HURON On Monday, a dream that started out by helping friends in the best way she knew how became a reality when Casey Olowu-Davies opened the door to Caseys Kitchen at 1500 Dakota Ave. S.
Casey says she started preparing meals for friends who were taking on a big challenge.
It started five or six years ago, she recalled. I had a lot of friends who were providing foster care and I would hear how overwhelming some days got, especially the days just after they got placements. I didnt think my personality was right to be in the trenches doing foster care, but I wanted to encourage and support them in what theyre doing.
I thought, One thing I can do is cook, She laughed. So, I started by making casseroles for my friends who were doing foster care, and I would drop a meal off, especially if I knew they were getting a placement.
She connected with a foster family in town that had an idea to have a freezer of take-and-bake meals for foster families, and she began to do freezer meal parties to help fill that freezer.
Thats how the freezer meal thing started, she explained.
She stated that the idea to turn her cooking into a business was in her mind for a few years, but there wasnt really an avenue to do it, financially and location. When Cookie Dough Cupcakes announced its closure, one of those hindrances was potentially removed.
She connected with a friend who stepped up to help support the business, and she says everything came together quickly, but it was multiple years in planning and looking for the right opportunity.
Right now, Casey is experiencing positive growing pains that have required more time investment in the shop.
My initial idea was to make everything up on Saturdays, and that quickly went out the window. I needed way more time, she smiled. Over the weekend, I was in the shop between 24-30 hours with some help from friends and family. We decided that wed need another cooking day, and Ill also cook on Wednesdays.
On the first two days she was open, Casey sold out of briskit macaroni and cheese, so the response to the business has been very positive.
What was once Cooking with Casey on Facebook exploded when the group was changed to Caseys Kitchen and the store was announced.
I had, maybe, 700 followers before it became Caseys Kitchen, she remembered. It more than doubled overnight when I announced the store.
She began to panic that if everyone who was engaging with her online posts showed up, shed never have enough time to keep the shelves stocked. Thankfully, we fell somewhere in the middle, she chuckled.
Casey emphasizes that during COVID, she began working to alter existing recipes and create new recipes to assist those who have one of the nine major allergens. She intends to always have something that is free from those allergens available for pickup. During the interview, dairy-free Mexican lasagna was noted in the display case.
Family-size meals are $30, with half-size pans for $20 and individual servings for $10, and Casey suggests that many people could eat for two with the individual serving.
Its going to be a home-cooked meal. You can gather around the table together to eat, and I hope we can help people do that, Casey expressed.
Right now, Caseys is a side business for Olowu-Davies, keeping hours from 2-7 p.m., Monday through Friday. As the business grows and/or changes, those hours could change, and Casey says a pre-order system could be in the works, but thats in the future. For now, shes enjoying a very good first week of business and thankful for the support of the Huron community!
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