"Chef Julie is amazing! She is so responsive and professional and easy to work with! I asked her to cook lunches and dinners for me that comply with the WHOLE30 program, which is extremely restrictive (no dairy, no sugar, no grains, no gluten, no beans) and not easy! She sent me 25 menu options right off the bat that all sounded so amazing it was hard to narrow them down for the first week. Every single meal is delicious and something I would be thrilled to end up with at a restaurant if I were ordering with no dietary restrictions -- I can't believe they are so healthy and so delicious. She makes all of her own sauces and dressings that are scrumptious and really add a lot to the dishes. Coming home to a fridge stocked full of delicious healthy meals and a clean kitchen is about as good as it gets! If you're considering Chef Julie, do it! I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that working with her has been life changing for me :) " "Julie came to our house and cooked a three-course dinner for our dinner party celebration. In planning the dinner, Chef Julie asked us about our favorite type of foods and of any dietary restrictions. We had just started a low carb diet and Chef Julie happily gave us some delicious menu recommendations that fit the bill. She came to our house with all of her kitchen equipment and fresh groceries, and immediately set up and got to work. While we visited with our friends, she cooked the most fabulous meal, starting with a mini fresh salmon cakes with pesto aioli and roasted tomato, then a roasted pear and mixed greens salad with goat cheese, caramelized pecans and white balsamic vinaigrette, and cashew-coconut baked halibut w/pesto tossed roasted mixed veggies. It was amazing to see her make this meal. She was so fast and efficient and timed everything just perfectly. She served the dishes to us as if we were in a 5-star restaurant. The food was the best we've ever tasted. We savored every bite. As we lingered over dinner, she cleaned up our kitchen. We enjoyed every minute of this wonderful experience and were already talking about how we should do this again sometime and/or gift others with Chef Julie's culinary experience. "I just wanted to say thank you so much for cooking for me and my husband! We loved everything you prepared and best of all it was nutritious and homemade. I can't even begin to tell you how you made my life easier with having a new baby to look after - not having to worry about grocery shopping and cooking was a big relief." We appreciate all your work and attention to detail planning meals for us. We are lucky to have you... We had the meatloaf tonight, and again we have to tell you how wonderful it all was. It's the ultimate comfort food. The silky mashed potatoes are the best we've ever had, and we love that it is always so consistently the same good! We also really liked the vinegar based dressing you made for the coleslaw…The Greek salad is the best, and I loved how you left chickpeas to put in there for protein.” "(We) LOVED the salmon in Phyllo, I could have this every other month forever! Thank you so much." "Every one of our dinner guests absolutely loved the food and were very impressed. I would highly recommend Julie as a chef for your next dinner party or for any other reason to have a fantastic chef prepare delicious food. Thanks again Julie!" "My parents ordered us a Bellyful Meals cooking class through Cloud 9 Living as a Christmas present. We couldn't have been more delighted with the results. Julie showed up on time with all the ingredients and equipment we'd be needing and had crafted a delicious menu for four. She was patient and kind, showing us simple techniques to help us become better chefs as well as answering (lots of) questions along the way. We'll definitely use her again for dinner parties and will also highly recommend her services to our friends." "I was lucky to snag Julie for my sister's bridal shower. My sister loves food and has EVERYTHING planned for her wedding. I wanted to surprise her with a party beyond her wildest imagination. I DID! Of course with the help of Julie…. The cooking class was phenomenal! Everyone was engaged, laughing, and most importantly, learning:)! From the younger cousins to the oldest guests, everyone enjoyed helping and cooking together. Not to mention the food was amazing! It was as if we had catered the entire event, but WE helped make it. I got to choose from the extensive menu Julie offers and met with her to discuss exactly what I had in mind. Julie is knowledgeable, friendly, and an amazing chef. We were not disappointed and I highly recommend this unique experience for any shower!" "I just wanted to say thank you so much for the most amazing, amazing meals. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to us, besides the baby. [My husband] even mentioned how nice it was to eat a lovely meal, without a Trader Joes’ label. The apple pie, it was the best apple pie crumb cake I’ve ever had in my life. So thank you again Julie, we truly appreciate everything." "Thank you so much for everything. I Loved the service, you will be missed (after almost 3 years of service, too bad I am moving)! Pomegranate-Turkey Meatballs were awesome!" "We tried Susan's Healthy Gourmet and it was good, but your food is on a whole different level. I'm a Big Fan, my biggest problem now is that I can't stop eating your food!" Julie has been cooking for us for three years as a personal chef, and we couldn't be happier with the service she provides for us. Julie is easy to work with as well as being conscientious, highly organized, and an excellent and versatile chef. Her meals are amazing and the quality is consistent from time to time. This is especially true in how she gets our spiciness level spot-on each time. With so many clients, I don't know how she does it! Julie's Red Curry Chicken with Jasmine Rice with Peas and Salmon Cakes with Honey Jalepeno Sauce are