The fast supper
In just a couple of hours last month, Jane Herion whipped up two brunch casseroles, chicken enchiladas, ginger-sesame shrimp, pasta primavera with scallops, a marinated tri-tip roast, chicken breasts with orzo, salmon steaks and some St. Louis-style ribs.
Herion, 62, didn’t even break a sweat. But, then, she had a little help.
She had no onions to dice, no garlic to mince, no chicken to chop. She didn’t have to scrub a single bowl or wash a single countertop. And, now, she doesn’t have to wonder, “What’s for dinner?” either.
Herion prepared her meals at Cena (“say-nah,” from the Spanish and Italian word for “supper”), 12501 N. Highway 395, one of several similar businesses that have started popping up in Spokane strip malls in recent months.
Each one’s a little different, but they follow the same basic premise: Register for a cooking time either by phone or online, select the entrees you want to prepare, and show up at the store. Somebody’s already done the grocery shopping, and all of the ingredients are ready to go. You simply follow the instructions, place everything in a freezer-ready container, and you’ll have dinner entrees for most of the month.
“It’ll be nice for out at the lake cabin,” where there’s not much room to cook and serve food, Herion says.
Since January, four such make-take-and-bake stores have opened in Spokane. There’s Cena on the North Side, Class Act Cuisine on the South Hill, and The Meal Maker and Dream Dinners in the Spokane Valley. Dinners Ready is slated to open on the South Hill next month.
“We want them to feel like they’re chefs,” says Tami Badinger, a Spanish teacher at Ferris High School, who co-owns Cena with Ferris French teacher Nancy Hough. “We want them to feel like they’re doing it; it’s their dish.”
The trend started in March 2002, when Dream Dinners opened its first stores on Washington’s west side. The concept attracted national media attention, and spin-offs started showing up.
“All of the hard work has been done for you ahead of time,” says Laura Christianson, communications manager for Snohomish, Wash.-based Dream Dinners. “All you have to do as a customer is show up. All of the ingredients have been prepped and chopped. You just assemble it. In five minutes, you’ve got a whole dinner for your family.”
The stores have tapped into the rush-rush pace of American families at dinner-time. In 1967, it took an average of two hours to prepare dinner, according to research firm A.C. Nielsen. Now, families want the meal on the table in less than five minutes, Nielsen’s survey found.
There’s always the fast-food drive-through, of course. Or take-out. Or a frozen casserole from the grocery store. For a comparable price, you could also hire a personal chef who will come to your home and prepare meals for you.
But these make-take-and-bake meals are generally more nutritious than those other options, and they can be customized to suit a family’s tastes.
Plus, it’s kind of a kick.
During a recent session at Cena, six longtime friends chatted and listened to Frank Sinatra tunes while they assembled their entrees.
“It’s a day out with the girls,” says Mary Sue Davis of Spokane. “And yet, I’m going to put 24 meals in the freezer.”
Davis, like many of the cooks with smaller families, decided to split each of her 12 entrees in half. That way, she’ll get more meals without as many leftovers.
Some of the stores provide baking tins for you. Others ask you to bring freezer containers, such as Gladware, with you. You’ll also want to make sure you have plenty of room in your freezer at home.
Owners of the stores say they have experimented with recipes to find out what works best in the freezer. At Dinners Ready, for example, many of the meals are prepared in kits, with some ingredients frozen separately and later combined because testers found that some things don’t freeze well together, owner Brad Vorhees says.
All of the dishes are labeled with thawing and cooking instructions.
The retail operations grew out of a popular freezer-meals trend in which families spend all day cooking enough dinners for a month.
Suzanne Maguire used to teach freezer-meals classes in Spokane.
Maguire says it cost her less money to prepare her entrees than to go to one of the make-take-and-bake stores. But she also says it took her about 22 hours a month to do all of the necessary shopping, preparation, cooking and cleanup. At the stores, cooks can finish 12 entrees in a couple of hours.
“It’s obviously always cheaper to do things yourself, but most people would agree their time is worth something,” Maguire says.
Here’s a breakdown of the area’s meals-to-go stores:
“ Cena, 12501 N. Highway 395, 328-3709, www.cenatogo.com.
Opened: June, independently owned by Nancy Hough and Tami Badinger.
Cost: $190, wine is extra.
What you get: 12 entrees, plus 2-3 side dishes; freezer containers are included.
Popular entrees: Raspberry Chipotle Pork Loin, Expo ‘74 Brunch Casserole.
What to bring: A cooler, to bring meals home in.
What sets them apart: Cena’s the only store with a liquor license. The owners plan to host wine-tastings and rent out the space as a banquet facility. “We’re different from the rest because the atmosphere to us is just as important as the rest,” Tami Badinger says.
