Give a Chef for the Holidays
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., Dec. 7, 2007
Dish a Licious
www.dishalicious.com, 809-4048, 529-8569Evacuation in advance of Hurricane Rita brought Beaumont restaurateurs Elizabeth and Thomas Winslow to Austin in the fall of 2005. Austin's hospitality and vibrant food scene made such a positive impression on the couple that they eventually closed their Beaumont restaurant and relocated to Austin full-time last spring. Their new venture is Dish a Licious, a dinner delivery service offering meals based as much as possible on locally grown organic vegetables, naturally raised pastured meats, and artisan cheeses. The Winslows have developed relationships with area farmers, ranchers, and cheese-makers in an effort to provide the healthiest meals possible for their clientele. And hungry Austinites are taking notice.
The Winslows publish a new menu on their website every Thursday, and clients are asked to make selections by Monday evenings for Wednesday or Thursday delivery. They offer soups, salads, entrées, and desserts in two- to four-person servings or larger servings upon request. The meals arrive packaged for storage in the refrigerator or freezer and are easy to heat and serve. My favorites over the past few weeks have been a very satisfying selection of soups – a lean but tasty gumbo, a luscious tomato bisque, and a hearty stew of lamb and white beans. More recently, the Dish a Licious menus have been complemented with wine pairing suggestions provided by Tim Kutach, proprietor of Wiggy's Liquors. Customers can now add wine to their dinner delivery; the process is explained on the website. The Winslows would love to prepare dinner for your family. As Elizabeth puts it, "Austin welcomed us, fed us, and warmed us. We are happy to return the favor."