two of our favorites. Salmon or Chicken with a Cream Dill Sauce wrapped in Phyllo is an elegant entree, and Julie's salads are always wonderful. We love that Julie will customize meals for us, and that she uses quality ingredients. We appreciate all that Julie does and the delicious meals she prepares for us each month. We highly recommend her as an accomplished and knowledgeable Personal Chef. “I tried the apple-braised pork last night - OMG! It was Awesome! My compliments to you… Last night I pulled the last dinner you prepared from my freezer and enjoyed it as much as the first. Thank you for everything. The food was fabulous and so were you.” “Ok...I'm feeling pretty spoiled right about now! So far, I'm really loving everything. It's so easy! Next week, you should bring me some business cards. My new diet is sparking quite a bit of interest around the hospital.” “You should label yourself as expert or high level Vegan chef, we really enjoyed all your meals and excited for next week. You have opened our eyes to new things to try.” “I just wanted to write and thank you again for the meals you prepared for us. We have now tried each of them and they were all delicious! We can't wait until we choose to have the second servings…. I would love to have you back again to cook some other dishes, and maybe get a lesson as well!” “You are the FIRST person I have found in months [even searched in LA] that seems to know what this may entail and I am willing to pay what it takes to learn how to cook” “We enjoyed meeting and working with you! Thanks for the wonderful evening! I loved every aspect of it. The dinner was delicious and I appreciate the recipes. We all had a most special evening, and the food was great, as we are still enjoying the leftovers! – Delicious!” "Again the menu sounds fantastic. The salads this week were amazing with your Homemade croutons. Also loved the shrimp curry!” "My friend came over last night and we had the Sun-dried Tomato Chicken over whole wheat pasta - Delicious!!!!" "Thanks for everything. The food was fantastic. I am writing this after having just had some of the leftovers for dinner again tonight. Everything went great. It was a really good time for everyone... we'll definitely be seeing you again." "The food is tasting fantastic!!! It is so convenient too” "We truly enjoyed meeting you last week. The meal you prepared was excellent. All the ingredients were so fresh, and the presentation was beautiful as well as delicious. You were so easy to work with, giving us ideas for a menu and then executing everything flawlessly. And you left the kitchen absolutely spotless, too. I will certainly plan to call you again when we come back to San Diego." "This week has worked out great. We have loved both meals so far. How about next week we do the tacos, double the pasta fagioli and one dish for in the freezer. The guys would love to have the pasta fagioli while I am out of town, they loved it." “I love everything that I have had this week.” “Everything that you have made me so far has been delicious and fresh so I feel fine with just about anything you may want to make for me." "My compliments to the chef. Everything I ate so far is really delicious... Thanks again for such great service, it really is a time saver... I look forward to next week!" "We had a wonderful family dinner tonight... loved the carnitas tacos and the mango salsa ... and best of all baby Lucas actually ate. The dip was good and filling and we have tons leftover so the portions really are generous which is awesome cause I’m sure the baby will wake me up in the middle of the night for another serving"

Chef Julie is awesome! She is extremely communicative, and gets back to you very quickly, which is very helpful when trying to plan a dinner. If she is not available on the date of your choice, she is quick to offer up many alternatives, so scheduling is easy. She cares about what the customer wants, and will spend time working with you to create the menu that will work perfectly for your group. I highly recommend working with Bellyful Meals! Julie is AMAZING! We recently used her services to prepare meals for us to take with us to an event in Arizona. We had a crew with varying dietary needs and tastes. Julie was able to come up with meals that everyone loved, that also met everyone's needs. I would definitely consider contacting Julie if you are looking for someone in this field. Chef Julie is a terrific chef with a wonderful personality, very professional and the ability to accommodate many different dietary requirements. She is responsive, reliable and her price is incredibly fair. She delivered everything promised and more. I would HIGHLY recommend her if you need someone for a short time, extended period, or a special event. She can do it all. "We just want you to know how much we are enjoying your meals. You have the spiciness just right for us and we love the Thai curry preparations as well as the sweet and sour with veggies. We had your coconut shrimp tonight and we just have to tell you how delicious it was. The spiciness was perfect and my husband said he has lived in Thailand and he pronounced it authentic as well. Kudos to the chef and thanks again so much. We appreciate you! This just can't be beat. Except maybe by the sweet potato pancakes with sautéed apples. The best we've ever had, and of course the roasted pear salad with candied walnuts and blue cheese. Loved the tortilla soup with sausage, too. Definitely will be on our rotation.” "Our family spent our fourth year/week, our most spectacular yet, dining on the cuisine of Chef Julie Barber. As the amount of fun (and the tastiness of the food) becomes more legendary, more families join us; this year, we totalled five in sum. From lunches prepped and served on the beach to serve the hungry surfing masses, to four course sit-down dinners with delicious desserts (a repeat favorite being her chocolate lava cake), Julie's