Treatment changes how someone eats. The appetite drops. Food tastes wrong, or like metal, or like nothing. A few bites and they’re done. Some days only cold food sounds bearable. And the care team keeps saying the same thing: protein, calories, keep eating.
Often it’s a spouse, a grown child or a group of friends trying to keep up. They want to do something. They don’t know what to cook or have the hours to cook it.
Fresh food, cooked to how they feel this week
The Travelling Cafe is a collective of personal chefs in Chapel Hill and the Triangle. We cook in the client’s own kitchen, every week.
A frozen meal box can’t change when the appetite changes. Our chefs can. Small, protein-dense portions. Gentle preparations. Flavors adjusted when taste shifts. Cold meals when hot ones won’t go down.
We cook the plan the oncology dietitian or care team set. We don’t give medical or nutrition advice, and we make no claims about treatment. The care team leads. We cook.
How we keep food safe during treatment
Treatment can weaken the immune system, so food safety matters more than usual.
- We follow any food-safety precautions the care team has given. Tell us on the questionnaire.
- Meat, fish and eggs are cooked all the way through. No rare meat, sushi or runny eggs.
- Fruits and vegetables are washed well before cooking or serving.
- No unpasteurized milk, cheese or juice.
- Cooked food is cooled and put in the fridge right away, not left on the counter.
- Every container is labeled with a use-by date, and anything past it gets thrown out.
A way for family and friends to help
Many people asking about this aren’t the patient. They’re the ones who love the patient. You can arrange weekly meals for someone in your life.
How it works
- Tell us about the person and the plan. Fill out our food questionnaire: what the care team has said, what’s been hard to eat, and what still sounds good.
- Meet your chef. We match you with a chef from the collective.
- Open the fridge. Your chef shops, cooks in the home, labels everything and cleans up.
Groceries are included. Nothing is billed separately.
Every dietary need, same price.
What changes
Without help, meals get skipped because nothing is ready and nothing sounds good, and the caregiver wears out trying.
With a chef in the kitchen, there’s always something ready that can be faced. The caregiver gets a few hours back.
We cook in homes across Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Pittsboro, Hillsborough and Chatham County.
Start with our food questionnaire. Tell us who you’re cooking for and what the care team has said.
With you at the table.
Frequently asked questions
Can a personal chef cook for someone going through cancer treatment?
Yes. The Travelling Cafe cooks fresh meals in the client’s home, following the guidance of their oncology dietitian or care team.
Do you give nutrition advice for cancer patients?
No. The care team sets the plan. Our chefs cook to it.
Can meals change week to week?
Yes. Your chef adjusts portions, textures and flavors as appetite and taste change.
Can I arrange meals for a family member?
Yes. Many of our clients are arranging meals for someone they love.
How do you keep food safe for someone with a weakened immune system?
We follow the care team’s precautions, cook meat, fish and eggs all the way through, skip anything unpasteurized, and label every container with a use-by date.
Do you cook in the home?
Yes. Every meal is cooked fresh in the client’s own kitchen.
