As someone who loves to travel, explore, do yoga, and go a million miles a minute, I hardly ever make time to make my own meals. While I love the restaurant options in Des Moines, I like to try new things as often as possible! When a friend told me about The Grateful Chef and the amazing menu offered on a weekly basis, I knew I had to try.
Brandy Lueders, the amazing woman behind The Grateful Chef, shares a little about herself & the business she has created. Trust me, this is a service you do not want to miss! Even if you love cooking, you’ll get great ideas from her weekly options (all prepared in advance!).
Brandy, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am the mom of two redheads and the partner to John, who has his own wellness business as well as is my partner in the Grateful Chef.
I am lucky to have known what my passion is from a young age. I have always loved to cook for my friends and family, and after encouragement from my high school home ec teacher, decided to go to school to pursue this as a career after finishing high school.
After school, I moved to Portland, OR and was able to work in fantastic kitchens and gained some invaluable experience from my time there. After moving back to the midwest, I started working in large scale food service which helped me gain knowledge of cooking in large quantities.
How did The Grateful Chef get started?
The Grateful Chef got started in the spring of 2010 when a friend who just had their third child asked me if I could make extra food that I was already cooking for my family and sell it to her to help them out at a busy time in their life.
At the time, I was a stay at home mom with my two small boys, so this was fun for me to do on the side. Of course, I said yes! And then her neighbor was interested, and then…everyone else! And so it began..
What can people expect from the meals you create?
You can expect a meal that you are used to seeing, but with a spin on it. It’s always inventive, fresh, and very flavorful, and will be a highlight of your week!
Here are a few examples of dishes I’ve prepared & you can always find the most current dishes right here on our website.
What else should people know about The Grateful Chef?
One of our favorite aspects of our business, is the vibrant community that has been created around it! There is simply nothing better than using food as a way to gather people together and experience human connection even if only for a few minutes during pickup each week.
Check out The Grateful Chef on their website and Facebook and be sure to try a meal or two (or 200).