, local farms. That abundance shapes every menu we write.

15+

Years in business

Running this model since 2009.

1,500+

Clients served

From weekly Portland families to SXSW headliners.

30+

Dietary needs handled

Every restriction, every complexity, every time.

5.0

Review rating

59 verified reviews across all platforms.

One standard. Every chef, every time.

LiveGreensPDX was built so the food speaks for itself, regardless of whose hands are in the kitchen. Every chef on our team shares the same philosophy and holds the same standard, day one through today.

This model is intentional. It means we can serve more clients, cover more service days, and deliver a consistent experience that does not depend on any single person being available. It is how a personal chef business becomes a personal chef brand.

Chef plating a dish with fresh herbs

Same chef, every week. Weekly clients get a consistent chef who learns your household, your preferences, and your palate over time.

Coverage when it matters. If your primary chef is unavailable, a qualified LiveGreensPDX chef steps in. Your household profile travels with the account.

Every chef holds the same standard. Licensed, food handler certified, and trained to the same expectations on quality, cleanliness, and client communication.

Scaling the right way. As we grow, chefs are placed geographically near their clients. Less travel, more consistency, better service.

Founded2009
LiveGreensPDX launched2020
Service areaPortland metro & Vancouver WA
Weekly service daysMonday through Friday
Culinary certificationFox Valley TC, 2006
Oregon Country FairFUBBQ official vendor, 2026
LicensingFully licensed & insured

Proven. Reliable. Trusted.

Let us prove it at your table. Tell us what you need and we will handle the rest.

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