“ Class Act Cuisine, 3022 E. 57th Ave., Suite 15, 443-8788, www.classactcuisine.com.
Opened: December 2003. A North Side location, at 9021 N. Indian Trail Road is slated to open in August. Independently owned by Jenny Guthrie and Susan McLaughlin.
Cost: $170.
What you get: 12 entrees, each serves 4-6 people.
Popular entrees: Island Lime Shrimp Over Fettuccini, Citrus-Glazed Salmon.
What to bring: Freezer containers, or you can buy them on site. A cooler to transport meals.
What sets them apart: The store is run by two home economics teachers, and the inside is arranged in a U-shape, like a home ec. kitchen. “What makes us a little different is our home ec. background,” Jenny Guthrie says. “We’re very conscious of portions. Because Americans like to overeat and eat the wrong things, all of our things are healthy with fresh ingredients.”
“ Dinners Ready, 2632 E. 29th Ave., 533-6325 or 993-7514, www.dinnersready.com.
Opened: Scheduled to open in mid-August. Part of a Mukilteo, Wash.-based franchise, owned locally by Johnna and Tavis Throm.
Cost: $189.
What you get: 12 entrees, baking tins.
Popular entrees: Chicken with Coconut Rice, Asian Meatloaf with Hoisin Glaze.
What to bring: Cooler to transport meals.
What sets them apart: The stores are decorated with colorful artwork. Many meals are prepared like a kit, with different components going in separate freezer bags. “We really want to be the Nordstrom and the Starbucks of the industry,” says franchise co-owner Brad Vorhees. “We want to be the biggest and the best.”
“ Dream Dinners, 328 N. Sullivan Road, 924-4044, www.dreamdinners.com.
Opened: January. Owned by Roger and Beth Williamson, part of a Snohomish, Wash.-based franchise.
Cost: $178.
What you get: 12 entrees, each serves 4-6 people.
Popular entrees: Herb-Crusted Flank Steak. Chicken Cordon Bleu.
What to bring: Freezer containers, a cooler to transport meals.
What sets them apart: Dream Dinners is the country’s largest meals-on-the-go franchise, with about 40 stores currently open or slated to open soon. “The meals are inexpensive,” Roger Williamson says. “They’re promoting family unity. People have fun when they make them, too.”
“ The Meal Maker, 13220 E. Sprague Ave., 892-1403, www.themealmaker.com.
Opened: March, independently owned by Barbara Marney.
Cost: $95 for 7 entrees or $189 for 14 entrees.
Popular entrees: Bali Chicken, Mexican Hashbrown Quiche.
What to bring: Freezer containers, cooler to transport meals.
What sets them apart: “I’m on a mission,” Barbara Marney says. “It’s about making women’s lives a lot easier and enjoyable.”
Here are some popular recipes from Spokane’s make-and-take entrée stores:
Jack Daniels Barbecued Pulled Pork
From Dinners Ready!
2 pounds pork shoulder
2 cups honey barbecue sauce
3/4 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup diced green pepper
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers (optional)
4 tablespoons Jack Daniels Whiskey
Tabasco, to taste (optional)
Combine all ingredients, except pork, in a large zip-top bag, squeeze out air and freeze. Place pork in another bag, freeze.
To cook and serve, thaw completely. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pork shoulder in oven-proof baking pan, pour barbecue sauce over top and cover with foil. Place in middle rack of oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and, using two forks, gently pull meat apart until shredded.
Serve either on a toasted bun or over rice.
Yield: 6 servings
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.
Toe of the Boot Pork Chops
From The Meal Maker
8 pork chops, top loin with bone
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced green peppers
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Brown chops on both sides in large heated skillet with the olive oil. Reduce heat, add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Nutrition per serving: 224 calories, 12 grams fat (48 percent fat calories), 26 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrate, 73 milligrams cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 190 milligrams sodium.
Mrs. King Cole’s Expo ‘74 Brunch Casserole
From Cena
2/3 cup melted butter
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 1/2 cups half-and-half
3 heaping teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons salt
Lemon pepper, to taste
4 cups of baked ham, cubed
24 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
2 green peppers, chopped
1 cup crushed croutons
Combine the first six ingredients (butter through lemon pepper) in a blender. Pour into saucepan and cook for 8-10 minutes over medium heat, until sauce thickens.
Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray.
Make three layers of the ham, eggs and green pepper in the pan. Pour the cooled sauce over the layers. Top with crushed croutons.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until middle is bubbling. Serve with fruit salad and cinnamon rolls.
Yield: 6 servings
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.