The Shredded Kitchen owners and operators Kieran Genge and Hayley Ralfe. Photo / Paul Taylor
Kieran Genge knows how to make food taste good.
The professional chef with 15 years of experience in fine dining, cafes and restaurants also understands the balance of food after studying to become a nutrition coach.
He is also an amateur bodybuilder and knows what your body needs to stay healthy and fit.
With this knowledge he and his partner Hayley Ralfe last year launched their business The Shredded Kitchen which offers macro and calorie-counted fresh and nutritious meals on a meal subscription plan.
And it’s booming.
“It all started about 18 months ago when Ryan Tongia at F45 Hastings asked us to prepare food for a challenge he was offering his clients,” Kieran said.
“We had had this idea in the back of our minds for a long time and this was the perfect chance to see if it worked. The feedback about the meals was amazing so we decided to just rip the bandaid off and go for it.”
Today the business is doing 700 to 800 meals a week and delivering to pick-up points in Hawke’s Bay and homes throughout the North Island.
“We didn’t expect it to build so quickly. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Kieran said.
“I’m a chef who has put 15 years of craft into designing these meals. I’m not a businessman so it has been a bit overwhelming at times. But what has been even more amazing is the flood of support, especially from people who are blown away by the standard of our meals.
“We are constantly getting social media messages about the food. The support really helps.”
The Shredded Kitchen meals are all prepared on site in their commercial kitchen using the very best fresh and local ingredients.
“They are not weight loss meals. In my opinion, there is no such thing as a weight-loss meal. One meal is not going to help you lose weight. It’s about your whole diet and your lifestyle.
“Our meals do help with portion size. They are tasty because I understand the technique of getting flavour into food, we control everything that goes into the meals using the best cuts of meat and the best ingredients we can source. The thing with the best quality food is that you don’t need to make it taste good because the producer has already done their job.”
Kieran believes that there is no such thing as good food and bad food, “but there is better or worse”.
“For instance when it comes to pork we wouldn’t say ‘never have bacon’. It might be bad but it’s not the worst thing you can eat. However, the better choice would be a pork tenderloin.
“Our job is to recreate everyday classic foods we like to eat into healthy meals using the best quality food. They have to be consistently excellent with lots of variety.”
There are 70 plus dishes on rotation and “you’d be lucky if you got the same dish three times in a year.”
According to one The Shredded Kitchen client, the meals are outstanding.
“Every meal is different and it really feels like someone has cooked a homemade meal and dropped it off for me. You can tell that care has been taken with it and the flavours and presentation are just beautiful,” Sarah Lister said.
Sarah, 62, has been getting the meals for “roughly’ six weeks and says there are a number of reasons she decided to go with The Shredded Kitchen.
“To help lose weight, I have also joined a gym, the convenience, there’s no waste, the meals are lovely and fresh, the meat is always tender, portion control and it’s easy and convenient. It’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned and I would highly recommend them.”
There are no contracts at The Shredded Kitchen. You can sign up for one week, or however long you like. “We are here for the customer not what is easy for us. "
There are six pick-up locations around Hawke’s Bay.
At first, it was just Kieran and Hayley running the business but they have now taken on three more people and are looking to keep growing.
“Our vision is to go nationwide and to also offer our clients some more healthy and nutritious options. Generally, grab-and-go snacks are not that great. That’s something we will look at.
“Our focus however is to make sure that while we grow we never compromise our quality.”
■ The Shredded Kitchen also offers breakfast options and pre/post workout snacks (Raisey’s Recovery Pots).
■ For more information go to https://www.theshreddedkitchen.nz/
TASTE TEST
I tried the Creamy Chicken Carbonara and the Moroccan Beef with Chick Peas and Sarah is right. They tasted and looked as if they were homemade meals. Which they are in a way. The colour of the broccoli was the same as when I steam my own, the chicken was much better than my chicken. I tend to overcook it. This was tender and tasty and there was a generous serving. There was also plenty of pasta and delicious creamy sauce. Loved it.
The same goes for the Moroccan Beef Fresh, tasty and ample to fill my belly.
And then I tried a couple of Raisey’s Recovery Pots. I’m a big fan of mint so my eyes lit up when I saw the Oreo Mint Crisp. Heavenly, my tastebuds came alive when a spoonful of this hit them. Just delicious. The Dark Chocolate “The Cremeux Edition” also had me grinning with its smooth velvety textures. They were both lip-smacking good. — Linda Hall