Take home meals expands
'' I have been surprised by the people that buy take home meals. The demographic is a lot wider than I expected.''
IT’S BEEN a huge year for Kristy Isaacson. The owner of MYLK Food Store with outlets in Hastings and Ahuriri says at times this year “I have felt like an octopus with not enough arms”.
That is one of the reasons Kristy, a trained chef, decided to sell her cafe in Hastings. She has retained the name MYLK (My Little Kitchen) for her take home meal outlets.
“It was a big decision but when I started on this journey my main focus was growing the take home meal side of the business and that’s what I would like to focus on in the future.”
Already Kristy’s take home meal business has exploded since opening the cafe in 2015. The first week she and her sole worker sold “at most” 150 meals.
Today she has two chefs, eight staff in total, and the kitchen in Ahuriri works eight hours a day five days a week.
When she first ventured into Napier she opened a store and small cafe in Onekawa, however when the opportunity came up to open a take home store in Ahuriri she jumped at the chance and now the Onekawa premises is a packing room.
“I love Ahuriri, it has such a nice vibe,” Kristy said. “We are right next door to Mrs Brown’s Cafe. It’s the perfect spot for us.
“I don’t regret for a minute opening the cafe, I did it to ensure I didn’t put all my eggs in one basket but meals was what I really wanted to do.
“I have followed a business model and worked hard. At first it was difficult to find a good work/life balance but now I have a lot more systems in place and it’s working beautifully. I have been surprised by the people that buy take home meals. The demographic is a lot wider than I expected. We get elderly wives or husbands who are looking after their spouse and we also get young mum and dads that work all week and want a night off cooking but also want healthy options.”
Kristy spends lot of her time these day developing recipes. “A lot of it is trial and error. There’s a big difference to making a dish with a kg of meat and then trying it with 36kg,” she laughs. “We have our customer favourites that we rotate such as Lasagne, Lamb Hot Pot, Beef Stroganoff and Butter
Chicken. The meals change weekly. We have a round 40 to 50 dishes that we rotate, and more desserts.”
Kristy is always looking at fresh ideas.
“Even though we’re growing I’m still focused on finding the best ingredients to make the most delicious meals for you to enjoy. I’ve been surprised and delighted to discover so many people who just want an easy way to eat a really good dinner. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that MYLK is nourishing so many New Zealanders (of all ages) with our healthy takeaway meals.”
There are some delicious options on the Christmas menu including salmon terrine, chicken liver pate mince, desserts and Christmas cake.
“I love making the salmon terrine — it’s so light and fresh.”
These meals are actually a great Christmas gift idea, especially if someone is unwell. No need to worry about cooking with a few of these delicious meals in the freezer.
Kristy plans to take a break over Christmas and New Year to spend time with her family.
The last trading day of the year is December 24, reopening on January 8.
■ The Hastings store is at 1/800 St Aubyn St East Hastings and the Napier store is at 7/87 Bridge St Ahuriri.