Grandma Has Left The Kitchen

Thanks to Dinner Elf, I think about home cooking a lot.

My mind is always going with new ideas of what our Elves can cook, how we can cook it in your kitchen or the kitchen of a gluten-free, paleo-enthusiast I just met at the gym. You get the idea.

So, when Time magazine arrived in my mailbox last week with a cover article dedicated to “taking back your kitchen”, it felt like an old friend showed up on my doorstep who shared my passion for home cooking.

In the article, acclaimed food writer Mark Bittman chronicles the shift change from the cooking that used to happen in our grandmothers’ kitchens to the cooking that happens in the kitchens of today’s working families.

His argument: eating at home is good for your health and good for your family.

Amen, Mark. The question is, how can working families make that a daily reality?

My grandma Chuzie cooked simple and delicious family meals for decades, on a coal-miner’s budget. But, she was in her home all day. She could soak the beans and let the bread rise. Her days centered around that kitchen.

I leave my kitchen at 7:30am, and don’t see it again until dinner is nearly upon us. During the week, time in my kitchen is my biggest hurdle to a home cooked meal.

For me, it’s not about taking back my kitchen, but about opening it up. If I can’t be cooking in my kitchen, let someone in who can (and loves to).

At Dinner Elf, we want to create an alternative for today’s busy parent: have a career, make it to your kid’s soccer practice and still end the day with a healthy, home-cooked meal.

Thank you for considering opening up your kitchen to a Dinner Elf.

Nicole Vickey is co-founder of Dinner Elf, a company that helps busy families sit down to home-cooked dinners.