Supper Thyme in Fort Mitchell
Kentuckians, rejoice! There's a new assemble-your-dinners spot called Supper Thyme opening Friday, Aug. 24. It joins other area convenience food-prep places such as Dream Dinners and My Girlfriend's Kitchen (pictured). But we're fairly sure this is the first such spot opening in Northern Kentucky. (I also think there's one more franchise in the area, but I'm spacing the brand name at the moment). If you've never heard of these, you assemble food for multiple meals at these locations (go with friends for more fun!), then bring the containers home to freeze for easy meals to pop into the oven when you need them. This appears to be the nearest Supper Thyme so far. There's one in Fort Wayne and one in Dublin, Ohio (and one in Findlay, which we hope isn't underwater with the rest of northern Ohio).
6 Comments:
Is this what we've come to? I hate to be persnickety, but how hard is it to simply cook a dinner at home without outside assistance? Obviously it's better than fast food, but even people who can't cook or don't like to cook can have a repertoire of recipes to put together quickly such as a stir fry or a doctored up,store bought spaghetti sauce. Their demographic must be people with too much disposable income.
I've never tried one of these spots, but I for one am happy they are out there. For busy families juggling soccer practice, music lesson and ballet, for instance, I have heard these places are a godsend. Ditto folks taking care of an Alzheimer's parent full time, or a kid with cancer. If it's that or Taco Bell or McD's drive-thru, bring it on. Truth is, people these days are busier than ever, and convenience is paramount. Our business section (or was it John Materese?) did a report on these when they first opened, and found that, contrary to popular opinion, the cost per serving is actually ridiculously low. I'd hope that once I have kids and am busier, I'll still be able to cook a tray of lasagna on the weekend and freeze that to have when I need it. But if I don't, I'm glad that places like this exist.
My issues with places like this are my issues with the way Americans eat in general. We don't view food as a pleasurable activity meant to be savored with family and friends, but rather something to be hastily put together and eaten on the run. To quote Wendell Berry, "if you take away from food the wholeness of growing it or take away the the joy and conviviality of preparing it in your own home, then I believe you are talking about a whole new definition of the human being."
I've tried My Girlfriend's Kitchen once and thought it was great. The cost was fairly cheap per meal considering the serving sizes. It was great for nights when we were so busy we might have picked up take out from somewhere had a pre-made meal not been an option. My mother-in-law also used these meals after she had back surgery. It was great that she was still able to have homestyle meals despite the fact that she couldn't stand in the kicthen for more than minutes at a time.
I think this is a great resource for moms like myself that are bad cooks. I want meals that taste great and that are good for my family. I think this is a great way to do that in addition to being convenient. I am def. planning on checking it out.
Cooking Accomplished! has been a great find for myself and several of my friends. The concept is simple; you go online, pick the entrees you want and the date you want to assemble them. The difference between Cooking Accomplished! and several other businesses like this in Portland, is quality! The owner is a trained chef. They have a commercial kitchen where all the ingredients are prepped by Shelley and her staff. Many of my friends, prior to joining me for meal assembly sessions at Cooking Accomplished!, admitted to serving and eating frozen or pre-cooked meals several times a week and to dining out two or three times a week. We decided since we are worried about nutritional value and using quality local ingredients we would research meal assembly as a solution to reducing time spent shopping and preparing dinners with the goal of eating healthier. The only assemble-your-own meal company that we found in Portland, that had great selections, high quality local ingredients and prepped all their food in-house is CookingAccomplished! in Lake Oswego. Since I started preparing meals at CookingAccomplished! I've also signed up for a couple of great cooking classes. My son attended a kids class as well and he can't wait until the next one. Shelley has done a fantastic job of creating a quality experience!
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