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When Sue Schochet ’87 lost her executive position in a layoff, she found an opportunity to turn a passion into a profession. The alumna’s Healthy Habits Kitchen in Wellesley, Mass., helps busy people bring nutritious, flavorful meals to the dinner table.
The 18-month-old venture taps Schochet’s creativity, cooking expertise, and commitment to healthful eating. In the professionally equipped “meal assembly” kitchen, Healthy Habits clients build dinners from a selection of preplanned menus. All the ingredients are at hand: chopped vegetables, skinned and refrigerated meats, spices and sauces, premeasured bags of grains. After ordering online for a certain day, customers arrive, put together their choices, and return home to cook the restaurant-grade, nutritionally balanced fare.
“My typical customer is a soccer mom,” says Schochet, who majored in Finance at Bentley. “And there are lots of others who are just plain busy but want to put a healthy dinner on the table.”
Main dishes are sophisticated takes on American favorites and newer recipes with international flair. Choices range from chicken (one month featured tomato barbecue, mango curry, and sweet and crunchy mustard) to seafood (baked cod with orange, caper and olive sauce; broiled lemon caper swordfish) to pork (raspberry chipotle medallions) to vegetarian (Thai-inspired noodles and vegetables with lime peanut sauce). Healthy sides and desserts complement the
entrées, which can be ordered to serve either two to three people or four to six. Along with tempting descriptions, the menus include complete nutritional information and cooking instructions. The Healthy Habits crew will also prepare “grab and go” meals for the hyper-busy or kitchen-impaired.
Flanking the main room is an attractive lounge with sofas, tables and other accouterments, where Schochet hosts evening events for up to 20 people. The space has welcomed book clubs, associations such as the Wellesley Newcomers’ group, and friends on a girls’ night out.
“We provide hors d’oeuvres, healthy desserts, and samples of our meals, and the guests bring wine and other drinks,” she says. “They have a fun night out, then assemble a few meals as part of the occasion.”
Healthy Habits also serves up support for local nonprofits. For example, a group from the Ellie Fund comes each month to assemble preordered meals for breast cancer patients and their families. Says Schochet: “It’s a way for them to eat well and takes a little of the pressure off.”
For this dedicated entrepreneur, it’s also a way to season a passion for healthy food with goodwill and community spirit. Gordon M. Hardy
Raymond Casella
1988
Law firm Shipman & Goodwin has named tax attorney Raymond Casella,
Suffield, Conn., a partner. Admitted to practice law in Connecticut and Massachusetts, the alumnus is a member of the American, Connecticut, and Hartford County bar associations.
1989
Christopher M.
Padula, San Francisco,
Calif., has been appointed
western regional executive
director at Jumpstart, a
national nonprofit organiza-
tion that promotes early
childhood education.
Matthew Talcoff
Matthew D. Talcoff, Needham, Mass., is a shareholder in the tax practice at Caturano &
Company. He specializes in assisting clients with tax compliance, planning and transaction advisory services.
1992
Jessie J. Burke, Franklin Square, N.Y., has joined the law firm Mason and Mason as of counsel. Burke continues to provide comprehensive legal representation during a volatile time in the real estate and mortgage industries.
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