Thankfully, there is now an option for folks in southern Aroostook County to get a nutritional meal delivered right to their doorstep with Make Dinner for Me.
A sample meal from Make Dinner For Me is shown. Meals come packaged with instructions on how to heat them in your home.
(Joseph Cyr)
Make Dinner for Me is the brainchild of Rob Lawless and Kathryn Harnish, owners of Took a Leap Farm — a small goat farm and creamery well-known in northern Maine for its inventive and tasty cheeses. The couple now bring their passion for quality local foods to the dinner table, preparing fresh, ready-made meals designed to please the palate and simplify your schedule.
“We both love food, and love cooking,” Lawless said.
Lawless started making soups for the County Co-Op and Farm Store, since he is on the board of directors for that group. The soups have proven popular with customers.
“People seemed to really like soup I was making, so this was the next progressive step for me,” he explained.
“One of the things when you have a farm, you have to look at ways to create different revenue streams because just one is not going to cut it,” Harnish added. “We are looking at the sustainability of the farm and leverage the investments we have made there.”
As “Dinner-Maker in Chief,” Lawless spearheads operations at Make Dinner for Me — planning creative menus, sourcing the best ingredients, and rolling up his sleeves to cook. His background in quality assurance and product development at Naturally Potatoes, a local food manufacturing company, and as cheesemaker for Took a Leap Farm serve him well, as he brings extensive knowledge of commercial food production to the role.
In addition to his work at Make Dinner for Me and Took a Leap Farm, Rob serves on the boards of the Houlton Community Market, The County Co-op and Farm Store, and the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets.
Rob Lawless spoons out a dish of chicken stew, one of the many dishes he is making as part of his Make Dinner For Me business.
(Joseph Cyr)
His favorite food is — not surprisingly — cheese, and Lawless plans to feature local cheeses, including those from Sonnental Dairy and Took a Leap Farm, in many of his meals.
“Tasty meals begin with the highest-quality ingredients, which are combined to create both comfort-food favorites and exciting seasonally- or ethnic-inspired specialties,” Lawless said. “We expertly blend flavors — sweet, salty, sour, and bitter — to create delicious harmony on your plate. Whether you’re a meat-lover or a vegetarian, on a diet or footloose and fancy-free, you’ll find lots of options to delight your tastebuds on each weekly menu.”
The couple were already set up as a commercial kitchen for their cheese business, but since making cheese can be tricky, they had to set up a second kitchen in their home at 243 B. Road in Houlton.
“Healthy meals begin with the freshest ingredients, free of additives, preservatives, and other things you don’t want to eat,” Lawless said. “In fact, many of our ingredients are organic! We pay close attention to the nutritional value of each portion-controlled meal, balancing fats and sugars with outstanding flavor…and include calorie counts and other details with each option.”
Each week, a new menu is posted on their business’ webpage. Orders are taken for the week and are made for the following Monday. Meals are packaged in eco-friendly containers and can be picked up at the County Co-Op store or, for a small fee, be delivered to a person’s home.
“Local meals begin by supporting local agriculture and other food producers, something about which we are incredibly passionate,” Lawless said. “Whenever feasible, we’ll source our ingredients from our neighbors here in The County or elsewhere in the state, choosing in-season options that highlight the best of Maine. We’ll always let you know what’s from close-to-home in your dinners!”
For more information, visit their website at http://www.makedinnerfor.me/.
