For those of us who fall prey to the relentless busyness of modern life, forgoing healthy meals for convenient ones and lacking the time and energy to plan dinners, much less cook them, there’s good news—help is here.
Dinner to go doesn’t have to mean just burgers and fries anymore, thanks to some local budding entrepreneurs who offer homestyle meals at fast food prices.
According to Katie Grant, she and husband, Greg, started East Brainerd’s Casa-Rolls in July, 2006, as a way of enabling busy families who don’t have time to cook to enjoy dinner at home. The idea, she says, was spawned as the result of her own life experiences.
“I was a single, working mom for about seven years, and dinnertime was so hectic. I’d been working hard all day, the kids needed me, and dinner was the thing that put me over the edge. I always wished for a casserole truck—like an ice cream truck.”
Casa-Rolls, which has a drive-through window, accommodates customers who opt for a pre-assembled dish to bake at home, as well as those who prefer one that is already baked. Thirty minutes advance notice is required for the baked casseroles.
Customers can choose from a 20 to 24-item menu, including appetizers, soups, salads and desserts, in addition to six to eight standard casseroles that are always on the menu, one weekly special and others that are rotated every two months.
Casseroles, from the store’s signature Cheesy Chicken Spinach to Tomato Basil Pie, are available in two sizes: regular, an eight-by-eight size, which feeds two to four people for $12.90 and large, a nine-by-thirteen size that feeds four to six for $14.90 and up, depending on the kind. Menu items and prices can be found at
www.casa-rolls.com. Hours of operation are 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Grant says that each serving of a casserole value meal, which includes a salad, rolls and tea, costs the same as a kid’s meal at a fast food establishment. “We want people to think of us instead of pizza, instead of hot dogs or hamburgers,” she continues.
In an effort to ensure that this happens, menu items are made from healthy ingredients, such as lean ground beef, whole grain brown rice, low-fat mayonnaise and low-sodium soup mixes. All casseroles are made fresh, in-house. “We are trying to keep the nutrition in and the calories down as much as possible,” Grant says.
Grant, excited about the growth of her new business, says that she and her husband plan to open a store in Hixson next year, as well as one in Fort Oglethorpe. “I think this is a service that every woman in America needs,” Grant says. “The pace of life is so fast, it’s almost impossible to have dinner around the table, and that’s where traditions are passed on. It’s a real service to people who want to make family important in their lives.”
Signal Mountain’s My Family Dinners, also locally owned, opened for business early this summer, and offers another alternative for families on the go by allowing customers to assemble their own dinners.
“People sign up on-line to come to the store to prepare the dinners,” explains Bevelle Puffer, owner. “The meats are packaged fresh, and each dinner is designed to feed four to six people.”
Puffer explains that up to 14 people may sign up for one appointment time. During that time, each person spends two hours at a station that is equipped with recipes and all the prepared ingredients needed to make six to twelve meals that the customer can take home and freeze.
According to Puffer, who moved to Chattanooga from Houston, TX, meal assembly had become popular there, and it “sort of revolutionized our lives. When I got ready to move, I thought, ‘I’ll do this in Chattanooga.’”
The recipes, including delicious offerings, such as marinated pork tender loin with pineapple-ginger sauce, glazed ham steak and peach crisp, are Puffer’s own, which she tests prior to making them available to the public.
“I test everything exactly the way my customers are going to do it,” she says. “I make it, freeze it and cook it to find out if it’s going to work.”
Menus are rotated each month, with pre-assembled dinners available for an additional charge. Puffer adds, however, that she does not offer vegetarian fare.
An added benefit of meal assembly is the social interaction it provides. “A lot of people schedule private groups to come and talk and have fun,” she said, “and we’re a lot of fun. I have a great staff that works for me. They make everybody happy.”
Puffer adds that customers may schedule appointments by e-mailing her from her website at
www.myfamilydinners.com or by calling at least two days in advance. The cost for preparing six meals is $120 ($20 per meal) and twelve meals is $210 ($17.50 per meal), resulting in a cost of $3 per serving. Hours of operation are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Monday, Wednesday, Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
“Our food is really excellent,” she adds. “It’s very, very good. The portions are very generous. The meals are also kid-friendly. They’re something the whole family will eat.”
Hixson’s Super Suppers also subscribes to the meal-assembly style. Owner Amy Zerangue opened the store in October, 2006. “I was on maternity leave from teaching school, and I saw (a segment about the franchise) on Good Morning America,” she explains. “I’m one of those people who do Stouffer’s lasagna and tacos—the same thing every night. I just thought it would be a great way to bring families together.”
