Dinnersmith Comes to Town

With Dinnersmith opening in town, Springfield residents have a new way of getting a homecooked meal: having it delivered. 

For a number of years, Dinnersmith has been a thriving kitchen prep studio and ready-made meal delivery and pickup service at a retail location in Maplewood. Customers could use the service, which was featured on Maplewood Patch, to prepare ingredients for meals they would finalize at home, or just order complete meals.

While the novel food studio element garnered media attention, meal preparation attracted business. Now, Dinnersmith owner Mary Meade is closing up the Maplewood retail location and moving her thriving business to a less expensive commercial kitchen in Springfield.

"With the recession, time and every dollar is precious," said Meade. That's why her cooking session business had shrunk and her ready-made meal pickup and delivery business has become 95 percent of her traffic.

Customers simply didn't have time to spend assembling the meals on site. Beyond that, Meade said she has also been doing more and more deliveries. "Think about it," she said, "when you have some time, you like to take a moment"—not run out to Rte. 22 and pick up dry cleaning or run to Dinnersmith and pickup a meal.

Meade said that Dinnersmith will continue to have "the same food, same phone, same delivery person—me!" The business will be all deliveries. The website will continue to be active and updated.

"With food prices rising, we can serve our customers at same price," said Meade, about the cost savings involved in the move. Meade said it would be anathema for her to switch out quality cuts of meat for lesser cuts. "We are a premium brand."

To order some premium brand meals from Meade, call 973-763-2333 or visit www.dinnersmith.com.