One bite of Lauren McElroy’s food and you’ll taste how well her Texas roots have served her as a chef. McElroy learned her Southern comfort food skills from her two grandmothers, one from each side of the family. She spent the last six years developing her catering company, NewAmericanFoods.com, before opening Lauren’s Kitchen, a quaint and inviting gourmet grab-and-go in Riverwalk at Edwards.
Guests have a few options for enjoying McElroy’s homemade cuisine: Grab a full entrée, salad or side from the cooler and bring it home to heat and eat; pick out a dish and bring it to the counter where it will be perfectly heated and plated for dining in; have the dish heated and then bring it back to the office — or home —ready to enjoy.
Choose from some of McElroy’s specialties, from lasagna bolognese and chicken parmesan to maple dijon salmon and chicken noodle soup. There is also a hot special offered every day as a single serving, like chicken tortilla soup or butternut squash mac ‘n’ cheese, that’s warm and ready to eat. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are available, as well as gluten-free options.
“I try to be affordable because I want everybody to be able to come in,” she says. “My slogan is ‘making gourmet convenient,’ but it’s not gourmet as in overpriced — it’s gourmet as in great food.”
Lauren’s Kitchen is opened Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
If you go …
What: Lauren’s Kitchen, grab-and-go or dine-in eatery in a bistro setting.
Where: 275 Main Street, C106 | Riverwalk | Edwards
Cost: Soups and Salads: $6-$11; Entrées: $10 for two servings
Signature dish: Lasagna Bolognese.
More information: 970.446.6917 | newamericanfoods.com/LaurensKitchen.