JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – No time to cook? Eating out can often mean spending more money and consuming more calories, but a local chef says he has the answer. After preparing food at Matthew's, one of Jacksonville's finest restaurants, he's now out on is own making affordable gourmet meals for people on the go.
It started two years ago when Chef J. William didn't have a lot of time to cook, for himself anyway. He started making and packaging healthy meals in bulk.
"Two minutes in a microwave is less time than you spend in the drive thru at fast food place," J. William said.
He started sharing the packaged meals with friends and what happened next is a testament to Chef J's skills. The meals were so good, so simple and healthy, he ended up making them for a lot more people than he ever expected.
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"At first it was just for two workout partners," Chef J said. "So a total of 40 meals a week in addition to what I was making for myself and my own family. Now we do, we approach 1000 a week. For 1000 people, but I'm ready for more."
The meals-on-the-go business became so successful, Chef J now does this full time. He and his staff make more than a dozen different type of meals at prices that around the same as a fast food value meal. Each entrée is between 300 and 500 calories, has 40 grams of protein, 30 carbs and 10 to 20 grams of fat. There's no added salt and some are even gluten free.
"I had every intention being a fine dining chef for the rest of my life and I'm enthusiastic about fitness and diet, but I never thought it would be part of my career."
The menu changes weekly and they deliver if your order is more than $100. To find out more, check out J. William Culinary on Facebook or jwilliamculinary.com.