‘LET US TAKE CARE OF DINNER’
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP » When many businesses are closing doors as a result of the months-long coronavirus pandemic, Chef Jeff’s Hot Meals To Go at 718 MacDade Blvd. is not only growing, but thriving. Recently opened by Jeff Palladino and Alenrry Iniguez, the business sprouted from a passion for cooking and the basic concept of supply and demand.
The restaurant’s attraction is simple. For only $40, Palladino and Iniguez offer customers a fresh, balanced home-cooked dinner for a family of four. In other words, for a price comparable to fast-food restaurants, a person can have a meal that’s as good, if not better than one they’d prepare themselves — if only they had the time.
“Where else can you get high-quality, great-tasting meals for such reasonable prices?” Palladino asked.
Through word of mouth and the power of social media, Chef Jeff’s Hot Meals to Go evolved into a neighborhood sensation, quite unexpectedly. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the area and began to shut down businesses in midMarch, Palladino got laid off from his job at Barclay Prime in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square area. The energetic Palladino, a Ridley High School Class of 2001 graduate and an alumnus of the prestigious College of Culinary Arts at Johnson and Wales University, isn’t one to sit around and take it easy.
“But our business is booming so we must be doing something right! The Delaware County community has
been phenomenal in their support for us and I am so very grateful. I always wanted a reason to get out of waiting tables and this is turning out to be my dream job!”
— Chef Jeff Palladino on Chef Jeff’s Hot Meals To Go
His wife Jill, a Class of 2001 Cardinal O’Hara High School alum and assistant principal at Upper Darby High School, suggested her husband cook some meals for their friends. With the pandemic making everyone shelter in place, Jill noticed her friends were struggling with working from home, homeschooling their children, and finding time to cook. As parents of two children themselves - 2-year-old Stella and 6-year-old Joey — the Palladinos could relate to the constant juggling act of working and balancing family life, along with trying to prepare healthy meals.
What began as a gesture to help out a few busy friends began to grow into providing many more dinners for many more friends. Each Sunday, Jill posted on social media what Chef Jeff would make for dinner each day of the week, Monday through Friday, and orders began pouring in. After the
meals were prepared, Jill would run them out to the cars as people stopped by to pick them up. The couple set prices to cover the food, but kept costs reasonable to help the many individuals who lost jobs during the pandemic.
Chef Jeff, who was doing what he always enjoyed — pleasing others through superior cooking — began making so many meals that he was outgrowing his kitchen. As a lifelong Ridley resident, he knew which properties in his neighborhood had vacancies and he began looking into leasing a spot with bigger cooking facilities so he could offer even more meals to more people. He found one, right in the Milmont Park section of Ridley Township, where he was born and raised and now resides.
Palladino called his good friend and former roommate Alenrry “Al” Iniguez, who had been recently laid off, due to the pandemic, from Harp & Crown in Philadelphia, and invited him to be a partner in the new meals-togo storefront.
“When I thought of moving to bigger quarters, I thought of Al right away,” Palladino said. “I knew he had the same work ethic as me and the same experience and skills.”
With a combined 35 years in the restaurant and beverage business, the friends were ready to bring their superior culinary skills and customer service to Delaware County.
Palladino, a Delco native, and Iniguez, a California native, became friends in 2004, while working at Bobby Flay’s landmark Mesa Grill Restaurant at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Like Palladino, Iniguez has held nearly every industry position through the years, from busboy to manager. He has built awardwinning cocktail programs and lent his incomparable leadership skills to world-renowned restaurant groups. Alenrry has worked alongside Michelin-starred chef Alex Stratta and cocktail legends Tony Abou-Ganim and Francesco Lafranconi,
Iniguez and Palladino also worked together at Barclay Prime in Philadelphia, when they returned to the east coast. Finally realizing their collective dream of opening their own restaurant some day, the longtime friends opened the storefront for Chef Jeff’s Hot Meals To Go in June, and they haven’t looked back since.
Staying true to their tagline, “Let us take care of dinner,” Palladino operates the kitchen. Iniguez runs other aspects of the operation, including taking orders and carrying them out for curbside pick-up. Palladino’s parents, John and Jean Palladino, also help out with shopping and meal prep. They have years of experience too — John used to own Rick’s Place in Folsom. Jean recently retired from her position as business coordinator at Penn State Brandywine.
The concept of Chef Jeff’s Meals To Go is pretty simple, making ordering and pick-up “easy peasy” for customers. At the week’s beginning, Chef Jeff posts the weekly menus on the company’s website. For instance, a recent menu included Mangia Monday (Chicken Carbonara, bacon, crecciette pasta, cream sauce and garden salad), Teriyaki Tuesday (pork medalions, pineapple, pepper teriyaki sauce and rice), Comfort Wednesday (Turkey dinner with roasted turkey breast, bacon gravy and cauliflower gratin, glazed carrots), Wild Card Thursday (Frutti DiMare, linguine, seafood marinara sauce, shrimp, mussels, clams, squid and garden salad), Sandwich Friday (crispy-spicy chicken breast sandwich, house sauce, homemade pickles and creamy potato salad). Some other entrees included Pan Seared Salmon with Rice and Mango, Strawberry and Black Bean Salsa, Cavatelli Primavera in Rose Sauce, Caprese Salad, Sausage, Peppers and Parmesan Polenta, Mom’s Chicken Salad, Homemade Gnocchi with Broccoli, Blackened Chicken and Parmesan Butter Sauce, and Chef Jeff’s Meatloaf, which Palladino said is always a big hit.
“We use fresh, real chicken, prime beef, and top quality in all ingredients— nothing is ever frozen or pre-made,” Palladino said when comparing his meals to some other restaurants.
In addition to weekly features, Chef Jeff’s features some menu items regularly, such as his Chicken Parmesan, Salads, Veggie Hoagie, Jeff’s Signature Homemade Meatballs and the famous PopPop’s Roast Pork sandwich, a recipe handed down from his grandfather that used to be featured at Rick’s Place.
Photos of each day’s meals are featured on Instagram, Facebook, and the website. Once a customer chooses menu items, he can place an order by phone or on the internet and choose a pick-up time. Upon arrival, meals will be brought out to the vehicle. Walk-in traffic is also welcome and it’s growing consistently, according to Palladino, as more and more local workers and residents discover that meals at Chef Jeff’s are of higher quality, taste and value than fast food options elsewhere. Meals can also be ordered in quantity for backyard barbecue and other events.
“Summer is customarily a slow time in the hospitality business,” Palladino said, with a smile. “But our business is booming so we must be doing something right!
The Delaware County community has been phenomenal in their support for us and I am so very grateful. I always wanted a reason to get out of waiting tables and this is turning out to be my dream job!”