She said ‘no more takeout,’ and a business was born
Krysta Hutton’s personal chef and grocery business was born from her own needs. As a working mom, more often than not she would find herself ordering takeout. Tossing groceries from her refrigerator week after week left her frustrated. It was wasteful, unhealthy and not good for the family budget.
So she started meal prepping, planning everything her family would eat for a week. When she realized how well it worked, it became her business: SimpleEats MKE. She and her team of 12 plan menus, grocery shop and prepare meals for families throughout Hartland, Oconomowoc and Lake Country areas every week. She rarely wastes a thing, and she turns even vegetable scraps into meals.
Knowing not everyone can afford a personal chef, she also blogs at simpleeatsmke.com, where she provides menus and recipes so anyone can do this at home.
Hutton and her husband, Chris, live in Brookfield with their children, Rex, 3, and Ruby, 4. She and her staff prepare meals in clients’ homes, and she’ll be moving into a commercial kitchen space later this year at Stone Bank Farm Market in Nashotah. Question: How did you get started cooking?
Answer: I have been working in restaurants for my entire life, since I was 13. I worked at Mike and Angelo’s in Racine as a bus girl. I actually went to school for interior design and started on the events side of things.
I just added all my experience with food to that and started doing parties for friends, hosting events. My husband sells wine, so we do wine and dinner parties. Everyone thought I was good at it.
I was an event planner at Wicked Hop for 14 years, and I made desserts there for a while, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to do events and food, but I was afraid to make the leap to start my own business. I did a lot of side hustles.
I also have two kids. When my daughter was born, I realized I couldn’t keep working all these jobs. That’s when I started my own business. It has been about 2 1⁄2 years.
Q: Was there one thing that pushed you to take the leap and start this business?
A: I really wanted to help people. I realized how busy I was and how much food we were wasting. I’d go grocery shopping with the intention of cooking dinner every night, but I wouldn’t have time. We’d end up going out to eat or getting takeout. Then I’d throw away food. I realized other mothers must struggle with this same thing.
I started meal prepping. We’d have food for the week, and we weren’t wasting anymore. We were saving money. My big passion is food waste, and the base of my business is that.
Now there are 12 of us (at SimpleEats MKE). We do
meal prep for families and grocery shop, organize weekly menus and work with dietary restrictions anyone has in the family.
Q: What are the biggest influences on your cooking?
A: I trained under other local chefs, and with all the restaurants I worked for, and then cooking on my own. I would always read recipes. My goal is always to add more vegetables. I want my children to eat all the vegetables and all the different colors and flavors.
I also started a blog writing my recipes. I do a blog post every week, and it has a grocery list and recipes you can print out. If you can’t afford a personal chef yourself, you can still do what I do for your family. Q: What defines your home cooking?
A: I’m really into Mediterranean flavors and foods. My mom never really cooked, so my sister and I would cook together for my little brother. My sister and I still love to entertain. We grew up not having that, so it is like that is why we wanted that for our family.
Q: What’s a menu must for you?
A: Lasagnas are something I love to make. I love to be able to show people you can have this amazing decadent dinner and it doesn’t have to have to be heavy. I make mine with chicken sausage, zucchini noodles, and I put a ton of vegetables in the sauce, and yes there’s cheese, but not a ton of it. I can get my kids to eat it, and it freezes well.
Q: What have you learned about cooking for others? A: I have one client that has to have her kids try the food with their eyes closed first. If they see all the different colors, they won’t try it, but if they try it, they like it.
Sometimes, I do have to leave off the garnish with some families. I can’t put the parsley on top, because if kids see the greens they won’t eat the mashed potatoes. I’ll make mac ’n’ cheese with butternut squash in the cheese sauce. I make chocolate muffins with zucchini and chia seeds. I hide vegetables a lot.
Q: What’s your favorite dish to introduce to people? A: It is mostly a variety of different vegetables. When I do a consultation with families, they’ll say my kid eats carrots and green beans, but they won’t touch a mushroom or they’ve never seen an artichoke. Most families don’t eat wilted greens or eggplant. For me it is about getting people to try vegetables in new and different ways.
Q: Do you ever get to cook at home with your own kids? A: On weekends we all make a meal together, but getting through the week is so difficult. Meal prep and having meals put together gives me a life. Our dinners are already ready, so I can go to the gym or watch “The Bachelor.”
Table Chat features interviews with Wisconsinites, or Wisconsin natives, who work in restaurants or support the restaurant industry; or visiting chefs. To suggest individuals to profile, email nstohs@ journalsentinel.com.