Local mom brings "a mom's best friend" to Altamonte Springs
Altamonte Springs, FL - Demanding careers, after-school activities and household chores often force families to turn to take-out, TV dinners and fast food to make dinnertime quick and painless.
But Lydia Cook-Tomaino has discovered a better way to simplify the dinner preparation process.
When Cook-Tomaino's friends wouldn't stop raving about a dinner assembly store they visited in Tampa last year, the Central Florida mother saw an opportunity to help busy moms locally by opening a do-it-yourself dinner assembly store closer to home.
In June, Cook-Tomaino will open Altamonte Springs' first Let's Eat!, a chain of meal assembly shops in Florida that eliminate the drudgery of menu planning, shopping, prep-work and cleanup by moving the dinner assembly process out of home kitchens and into specially-equipped retail outlets.
Cook-Tomaino's 1,300-square-foot Let's Eat! store resembles an immaculately designed commercial kitchen with all the ingredients, utensils and accessories customers need to assemble their meals from a Let's Eat! menu that changes monthly. Let's Eat! dishes include Pasta Primavera, Brie and Mango Chicken and Herb Encrusted Salmon.
In a two-hour session, customers can make eight to 12 dinners, all of which can be frozen and cooked later. Most of the meals are entrees, but each month there are also side items including dipping oils, dressings and sauces which are sold separately. Each dish serves four to six people at $2.50 to $3 per serving.
Just as exceptional cuisine is an important element of the Let's Eat! concept, so is simplicity. Customers register for day or evening, weekday or weekend sessions at www.letseatdinner.com.
The Let's Eat! Web site offers in-depth information on what to expect. A Let's Eat! team member can also assemble meals for a customer who is pressed for time.
The wife, mother of a two-year-old toddler, and fulltime health club exercise supervisor always wanted to open a business that would be a valuable service to her community.
"Let's Eat! brings families back to the dinner table," said Cook-Tomaino, who plans on opening other Let's Eat! stores in the Central Florida. "It's economical, delicious, nutritious, and fun!"
Time-pressed and cooking-shy consumers have embraced Let's Eat! with such fervor that franchises have opened in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota, and Orlando in the past 12 months. The franchise fee is $25,000.
Let's Eat! suits more than just busy moms and dads, according to Cook-Tomaino. A Let's Eat! session doubles as a social outing for customers. Classical music emanates from the speakers, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and fresh baked pastries enliven the air. During evening sessions, customers can mix food and friendship over complimentary wine and hors d' oeuvres.
"Our saying here is, 'Let's eat healthier, let's spend more time with our families and less time on fast food. Let's simplify our lives. Let's have fun,'" she said.
Cook-Tomaino's Let's Eat! store is located at 995 N. State Road 434, Altamonte Springs.
###
Media Contact:
Krista Zilizi
Quantified Marketing Group
407-936-1010
706-627-3204
kzilizi@quantifiedmarketing.com
|
|
|
