The Kitchen now serving up to-go dinners on Lady's Island
A boy and girl sat playing at the wide wooden table Thursday afternoon while five women scurried about, checking the pork that roasted in the oven and preparing side dishes.
They were in The Kitchen.
The catering restaurant recently opened in Newpoint on Lady's Island, in the former home of Berry Island Cafe.
The company focuses on cooking to-go meals for families to pick up on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work. The Kitchen emails a menu each Friday to subscribers, who place orders by Monday. The menu changes each week.
The email list started with 30 friends and relatives and has expanded to more than 500 people, co-owner Leigh Ann Pingree said. The increase in business has all been word-of-mouth, she said.
It's a family affair for Pingree and her sister, Michelle Clark, who call on their sisters and friends as needed.
They started the business this spring after Pingree decided she wanted to return to the workforce after taking time to raise a family. Although this is the first business she has owned, it isn't her first time working in a restaurant. Pingree said she has worked in food service throughout her life.
Putting her love of cooking to commercial use feels natural, Pingree said. She got her passion for food from her mother, who loved to cook for Pingree, Clark and their seven siblings.
"We all grew up in the kitchen with our mom cooking -- all nine of us," Pingree said.
The restaurant is at 1 Merchants Lane, Suite 102, in part of the space formerly occupied by Berry Island Cafe, which closed in December after a decade. Piace Pizza in Habersham plans to add a second location in the other half of the space, according to owner Brian Ferry. He is planning to open in July.
Information: 843-252-8063, beaufortkitchen@gmail.com
Other changes about town:
Follow reporter Erin Moody at twitter.com/IPBG_Erin.
Related content:
Lady's Island ice cream shop closes after decade in business, Dec. 28, 2012
Tax hike, $6M in borrowing planned for Lady's Island-St. Helena Fire District work, Feb. 2, 2013
This story was originally published June 7, 2013 at 12:17 PM with the headline "The Kitchen now serving up to-go dinners on Lady's Island."