cuisine met all our needs. This year, to end the week, we forged into new ground. Using rental tables and chairs, and paper plates (beach rules), Julie prepared and served a sit down dinner for 29 people on the beach amidst the sand. She served grilled lobster tails, tri-tip, roasted vegetables, salads and three different desserts. In the beautiful San Diego evening, that 3 hour dinner was highlight of the trip. Next summer, we look forward to working with Julie again and to her tasty food!" Julie was awesome. We got a cooking lesson as a gift and she made everything work out smoothly with a group of 8 in our small kitchen. She is friendly and a good teacher and does a good job of getting everyone involved. She has lots of meal suggestions and all the food we had ended up tasting great. She is professional and a delight to have around. Would highly recommend this experience for people who like to cook and want to learn new things, and it makes a great gift! "I wanted to thank you personally as you were a major hit and all of the food was wonderful. Everyone looked forward to dinner each night and couldn't stop talking about what a great idea it was." Bellyful Meals was employed by our family to provide custom meals to meet the needs of my mother and her caregiver during the last two years of her life. Julie also continued to work for us for another year while our family grieved and my husband and I dealt with serious health issues. Julie's menu was always varied, met our health needs, and was delicious. She kept her schedule each week and left us worry free. I recommend her to anyone needing help with meals. She freed us from some of the stress we were experiencing. "Thanks again for the great job you did preparing dinners for our extended family get-together in San Diego. Everything was delicious and plentiful, and we really appreciated your flexibility in accommodating the various ‘cannot / will not eat’ requirements. It was great to be able to enjoy the beach house and sunsets with the entire family instead of fighting the crowds and the parking challenges we would have faced going to a restaurant. Your professionalism, cooking skills, quality ingredients and efficiency were appreciated and helped contribute to a great weekend." "OMG, the meals you prepared last week were INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS - thank you very much!" "I gave you and your services tons of kudos (in my survey & blog for Equity Estates). You deserve them. You are a talented chef and a great addition to any Equity member. Be well and see when we return to San Diego!" "Wanted to let you know that our first meal was wonderful last night! We really liked the pesto chicken and salad. Our favorite though was your homemade ice cream sandwiches made from chocolate chip cookies :). Thanks again - you really did a great job and I will highly recommend you to others :)" “Julie…that salmon was incredible. Better than any I have ever had…loved it. Took a pic of it before I ate to show off to my friends… thank you so much…Salads look amazing as usual.” “Thank you so much... the [group cooking lesson] baby shower was wonderful, thank-you again so much!” “I love your service…this is great…Julie, your food looks amazing! I loved the veggie sliders tonight…defiantly one of my favorites, great dessert too! …The menu looks outstanding… looking forward to the sun dried tomato spinach chicken pasta…. Your service is really exceptional…everyone at work is always so impressed with your salads and I am so much healthier because of you!” “You have no idea how glad I am that you're helping me with this [weight loss & getting healthy] process!” “Thanks so much. My wife has given you rave reviews as well. Everything has worked out great, and we want to continue. Thanks again for your professionalism and cooperation. We will definitely continue to work with you as much as we can.” "Awesome!! OMG everything looks so good!! It so hard to decide!! I want it all!!" “I just wanted to let you know that the food is awesome! So far, my favorites are: Homemade granola ((I had to hide it from myself...got into it first thing last night), both salads were great, Black bean, spinach & potato enchiladas (YUMMY!), Turkey/Swiss wrap, Teriyaki Tempeh.” "I was so happy with your services when we visited La Jolla, I have given your name to our new vacation club. Good luck - you were so nice to work with." "Thank you for the wonderful meals. It is such a nice relief to come home from work and be able to tend to mom and not cook dinner." "I just wanted to let you know we love the food you made…. it is great. Everything was super organized and is making life easy." "Everything has been great. The Tilapia was beautiful and delicious. We had extra rice, which was great the next afternoon. The tortilla soup and salad was perfect. I had salad for lunch and still have some soup and salad for my husband when he gets home. We are looking forward to the Mongolian beef and potatoes and vegetables tonight." "The menu looks great--so much variety!" "For Christmas, my husband surprised me with a present of a personal chef! I was really impressed by the services provided by Julie. She arrived with everything she needed to cook the meals we had ordered. Julie was prompt, friendly and efficient. The meals she cooked were wonderful. We enjoyed the first meal that evening. Julie packed up the remaining meals for our family to enjoy the rest of the week. Imagine coming home after a busy day and being able to pull out a tasty, home cooked healthy meal from the fridge and heating it up in minutes!" "The food selections, quality, and service were great. It was exactly what we were looking for. I would highly recommend you to anyone that is looking for a Personal Chef." "It all looks great! The Sea Bass is in the oven as I type. I've scored some major "points" so thank you very much! My wife has already told several of her friends about it too."