Zerangue says that the menu is chosen by the corporate office in Ft. Worth, Texas and rotated every month. All recipes are developed at the Culinary School of Ft. Worth. “We are allowed to swap four entrees per month from the entrée library if we think they will sell better regionally,” she said.
An appealing option at Super Suppers is the freedom to make a smaller number of meals without scheduling an appointment. “One of the nice things about us that sets us apart is that you don’t have to have an appointment,” Zerangue points out. “You can walk in and make dinner for the week or just for that evening. If you’re going to make more than six meals, however, we prefer that you schedule an appointment.”
Delectable menu selections, including shrimp etouffe and pork chops with cranberry and barbecue sauce, are offered in a full size, which feeds four to six, and a half size, which feeds two to three. Zerangue adds that two to three vegetarian meals are also featured each month.
Meals assembled by customers are $20 for one meal, $114 for six ($19 per meal) and $216 for 12 ($18 each). Customers who prefer a pre-assembled order may call or order on-line one hour in advance. The cost for orders made in advance is $20 for a full-size meal and $14 for a half size. Zerangue says her store also offers what is known as “Grab and Go”, a supply of pre-assembled, frozen meals for $25 each.
Super Suppers’ hours of operation are 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Saturday. Orders may be placed at
www.sschattanooganorthtn.com.
Zerangue adds that Super Suppers also occasionally hosts theme nights for children, as well as adults. One such for children six to twelve years old is called Kids in the Kitchen.
“Parents drop off the kids for about an hour and a half, and they make three half entrees and three snacks,” she says. “We have a lot of couples come for the adult nights, and sometimes single women come for a girls’ night out, so there’s a great social aspect to it.”
Dream Dinners, a separate meal-assembly business, opened in July of last year on Gunbarrel Road. According to co-owner Liz Davenport, it was the culmination of an interest in food preparation that she and co-owner, Laura Stephens, shared as childhood friends.
“Laura and I have been friends since we were teenagers,” she said. “We’ve always been about food—cooking and preparing it. Bringing people around the dinner table for a nutritious and tasty home-cooked dinner was our motivation.”
Davenport says she first heard about Dream Dinners when she and Stephens were visiting the farmers’ markets in Atlanta to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for meals for their own families.
“We and some friends were mass cooking every month or so and going to Atlanta to get market produce,” she explains. “A friend who knew what we were doing told us about the Dream Dinners franchise located outside of Atlanta.”
Customers sign up at
www.dreamdinners.com for a two-hour session in which they prepare an average of twelve entrees to take home and freeze. Prior to the session, frozen meats and other ingredients are prepared and distributed to refrigerated stations where customers assemble them.
“It’s laid out very logically,” Davenport says. “We try to put everything you need in your way.”
Dream Dinners’ headquarters, located in Seattle, employ both a chef and a nutritionist who create and test all recipes before adding them to the menu. Customers may choose from fourteen entrees, such as Beef Enchilada Bake and Lemon Chicken Piccata that are rotated monthly. Meals may be made in a large, six-serving size or a medium, three-serving size.
Depending on the size of the meals, Davenport estimates that the average price for the twelve meals is between $130 and $250, resulting in a cost of $3 to $4 per serving.
“Customers are not just getting restaurant-quality food,” she says. “They’re getting a great price point. Most of our guests are telling us they’re saving at least $250 per month on groceries.” Dream Dinners is open Wednesday through Saturday. Appointment times are listed on their website.
Chrissie Batts and Claire Horton have both grown up with a passion for food. Chrissie and Claire are the executive chefs and owners of CHATT-a-FOODIE Personal Chef & Catering.
Born out of a passion for making uncomplicated, fun and tasty food, CHATT-a-FOODIE offers gourmet prepared meals to make life easier and of course taste better. Pre-prepared gourmet meals are offered across 12 standard items. These meals include a variety of foods ranging from vegetarian to “southern style.” Individual and family sizes, which feed 4, are offered. Owner Clarire Horton describes the meals as “homegrown comort foods, showing honor to the South with a slight twist.”
In addition to pre-prepared meals, CATT-a-FOODIE offers a variety of cold foods from the deli. These foods change weekly and can be purchased by the pound. CHATT-a-FOODIE is located at 1222 Tremont Avenue in North Chattanooga. To learn more about their goourmet meals and fresh foods, you can go to www.chattafoodie.com.
Throughout the Chattanooga Region, we are fortunate to be treated to fresh, quality foods that are pre-prepared or can be prepared for meals. Regardless of the choice, families can enjoy a nutritious meal, more time together, lower food costs, less stress and more time to enjoy other activities.