Anyone who works for a living knows the feeling: you've had a long day, the kids have activities tonight, and even though the fridge is full from your last trip to the grocery store you have no clue what's for dinner. So you fumble through the kitchen and create the same ol' same ol' recipe you've thrown together a zillion times in the past. "Someday," you say to yourself "I'm going to try some new recipes." But who has time for that?! Well, maybe you don't, but Oleg down at Salt Pepper & Oil does!
SPO is a fairly new business with a twist on the current "meals ready to cook" trend that's taking busy local households by storm. Owner Oleg is a BTC Culinary School grad and former employee of some restaurants you've definitely heard of. In other words, he knows food. And he knows it well. And he's now made it his business to create delicious, locally-sourced recipes to cook at home. Yes, Oleg is pretty much a dream come true for us busy folks!
What sets SPO apart - other than those amazingly fresh ingredients - are the fact that you can order as much or as little as you want. Just you and the spouse for dinner one night? Order a single entrée, make a salad, and you've got a meal. Big crowd coming over next Saturday? Order multiple portions and you're going to impress the heck out of your guests. And the BEST part? Oleg does all the work for you! Everything arrives pre-chopped in individual numbered baggies. You simply "add #1" to the pan, "mix in #2" and follow the easy-to-read directions until - quite miraculously - you've got a beautiful meal ready to serve. It's so easy even my cooking-challenged spouse has managed to churn out some dinner deliciousness when I'm not home! And it's a great way to teach the kids how to cook.
SPO's menu also changes weekly, so there is always something new to choose from when you order ahead on the website. One of my recent favorites was the Chicken Yakisoba, which Oleg had featured at his recent Yelp event and which I was dying to try again. There are also always a couple of "same day" favorites you can grab as well. Try the spaghetti and meatballs - they are DIVINE. (And this is coming from someone who is known for making pretty darned good meatballs herself!) And finally, being able to order just one thing or several is nice when trying to budget and plan for the next week's meals. You don't have to commit to five nights worth of meals, or giant entrees when you're only cooking for one. I found the value to be very good, especially considering the prep work is already done, the meals are delicious, and I don't have to THINK about what's for dinner!
Thank you, Oleg, for bringing your delicious talents right here to Bellingham. Can't wait to see what you come up with next! read more