What that means for harried commuters is more time with their families because they don't have to plan meals, shop, cook or even pick up a meal. Up to a five-day array of delicious meals that are nutritionally balanced can be waiting for them in their home refrigerators.

"It's perfect for working parents with no time, who are spending too much money on really bad fast food," Whiting says.

She cooks on Monday morning and delivers in the afternoon. Several chefs work with her who can share the busy times as well as keep her catering and personal chef business going. If she has access to a customer's kitchen, she can deliver right to the refrigerator so that food is waiting when the homeowner returns. Equipped with a sport utility vehicle outfitted with coolers, Whiting spends Monday afternoon on a delivery route that has expanded from Saratoga and Los Gatos to include Cupertino, Almaden Valley, Portola Valley and Santa Clara.

Once customers sign up for the service, either by phone or email, a menu is sent to them every Monday for the following week. Selections must be returned by Thursday. Cost, including delivery, varies with the meal, but a family of four to six people can expect to pay $150 for three days of meals. Two people might pay up to $75 for three days. Additionally, Gourmet Dreams personal chefs cook in the home for $45 an hour plus food costs. Two of the chefs work out of San Francisco and two cook with Whiting in a kitchen on Victory Lane in Los Gatos. Whiting devotes Tuesday through Thursday to the home service that is popular with people who have special dietary needs.

The menu for delivery meals is international. This week's selections, for instance, include: a salad of pistachio crusted chicken with fruit, nuts and wild greens in a light lemon dressing; orange beef--a Chinese favorite with fresh vegetables and basmati rice; Greek minestrone--zucchini, squash, tomatoes, pasta and parmesan cheese in a vegetable broth; and a desert of pears poached in creamy coconut milk with cinnamon, nutmeg and star anise.

A resident of Campbell, Whiting attributes her penchant for an exotic variety of food to the international upbringing she enjoyed as a "Navy brat"--the child of a career Naval officer. Her bachelor's degree from Colgate College in New York is in philosophy, and her MBA came from Santa Clara University.

"The philosophy degree helped me learn how to think and analyze," she smiles. The MBA, plus 10 years of business experience in marketing and operations with high tech start-ups, gave her the credentials for running a business. She bought Gourmet Dreams from its founder, Cindy Walker, last August. In November, she started the delivery service.

Not unlike the delivery customers she cooks for, Whiting and husband Kent have 2-year-old Sidney and 9-month-old Jamie, who spend several days a week in a Saratoga day care center. "I just cook for all of us on Mondays when I do the rest of the meals," she laughs. Husband Kent helps with some of the far-afield meal deliveries, like one to Santa Cruz where he works for Krestel Company designing bicycles.

Gourmet Dreams can be reached by calling 408.466.8888, faxing 408.866.8887 or emailing gourmetdreams@sbcglobal.net.