Something's Cooking with Chef Shell the Dinner Belle

Michele Wieser, more commonly known around the Tri-Valley as "Chef Shell the Dinner Belle," has been cooking up gourmet meals for folks in Dublin for three years. Wieser is a certified personal chef and a mother.

Wieser has been cooking and entertaining as a hobby all of her life. A few years ago she decided to leave her job as a closet organizer (and yes, her closets are still completely organized) to go back to school and get her certification to work as a personal chef. After getting her certification, Wieser began teaching for the Dublin Unified School District, Williams Sonoma and Viking Home Chef before progressing into cooking for professional athletes.

"I used to entertain a lot and people would say tell me I should do this for a living," Wieser said. "Three years ago, I started cooking for a professional athlete and that lead to more athletes."

Wieser, who remembers cooking with her grandmother when she was 10, now cooks for three professional athletes, a sports trainer, a professor from Cal State Berkley and a news anchor, in addition to catering events. She also offers her well-known "Crock Pot Thursdays."

She currently delivers 30 crock pot meals she makes each week around town. The menus range from pulled pork, to jambalya to lasagna.

"For $45, I deliver a crock pot meal to the person's home and it serves four to six people," said Wieser.

Her favorite dish to make for her family is her smoked chicken pasta and Wieser says she tends to favor Italian food- thanks in part to her Italian descent.

Wieser says the best part about her job is the flexibility it allows for her and her family.

"I can really make my on schedule so I can work it around my kids," she said.

Wieser focuses on healthful cooking for her athletes and says that cooking concept can be applied to families as well. In this video, Wieser tells readers how to make her fast, easy and healthful "unfried" version of fried rice.

Chef Shell has been featured on CBS 5 for the food she prepares for Olympic gold medalist and champion boxer Andre Ward. Follow Chef Shell on Facebook.

Look for Chef Shell's blogs on Patch for healthy meal ideas for you and your family.

• Healthy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup from Chef Shell the Dinner Belle

Do you know Chef Shell? Give her a shout out in the comments section.