Make and Take Meal Prep
Boutiques ~
RVing's Answer to the Cook's Vacation
Does the cook get a vacation when you go RV trekking?
Or does food
shopping, prepping, cooking, and cleanup cut into the
fun? Well, now
there's help, and it isn't mass-produced, and it
doesn't come in a
cardboard box.
Assemble and take food preparation boutiques are the
newest trend in
food - one with Pacific Northwest Roots - and they're
perfect for
RVers.
The concept is simple. For a set price, you can go to
a professional
kitchen and custom-assemble dinner-type entree
recipes into freezer
containers. Later you take them out of your freezer
as needed and cook
according to the accompanying directions you've been
given.
The meal prep boutique does all of the fresh food
shopping, ingredient
preparation, and cleanup for you. To complete a meal,
all you have to
do is add side dishes. The meal prep companies even
add ideas for
compatible accompaniments.
Putting together meals in the professional kitchen
atmosphere is often a
social occasion, as groups of friends, or couples may
go in together.
Sessions generally run about two hours to assemble a
dozen or more
dishes at reasonable per-serving costs.
The first meal prep boutique was started by two
Snohomish,
Washington, women in 2002. An immediate success that
grew with the
enthusiasm of a well-made souffle, it launched an
industry that by 2003
had its own professional association of
independently-owned and
franchise businesses.
By the end of 2006, the Easy Meal Preparation
Association estimated
there would be more than 1,100 meal prep boutiques
across the U.S.,
according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Easy Entree, in Bellingham, Washington, for
example. While, like
other meal prep businesses, it provides make and take
dinners for
at-home cooking, owner Evelyn Turner says her meals
are also perfect
for RVers and boaters, too.
Imagine heading off in your rig with a freezer full
of meals as simple to
cook as the prepackaged kind from the supermarket,
but with much
better flavor, nutrition, and custom-made to your own
tastes. Ones
you've put together yourself in a friendly
professional kitchen, without
the hassle of shopping before or cleaning up after.
Plus, since the boutique takes care of all the
ingredients, you don't have
to worry about leaving half-used containers in the
fridge at home to spoil
while you're away in your RV.
And if you're on the road and need to restock your
dinner supply, you
can do it in convivial surroundings without messing
up the kitchen in
your RV, and even learn how to make new and
interesting dishes at the
same time.
Most dishes are designed to freeze in 4-6 portion
sizes, but can divided
and frozen in smaller amounts that work better for
couples or singles,
too. Entrees generally keep in the freezer for 60 to
90 days.
Some boutiques ask you to make an appointment
(usually at least 24
hours in advance), and others may offer walk-in
services. Some are also
willing to do the meal assembly for you for an added
fee. You can bring
your own containers, or use the freezer bags provided
for storage.
For more about make and go meal preparation, visit The
Easy Entree's
page on RVTrekker.com.
