By Marianne Holman
After a long day of school and work, the last thing anybody wants to do is figure out what?s for dinner. Wednesday night marked the opening of a store in Orem that can solve the quandary.
Dream Dinners, a nationwide franchise new to Utah, specializes in frozen meals. Dream Dinners offers all the ingredients to preparing a great meal, while granting more time to enjoy life.
?We are going to make life easier for everybody,? said Joy Markham, co-owner of the Orem store. ?We are excited to bring it to the community. We are all about community and family, and figure you can have one more thing in your life a bit simplified.?
Dream Dinners offers a menu of dishes for patrons to come in and prepare themselves. All of the ingredients are ready and waiting to be assembled and created in bulk ? then taken home and frozen. This creates a home cooked meal that can be ready on another day in minutes.
?We have a lot of university students that make their dinners,? said Stephanie Allen, founder of the Dream Dinners franchise. ?It costs less than if they shop for each of the ingredients.?
Fourteen entrees are available to come in and prepare ranging in price from $15 to $25 for each meal. Sessions include either a 6-dinner or 12-dinner package, with each dinner serving 4 to 6 people.
But for students, an entire casserole may seem like too much food.
?Not all of you are going to need a big family-sized meal,? said Jacki Taylor, co-owner of the Orem store. ?We do offer the ability to split your meals into half sizes, so you don?t have to buy such large quantities.?
Students can split dinners with roommates or friends, turning a 6-dinner session into 12-dinners. Not only are the dinners easy to make, they don?t use preservatives, making them really fresh.
?It is quality food, it isn?t full of preservatives and it will make your parents happier you are eating home cooked meals at school,? Taylor said.
The goal of Dream Dinners is to give time back to people, allowing for less time in the kitchen and more time spent elsewhere. It gives students more time for studying, working, and socializing.
?I think it is a great idea for busy moms,? said Michelle Corry, a resident from Highland. ?It is great for soccer days.?
It is also a great option for busy parents getting to school, soccer, PTA or church gatherings.
Menu items include many varieties of food: Mexican, Italian, and Asian dishes are some of the many flavors offered. Dishes include meat options of pot roast, chicken, steak, seafood and pork. Personalized preparation lets patrons leave out tastes they dislike, while adding more of what they do like.
Dream Dinners started in 2002 just outside of Seattle. It has grown to over 100 franchises nationwide. Allen created the concept of Dream Dinners while trying to juggle a catering business and keep her kids fed,
Allen prepared meals early in the month and stuck them in the freezer. Then on busy days throughout the coming month she would pull out a fresh homemade dinner and have it ready to eat in minutes. Allen then started inviting her friends to join in on making meals for the month and the idea for a business became a reality.
An appointment for preparation sessions must be made in advance to guarantee enough food. Dream Dinners is located at 845 N. 100 W. in Orem.
