They began to prepare healthier alternatives for kids like mac and cheese with pureed cauliflower and lasagna layered with pureed veggies. In addition to cooking 300 meals a month for two area child care centers, the Mullens began to prepare dinners to be picked up by busy parents or individuals from their commercial kitchen, Judy’s Healthy Kitchen.
Busy people can enjoy the convenience of the drive-thru without the extra calories or artificial ingredients when picking up dinner or lunch from Judy’s Healthy Kitchen. Judy’s to-go dinners range from Shepherd’s Pie to beef enchiladas for four to six people and orders can be placed and paid online.
“I think it is really important to sit around and eat a meal together. If parents don’t have time to make dinners, I can do it for them,” said co-owner, Judy Mullens. “I am trying to put old traditions back into what we are doing here.”
Neighbors began to notice the flurry of activity taking place at 211 E. Market Street and in February they started serving lunch. Customers include college kids, local mechanics and office workers. Judy’s Healthy Kitchen is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a traditional, home cooked lunch.
No matter when you grew up, the dining room in Judy’s Kitchen gives you a warm, nostalgic feeling as soon as you walk in and are greeted by Brett, Judy or her mom, Nancy Barrett. Between their chalkboard and quilt covered walls, their homemade meals based on Mom’s cooking and friendly family staff, you instantly feel like a long-time customer, even on the first visit.
Customers pick their own lunch combos, choosing from three varieties of soup that rotate daily, salads or sandwiches made on homemade bread, a side dish like fruit cup, noodle salad or baked chips and a side of “We’re in a Pickle” pickles. Every day, Judy’s Healthy Kitchen offers a hot entree like meatloaf and customers can request particular meals from childhood.
These homemade favorites will fit any budget: the most expensive menu item, the box lunch, is $5.95 and you can feed a family of four for $15 for dinner. “I am so proud of the food we make. It’s much more rewarding to see the same faces every week than to make a lot of money,” said Judy.
Everything in Judy’s Healthy Kitchen is homemade and their stainless steel kitchen is filled with lots of counter space to add some T.L.C. to their traditional meals. Their fresh ingredients are stored in a double wide refrigerator, a sandwich station with lots of hidden compartments for condiments and metal shelving. Brett and Judy both share a favorite tool in the kitchen, their 8 burner Southbend range, perfect for baking an entire turkey or loaves of bread for their sandwiches.
Judy’s Health Kitchen is located at 211 East Market Street, West Chester, PA 19380. To learn more about on or off-site catering, the school lunch program or prepared meals for happy, healthy eaters, contact 610-640-5856 or email [email protected]. Don’t forget to “LIKE” them on Facebook as well!
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