blvd. | food
How it’s grown THE GOOD KITCHEN TEAMS WITH FARMERS PRACTICING REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE TO ENSURE A HEALTHY IMPACT BEYOND THE PLATE.
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by Michael J. Solender
mber Lewis followed a simple idea when she began creating prepared meals for sale out of her Charlotte kitchen in 2011. Lewis knew others shared her values surrounding healthy, tasty and nutritious food featuring sustainably sourced ingredients and saw a business opportunity. A large opportunity, it turned out. Over 10 years, local sales of 50 paleo meals a week mushroomed into as many as 10,000 meals a week, sold nationally. “Our business addresses a lifestyle need,” says Lewis, founder and CEO of The Good Kitchen (formerly modPALEO). “If you want to have food transparency, know where your food comes from, a short ingredient list, then you're our customer.” Eating healthy has long been an American mantra. But how people define that for themselves and the planet is evolving into a nuanced and complicated discussion at every point along the supply chain. Recognizing the power of the purse, a growing legion of con-
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SOUTHPARK
sumers are choosing ecologically sustainable goods and products. Marketers call this new demographic category Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, or LOHAS. “It's a big market,” says Lewis, who oversees production kitchens in Morganton for TGK’s nationwide distribution. “Covid drove that quite a bit, not only for home delivery, but also from the health and wellness aspect. We have a set of customers that are heavily female, in the 24 to 40 [age] range. We also have a subset of customers that are empty nesters, and they just don't want to cook. And our third subset of customers are experiencing a diagnosis with an autoimmune disease or health issue and are looking to help manage this with their diet.” TGK offers up to 40 fully cooked meal choices through a rotating online menu. Meals are also distributed through Amazon and Walmart online. Categories include clean eating, paleo, ketogenic,
