Frequently Asked Questions

Is MenuMagic available for Macintosh?
The current version of MenuMagic does not run natively on the Macintosh operating system. We are hard at work making sure that the next version of MenuMagic will run on multiple operating systems, including MacOSX, Windows Vista, and Linux desktops.

For the current version, many users have MenuMagic successfully running on their Macintoshes using VirtualPC (older Macs), or Apple Boot Camp / Parallels (newer Intel Based Macs)
Will MenuMagic run on Windows Vista?
Good News for Windows Vista users. We have developed a modified installation process that will allow MenuMagic to be installed, and successfully run on Windows Vista computers. Our Vista Installation Guide is available on our web site, and should be used by anyone anticipating running either edition of MenuMagic on Vista.
What is the difference between the Personal Chef and Lite Editions of MenuMagic?
The Lite Edition of MenuMagic is intended more for home use, culinary students, or indviduals just starting their personal chef business. The Lite Edition does not have all the functionality that the Personal Chef Edition has. In particular:
  • The Lite Edition cannot save new menus.
  • The Lite Edition cannot save new customers.
  • The Lite Edition cannot create Shopping Lists.
  • The Lite Edition does not have access to certain scaling reports.
Do I have to be a member of the USPCA to purchase MenuMagic?
Anyone can purchase MenuMagic. United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA) active members and Culinary Business Academy graduates receive a discount on the price of the software and are eligible to receive access to tested and proven personal chef recipe collections.
Is the Personal Chef Edition just recipe management software?
MenuMagic includes a powerful recipe management system integrated in the program, but recipe management is only a small portion of what the software can do for personal chefs and other culinary professionals. Together, combining recipe management with both client and menu management modules in a single package, MenuMagic provides a truly complete software solution for culinary professionals. We designed MenuMagic to automate tasks specific to culinary professionals that are generally tedious and repetitive. Tasks like label creation and printing, complex menu planning, and billing statement creation.
Can the Personal Chef Edition track client preferences and menu history?
Unlike traditional recipe management software, MenuMagic is designed specifically to use client information to easily develop specialized menus based on their preferences and dietary needs. MenuMagic then saves and organizes these menus based on the client and service date, saving hours of manual paperwork organization.
Do I have to have internet access to run MenuMagic?
MenuMagic is not an application that runs in your web browser - no internet connection is necessary. Advantages of using a standard installable application like MenuMagic include:
  •  Secure Data - The MenuMagic software, and more importantly, your customer, recipe, and menu data are stored on your machine.
  • Internet Connection Unnecessary - As a culinary professional, your customer list and recipe collection is critical to your business. If you lose your internet connection, the connection is broken or slow, or you do not want internet access on your desktop or laptop machine, MenuMagic will continue to operate as it does not require net access to run. With web applications, your internet connection must be running the entire time you are using the system.
  • Backup Data When and Where You Want - MenuMagic's integrated backup feature allows you to create backups whenever you want. You can then store the backup wherever you want: burn it to a CD, copy it to a zip disk, second hard drive, or another machine.
Does MenuMagic Personal Chef Edition include accounting/bookkeeping functionality?
MenuMagic can help cost out menus and create itemized billing statements (invoices) for customers. Because ingredient costs can vary widely between region, MenuMagic uses a recipe-based cost estimating method that provides a worksheet and in-line calculator that helps compute each recipe's cost.

Itemized billing is integrated into menu planning and a professional billing statement with the chef's information, customer's information, line item charges, tax, and totals can be printed.

Integrating total accounting functionality does not provide a great benefit because great accounting software already exist (like QuickBooks, or MYOB) that are industry leaders in accounting software and are perfect for Personal Chefs.

What print outs and reports does MenuMagic Personal Chef Edition provide?
Not only does MenuMagic come with standard recipe and menu printouts, but also print outs specific to running a personal chef or small event catering service such as:
  • Menu Packaging Labels
  • Recipe Costing Worksheet
  • Customizable Menu Nutrition, Menu Client Instructions, and Recipe Production Reports
  • Customer listings and mailing labels
  • Customer Menu and Recipe History
  • Menu Billing (Invoices)
  • Scaled Recipes and Individual Recipe Labels
  • Shopping Lists
  • Exportable client, recipe, and menu reports
Can MenuMagic create a follow-up letter for a client or help me create brochures?
A word processor was not integrated into MenuMagic. However, MenuMagic can help manage who you send brochures and letters to using client list reports and client mailing labels. Also, because MenuMagic uses a common format data file (Microsoft Access,) mail merges in word processor programs are easy on most computers.

Most new computer systems come with great software that can fill the need to create follow-up letters (like Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works.) If you have a computer that did not come with software like this, you can download or purchase an inexpensive alternatives such as OpenOffice.org (free).