A pair of Salmon Arm moms are on a mission to create nutritious, flavourful meal options for people on the go.
For about a year now, longtime friends Cassie Walters and Raelyn Lachapelle have been in business together preparing meals for people. Clients would order meals through a website for their business, The Nom Shuswap, between Monday and Thursday, they91Ƶd be prepped on Monday and available for pickup on Tuesday. Walters, a nutritionist, said she and Lachapelle used to do their cooking in a rental kitchen with little prep space.
That changed as of Feb. 1, when Walters and Lachapelle opened the doors to their new commercial space at 350B Ross Street in downtown Salmon Arm. The space offers a wide open kitchen area for the two self-proclaimed 91Ƶfoodies91Ƶ to create an array of healthy pre-ordered and grab-and-go meals. Smoothies are also made on site as are fresh cold-pressed juices.
91ƵI91Ƶm a nutritionist so everything is based around being healthy but also delicious91Ƶ,91Ƶ said Walters. 91ƵWe91Ƶre trying to bridge the gap between sitting down in a restaurant91Ƶ We have a lot of those in the Shuswap that are amazing 91Ƶ and fast food/ drive-thru.91Ƶ
Walters explained the idea for The Nom Shuswap came from work she was doing as a nutritionist with her previous business, Shuswap Holistic Wellness.
91ƵI was doing online meal plans for people and I would send them recipe books and guide them through healthier eating, and the only complaint I would get was, 91ƵI wish you could cook my food for me, I don91Ƶt have time,91Ƶ91Ƶ said Walters. 91ƵAfter three years of that, I was like, I have to do something.91Ƶ
Enter Lachapelle, who Walters described as having a culinary flair for flavour.
91ƵTogether we smashed it,91Ƶ said Walters.
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Walters said meal prep begins with plants and is built up from there based on demand.
91ƵWe have people coming in that want chicken for protein and that91Ƶs what they grab,91Ƶ said Walters, noting she and Lachapelle source their food through DeMilles91Ƶ Farm Market and try to buy local, and organic, as much as possible.
91ƵThe biggest goal for us was the meal prep, but we91Ƶve always had the vision of having our own space and it being kind of like a holistic wellness collective,91Ƶ said Walters. 91ƵEventually, we hope to host some type of wellness classes in here.91Ƶ
Having gone from 91Ƶfull-time moms to full-time Noms,91Ƶ Walters and Lachapelle are pleased to be a part of what they see as a growing 91Ƶfood culture91Ƶ in downtown Salmon Arm.
91ƵIt91Ƶs really awesome to see just the food culture in Salmon Arm growing and to be a part of that, we91Ƶre so honoured and grateful,91Ƶ said Lachapelle. 91ƵReally, what we91Ƶre doing anyone can do, but we are a busy people, we91Ƶre a busy culture, so we can add value in that somebody can come in when they91Ƶre having a busy day91Ƶ and grab something nourishing to feed them and to just help them.91Ƶ
For more information, visit or The Shuswap Nom on Facebook.
lachlan@saobserver.net
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