Vermont's Independent Voice
Browse News
Browse Arts + Life
Browse Food + Drink
Browse Cannabis
Browse Music
Browse On Screen
Browse Events
Browse Classifieds
Browse Personals
Published March 24, 2010 at 8:53 a.m.
In the Five Sisters neighborhood of Burlington’s South End, big events — wedding showers, new babies, surgery — often come with “meal trains.” That’s the term ’hoodies use for prearranged donations of food.
Dropping off a lasagna or a platter of peanut-butter cookies may seem like simple, old-style neighborliness — but it comes with logistics issues, such as keeping track of food allergies. “My wife was organizing a meal train,” says physical therapist Michael Laramee. “As she was going through the process of emails and phone calls, I thought, There must be an easier way.”
Enter an Information Age solution. Unable to find a ready-made program or online helper, Laramee got together with Stephen DePasquale, a programmer and old college friend, and filled the void. On January 24, the friends launched mealTrain.com, which promises to “simplify the process of giving and receiving meals.”
So far, says Laramee, the response has exceeded their expectations: “We’ve had over 50 meal trains created, and most of them are not in Vermont.” Visitors have come from all 50 states and 25 foreign countries.
Any trends? “What they sign up to bring sounds pretty good … especially in Chittenden County,” says Laramee. “Here they’re talking about organic vegetables and home-baked pizza. It’s not just your traditional [fare].” DePasquale recalls noticing dishes such as Ecuadorian heart-of-palm ceviche and Jamaican jerk pork with sweet potatoes and pineapple-lime slaw.
Eventually, Laramee says, it would be nice to turn the website into a business, but for now, the cofounders aren’t making a cent. “It’s to bring added value to the community,” he says. “We’re just excited to see people using it.”
More By This Author
About The Author
Suzanne Podhaizer
Bio:
Former contributor Suzanne Podhaizer is an award-winning food writer (and the first Seven Days food editor) as well as a chef, farmer, and food-systems consultant. She has given talks at the Stone Barns Center for Agriculture's "Poultry School" and its flagship "Young Farmers' Conference." She can slaughter a goose, butcher a pig, make ramen from scratch, and cook a scallop perfectly.
Former contributor Suzanne Podhaizer is an award-winning food writer (and the first Seven Days food editor) as well as a chef, farmer, and food-systems consultant. She has given talks at the Stone Barns Center for Agriculture's "Poultry School" and its flagship "Young Farmers' Conference." She can slaughter a goose, butcher a pig, make ramen from scratch, and cook a scallop perfectly.
Speaking of Food, side Dishes
-
Video: Saying Goodbye to Burlington’s Penny Cluse Café
Nov 17, 2022 -
Video: Meet Four Generations of the Allen Family at Allenholm Farm in South Hero
Oct 20, 2022 -
Video: Bob Maritano Has Volunteered in Chittenden County for 35 Years
Nov 18, 2021 -
Texas Company Buys Gluten-Free Brattleboro Biz Against the Grain
Sep 24, 2021 -
Video: Kitty Korner Café in Barre Finds Furever Homes for Felines
Mar 25, 2021 - More »
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.
