Mac & cheese - the ultimate comfort food. No wonder there’s a holiday for it!
Your family loves mac and cheese, but you don’t always have time to make it yourself. Sometimes, those supermarket frozen choices just aren’t the healthiest options. There has to be an easy, fast, and healthy way to provide that favorite dish for the family!
That is exactly the idea that Christine Catino had when she opened Kiss the Cook LLC in Derry, NH in 2019. A former caterer, Catino built a service to provide mac & cheese dishes for pick up, delivery, or frozen shipping. And plenty of customers have wanted to kiss that cook since then. Her dishes make dinner only five microwave minutes away.
She creates her delicious comfort food in batches of 100 servings in an industrial kitchen. She markets three basic varieties through her website, farmer’s markets, and farm stands. Traditional is the most popular variety, followed by gluten free and vegan mac. “In the vegan I use 100% plant based ingredients – vegetables, potatoes, garlic, and lots of cashews,” she explains. She adds her own flavorings, though some customers ask for additional ingredients in special orders.
What makes her dishes even more special is that they are locally sourced with no preservatives or artificial ingredients. Flash freezing keeps everything fresh when it gets to the customer. Her packaging comes from Good Start Packaging, Glasgow, NH, so you can guarantee that it is made of plant based materials and totally compostable.
Businesses and events keep her busy, but she also offers one of a kind birthday parties for children. “Each kid gets to make their own macaroni and cheese dish, mixing and cooking. They each get a hotdog too. They love it,” says Catino.
“During Covid, the Salem Farmers Market kept me alive,” comments Catino. “I am so thankful.” Her customers are thankful too for delicious homemade dishes that can be served with barbecued ribs, buffalo wings, or chicken. Just heat it and eat it!
MEET THE COOK (but refrain from kissing) at the Derry Farmers Market on Wednesdays and the Salem Farmers Market on Sundays. Kiss the Cook dishes are available in several local farm stands!
KISS THE COOK’S TIP FOR THE BEST PASTA that you make at home: Cook the pasta to blanch it in boiling water for only 3-4 minutes. Cool it fast so it doesn’t get mushy. Catino likes Barilla pasta, but will also use chickpea pasta upon request.
Hungry for more Mac & Cheese fun? Check out our Greater Derry Mac & Cheese Guide!
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