Your Table Gourmet Runs on Rubbermaid

THIS GUEST POST WAS WRITTEN BY Andrea at Your Table Gourmet

I admit it. I am a food storage snob. Had you told me a year ago I would have this attitude, I wouldn't have even believed you. Before you judge me too harshly, though, please consider that I put food storage containers through a lot, and I have tried just about every type of container out there. I own and operate a small personal chef business called Your Table Gourmet in Spokane, Washington, and after over a thousand meals made, packed up, and delivered, I can confidently say that my business runs on Rubbermaid.

Rubbermaid Premier & TakeAlong Containers

Being a personal chef is like being half a caterer and half a family cook. My customers order anywhere from two days to two month's worth of food at a time, and I do all the shopping, the prep, the cooking, and the clean up. All my customers see is a stack of ready-to-eat, custom-made meals filling their fridge and freezer. After growing up in my mother's catering business in Southeastern Idaho, I started Your Table Gourmet in January of 2009, almost by accident. One of my best friends is both vegetarian and gluten-intolerant, and her daughter is lactose intolerant. Add on to that that she doesn't often have the time to cook, and that I had just been laid off from my full-time job, and it just made sense for me to lend a hand. The business has grown from there, and the majority of my clients do have some kind of food sensitivity, preference, or allergy - although some are just busy families that want one less thing on their to-do list.

TakeAlongs Divided Rectangle

I started my business and run it with a dedication to environmental responsibility - which means rather than the disposable take-out Styrofoam and flimsy plastic most delivered food comes in that gets thrown away, I need containers that can be put through their paces and re-used week after week. The only containers I've found that can put up with this kind of use for more than a few weeks are Rubbermaid - so that is what fills my storeroom (and my customer's fridges!) I work out of a small, shared commercial kitchen, and I have to admit I really like the fact I can stack all my containers and their lids together - it really helps save time and space when I've only got a few hours to put together dozens of meals.

Cranberry Stuffing from Your Table Gourmet