Roanoke Women's Business Directory - Roanoke Women's Events Calendar - Roanoke Women's Organizations - Roanoke Women's News
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Current Featured Roanoke Business :: At Home Gourmet
1. What is At Home Gourmet and how long have you
been in business?
At Home Gourmet is a personal chef
service with all meals prepared in our large commercial kitchen. We do the
meal planning, the shopping, the preparation and the cleanup. You simply
enjoy a fresh, healthy meal that has been prepared just for you on that
day and delivered to your home or office. My sister and I started the
business in January of 2004 with ZERO clients and now we have over
125...some have been with us since day 1 when they found out about
us!
2. Why
did you start this business?
I would be lying if I said I started
the business for any reason other than to provide income...BUT, in addition to
that, I knew there was a huge need for a service like this. Before At Home
Gourmet, I had a corporate job and worked 65 hours a week. Like so many other
couples my husband and I would get home at 6:30, look at each other and say,
"where are we going for dinner?" We love to eat out but that was the last thing
we wanted to do at 6:30 on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night. You want
delicious food but you just don't have time to plan, shop and cook!
Additionally, I have always struggled with weight. Every time a friend or
neighbor would prepare meals for me, I would lose weight. That is one of the
guiding principles for the company...to provide assistance for clients that want
to reach a weight reduction goal.
3. What
types of meals do you offer?
We have 2 menus and will be adding a
third shortly Our FAMILY menu simply means more traditional dishes (chicken pot
pie, lasagna, fish & chips, italian meatloaf...) You do not have to have a
family of 4 to order from this menu! We have many 75 to 85 year old single
retirees that order this on a daily basis. We deliver daily to their door and
they are overjoyed!
Our GOURMET menu is more upscale with the cuts of
meat and the sauces that accompany the entrée. Selections here would include
beef tenderloin, grilled tuna steaks, crab cakes, etc. We have a lower carb
option here where we substitute a second vegetable for the starch side if you
are trying to avoid pasta, potatoes or white rice.
Our third menu will be
out soon and that will include breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. It will be
lower in fat and calorie content. This will be available for clients trying to
reduce! We hope to start 25 clients on this by the middle of August so they can
lose 25 pounds by Thanksgiving!
4. Where
do you do meal preparation? Who is the chef?
All meals are
prepared in our large commercial kitchen. Our chef is a wonderful gal by the
name of Michelle. All of our entrees, soups, side dishes and desserts are
prepared from recipes because we want all meals to be consistent. We repeat our
menus on a 4 month basis so we have a tremendous amount of variety...which is
one thing our clients love. If they eat with us every day in a year they are
only going to eat the same thing 3 times in that year.
5. What type of women in the Roanoke Valley would
benefit from the service that you provide?
All types of women in
the Roanoke Valley would benefit but I will share with you our largest
demographic groups. Busy professional women that have so much on their
plates...Busy Moms that cannot get to the grocery store or meal plan much less
spend the hour or so cooking dinner...Single professionals that want to eat well
balanced meals...Retired couples that want to eat delicious gourmet meals but
have cooked for 40 years and now want to have someone else cook BUT they want to
eat in the comfort of their home. Last week one of my clients that works outside
the home and has 3 year old and an 8 month old told me that I had saved her
marriage. She said they used to argue so much about dinner and now she and her
husband can sit down and enjoy pleasant conversation over dinner because it is
ready when they are. That was one of the biggest compliments I have ever
received. When can we start bringing YOU dinner!!
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