Switch to a culinary career was ‘simply irresistible’
Megan Day’s stuffed meatballs are a staple in her kitchen. When she craves comfort, that’s her dish. The recipe came from her mom, who also inspired the take-and-bake freezer meals she now sells.
Those freezer meals were among the first things she offered when she started Simply Irresistible Catering five years ago. Her mom passed away four years ago but was instrumental in the business launch.
Day, 34, grew up in Waukesha and attended Catholic Memorial High School. When it came time to open her business, she knew she wanted to be part of the area’s downtown.
In 2016, Day also opened Daylee Public House, 453 W. Main St., Waukesha, with her father, Paul. One of them is always on hand at the restaurant, which recently added a deck with seating for 40.
Her path
I went to UW-Milwaukee for athletic training and got my bachelor of science in kinesiology. I got a fulltime job, things were good. But I wasn’t happy. I realized that when I saw family and they all asked how is life, I wasn’t where I wanted to be.
Eight months after I graduated, I then went to culinary school at Waukesha County Technical College and it all made sense. It was just what I needed, and it gave me a lot of opportunities.
I got my associate’s (degree) and did a whole lot of learning about myself. I knew I didn’t want to work in the kitchen on the line, and I liked being creative. That’s where the catering started. I did all different kinds of things to find what I liked.
One place I worked was Dinner By Design. I thought it was a great concept to have these frozen take-andbake meals. I started out thinking and creating there. Different opportunities opened up.
I ended up working in an assisted living facility, working my way up from cook to culinary manager. I’d hit the highest I could go. It is time to do this on my own. I was lucky enough to have the support of my parents and opened Simply Irresistible Catering … five years ago.
Early influences
My mom was an excellent cook. Looking back on things, my life revolved around food and food memories. Even in college at UWM, I was all about feeding my friends and having everybody over to my place. In hindsight, it makes sense. This is where I was supposed to be. When I started culinary school, it just felt right.
Family and food
I act a lot more Irish than I am. My mom just loved everything Irish and we went to Ireland as a family. She’s been gone for four years. She would have been very proud of the restaurant, but it meant a lot that she got to see me hit my initial dream with the catering company.
Now I’ve got my dad. He’s been so supportive and is here with me all the time. That’s what is really special about our space here. Since we opened the bar, it is always me or my dad behind the bar.
Comfort and convenience
We do stuff (for the catering business) that can go right from the freezer to the oven, our lasagna, our mac ’n’ cheese. We have different size pans, everything cooks at the same temperature. It is peace of mind because there can always be something in your freezer, a quick and easy meal. We do everything in small batches, so items are not sitting in the freezer.
Convenient comfort food
People want real food. I love the idea now of some of the new companies, the fresh food, but a lot of the time people just don’t have time to take half an hour to cook.
We used to call them mom meals. Those were my mom’s specialties. I took meals I had from growing up, like my mom’s lasagna. She gave me her stuffed meatballs recipe. I added mozzarella cheese, which she said made it better.
Her signature style
We pick a thing (for the restaurant menu), we do it well. One is our grilled cheese. It is a five-cheese cream cheese spread and a build your own topping item, that’s a signature. We started with appetizers and a grilled cheese menu.
Baked vs. fried
We have so many fantastic restaurants in Waukesha, you have to be different. I decided to go more on the homemade side and unique takes, especially appetizers. We do buffalo chicken egg rolls, our No. 1 seller. We slow-cook chicken in buffalo sauce, hand wrap them.
The key thing for our appetizers is all are baked, not fried. It is unique for the area, and frankly, Wisconsin, because we like our fried food.
Fun with food
We do a Saturday brunch. I have fun with it. One of our things is a biscuit bomb. … Later this summer, we’re going to do homemade cookies and ice cream sandwiches.
We added “brat tot skewers” last year, served with a homemade sauerkraut coleslaw. We don’t have burgers, but we can do something similar and have fun. We have a fantastic burger place in this area, I’m not even going to touch it. I came up with the “burgadilla” instead, and we serve it with a fry sauce that’s almost like a Big Mac sauce.
Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email nstohs@journalsentinel.com.