There are personal chefs and there  are hired performers, and usually,  nary the two shall meet.

But when Louis Dean, a.k.a. the Singing Gourmet, enters your home, all bets are off. Dean, 43, has decided to take two  things he loves and turn them into a  magical evening. Most dinners don’t  involve a wardrobe change, but these  aren’t most dinners. He will come to  your home in a chef’s coat to prepare  a gourmet meal, then turn around, put  on a sports coat and provide the  singing entertainment.

“I’ve been cooking for almost a  decade,” he said. “But I’ve been singing  since I was four years old.When I lived  back East, my parents used to take me  into Manhattan for voice lessons, I did  plays in high school … it was just a real  passion of mine.”

For years, Dean worked as a recruiter for Midland National Life Insurance Co., traveling around the country trying to woo high-producing agents to his organization.

“It was standard procedure for recruiters to visit them and take their family out to dinner,” he said.”For them, it just became monotonous. I would say ‘Hey, let me cook for you.’ Then, flash forward to us pushing a cart together in the grocery store, chatting back and forth, and by the end of the night when I left, after I cooked them a gourmet meal, the wife’s giving me a hug, and they’re saying when I come back into town to bring the kids.”

Dean also cooked at events for his  temple when asked,as well as singing at  various charity events.

“Finally, a friend of mine told me I  should put them together,” he said. “It  just sounded like a good idea, because I  couldn’t think of any caterers who also  would sing for you.”

And thus, the Singing Gourmet  was born.

For a fee of $150 for one to three guests (preferably couples), Dean will work with clients to prepare a menu,choose songs and create atmosphere. He doesn’t offer wine or any other beverages with his service, but will pick up requests for additional fees. After that, it’s around $40 for each additional person.

“I really want to focus on small, intimate groups, less than 20 people,” he said.”I want to bring that fine dining experience to their homes. And if you think about   it, if you go to Outback you’ll spend 40 bucks. So why not stay home and have a great meal.”

Clients can select one entrée from a variety of dishes including beef, chicken or pasta, a spinach or tossed greens salad and a dessert. The dessert, such as his signature cheesecake in a variety of flavors, will be brought to the event, but everything else will be prepared in front of the guests.

His repertoire includes dishes from French onion filets and individual beef Wellingtons to fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp or chicken.

Dean said he is also available for kids’ birthday parties and for cooking classes.

His first party was a romantic dinner for a young couple who, unbeknownst to the young lady, were about to become engaged.

“She said yes, so I was off the hook,” he said.”I could have screwed everything up after that and it still would have been a joyous evening.”

Besides the meal, which was capped off with a chocolate soufflé, the couple was entertained with a carefully selected assortment of music for each course.

“I did Bobby Darin’s ‘Beyond the Sea.’ That was a special request because that was a song very special to them,” he said. “I also did ‘Your Song’ by Elton John,   ‘Unchained Melody’ by the Righteous Brothers and ‘Just the Way You Are’ by Billy Joel. I was very excited at the way the evening went.”

The next day, the young man called Dean to thank him again for the wonderful evening.

“He said they just couldn’t stop talking about it,” Dean said. “That’s what’s so great about this. It’s pretty unique.”

Dean’s business is in its infancy, but he has ideas for growth. For example, he hopes he can contact local real estate companies and offer his services to   their customers.

“When you buy a house, your Realtor gets you a gift,” he said. “What could be better than a gourmet meal in your new home?”

He is working out the details to offer gift certificates, not just for real estate agents to give out, but as gift ideas for anyone looking to create a  special evening.

And maybe best of all, after all is said and done, Dean leaves the kitchen as he found it, doing the dishes and cleaning up before leaving for the evening.

For more information about the Singing Gourmet, go to www.singinggourmet.com or call 279-5098.