They'll Dish it out, and you can take it Simply Dish offers a culinary answer for those too busy to cook BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer PHOTOSBYSCOTT PILLING staff Top: Vanessa Grodzki (white shirt) and Mandy Wynkoop prepare meals for their families at Simply Dish in Middletown. Below: A look at some of the work stations at the Route 35 meal preparation business. Next page: A look at February's meals-to-make menu. MIDDLETOWN - In years past, Patty Notte and Margot Meahan weren't any different from other moms out there. They were very busy - and still are - trying to somehow check off the items on their daily to-do lists, one of which was to somehow come up with healthy meals for their families on a regular basis, a task easier said than done. "Being so busy each day, it was sometimes tough to think about what to feed our families," Meahan said. "Then we realized that we weren't the only ones who were having a problem working this out, and that's when we decided to help ourselves and others." After a year of researching the idea, the pair opened Simply Dish about a year ago in Union Square Center on Route 35 in Middletown. The business is a full-service meal preparation business that takes care of the oft-asked question, what's for dinner? The answer is an array of items, from buttermilk chicken to Cajun catfish to crab quesadillas, and an assortment of side dishes, all of which await those who walk in. While it all sounds good, it's the price that can leave customers gasping. For an average of less than $5 per serving, a person can bring home more than enough food to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. "People like the flexibility of what we can offer them," Notte said. "We have very high-quality products here and we have a very warm and inviting atmosphere, and I think that has helped us to get off the ground initially." Another thing that has helped is the help offered by Notte, Meahan and their friendly staff, especially for those who aren't culinary wizards and may need a hand in preparation. Once a customer is preregistered online, all they need is two hours of time to make a month's worth of meals. And for those that don't have the time to come in and actually prepare the meals themselves, it's as simple as phoning ahead and coming down to pick up premade meals (a surcharge applies to any meals not prepared on site by customers). Notte said that her business has plenty of repeat customers, and she definitely didn't think she and Meahan would be so busy so soon. "We're definitely ahead of schedule and that's never a bad thing," Notte said. "We have advertised our business, but a lot of it has also been through word-of-mouth, referrals and buzz, but we still want to reach more people." Among the people they have reached are Mandy Wynkoop of Middletown. "I feel good about what I'm serving to my family," Wynkoop said. "It's not Chinese food or pizza. It's good healthy food and that's what is important to me." In the beginning, fledgling business owners may not get the necessary support from family members, something that has not been a problem for Notte and Meahan. "Our husbands understood right away what was going on. They knew this could work," Meahan said. And it has worked. According to Meahan, people are starting to realize that Simply Dish is great for those who are always on the go. She says the goal is to make things fun for those who come in, and also for customers to maybe even learn a little something in the process. "You'll never dread making dinner again," Notte said. For more information on Simply Dish, call (732) 345-8000 or go to www.simplydish.biz.