At a certain point in the pandemic, The Great Resignation that saw millions of workers leave their jobs eventually shifted into the Great Reshuffle, as many of those same employees switched careers in search of greener pastures.
For chefs like Whistler’s Erin Stone, COVID offered the silver lining of time and space—always a rarity in the restaurant world—to reconsider her future. After 16 years spent in Whistler kitchens, including at award-wining tapas and brunch spot, Elements, and, more recently, at the Gibbons-owned elevated eatery, Stonesedge, she decided it was time to set off on her own.
“I think it was just time for me to take a bit of a break from it, especially with COVID,” she said. “It was pretty full-on in the kitchen, and there was a lot of pressure on everyone that was in there.”
That’s how the longtime chef came to launch Molly’s Meals, a new meal delivery service that offers a rotating menu of from-scratch, restaurant-quality dishes brought right to your door.
“I definitely am trying to keep it as seasonal as possible, which is easier in the summer with the local produce around, and then I take my ideas from there and switch up the menu every couple of weeks to keep it different for people,” Stone said. “I make everything from scratch myself; nothing is brought in. I make it all.”
Stone draws on her ample experience to craft menus from a variety of cuisines and influences.
“It’s a fusion of flavours,” she said. “I take flavours from around the world, so sometimes it might be Mexican flavours in there, for example. This week, we have a tuna bowl inspired by a sushi roll.”
Stone also provides tasty vegan and vegetarian options, and can accommodate other dietary needs as well. And, unlike larger delivery services like HelloFresh or Chef’s Table, the meals are all pre-prepped and cooked, so it’s as simple as reheating.
In a fast-paced tourist town like Whistler, Stone saw a niche that needed filling.
“My thoughts were people are either working a lot, so they may not have time to cook for themselves, or they’re here to have fun, be outside and enjoy themselves, but can still have something homemade that they wouldn’t have necessarily made themselves,” she said.
Molly’s Meals as a moniker is a nod to Stone’s grandma, Molly, who would regularly bring the family together in small-town New Zealand over an unfussy, homecooked
feast. For years, Stone had visions of opening her own café named after her grandmother, but opted for the lower overhead of a delivery service instead, making use of the rental kitchen she works part-time out of making gelato for homegrown Whistler brand, Lucia Gelato.
“We were just always over [at my grandmother’s] after school and on holidays, and she would always be cooking and baking and we would help out,” Stone recalled. “She didn’t cook very fancy. It was all your basic meat and vegetables and that sort of stuff, but everything was always great and everyone enjoyed dinners around there as well. It was the central location for our family to meet up.”
There’s no question meal delivery kits went mainstream in the pandemic. According to market research firm, the NPD Group, pre-COVID, less than one out of every seven Canadian households had ordered a meal kit. In 2020, that figure rose to nearly one in four—a 50-per-cent increase.
Currently, Molly’s Meals delivers on Saturday afternoons and, starting July 19, Wednesdays as well. Orders need to be placed at least 48 hours in advance.
Learn more, and order, at mollysmeals.ca.
