All-Purpose Lemon Vinaigrette

Not all heroes wear capes....

Before I became a private chef (the kind who cooks for one family, every day) I was a personal chef. For those unfamiliar with the distinction (and it's a fair question), a personal chef juggles multiple families, each with their own quirks and cravings, usually cooking a week’s worth of meals in a single day.

At my busiest, I was cooking for seven families. Four I saw weekly, one every other week, and one family once a month, when I’d stock their freezer with soups, stews, chilis and casseroles.

Efficiency wasn’t just a goal—it was the only way to survive. I didn’t have the option to finish anything tomorrow; tomorrow was always someone else’s dinner. So I streamlined. I doubled up on roasted chickens, stretched tomato sauces across two meals, and built an arsenal of versatile, can-do-anything staples. And none was more beloved (or more leaned on) than this All-Purpose Lemon Vinaigrette.

It’s bright, sharp, and endlessly adaptable. I poured it over leafy greens (of course), but also tossed it with cubed potatoes (or any vegetable, really) before roasting, brushed it on vegetables destined for the grill, let it hang out with chicken breasts as a marinade, and even spooned it over pasta and grain salads. Honestly, it became as essential to my kitchen as salt and pepper……maybe even more so………but don’t tell them I said that.