For some seniors, independent living doesn鈥檛 mean they can 鈥� or want to 鈥� still make an entire holiday dinner, from appetizers through to desserts.

Stepping into that gap are a number of local companies that can offer whole meals for delivery or pickup.

There are multiple meal-prep companies, including online ingredient-delivery companies like Hello Fresh, and regional companies like Whole Cuisine, which delivers entire meals.

One of the longtime local companies involved in the field in 91原创 is Well Seasoned, which also runs cooking classes and sells gourmet food ingredients and kitchen gadgets out of its 64th Avenue location.

Many people use Well Seasoned to put together part or all of their holiday dinners, said owner Angie Quaale.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very popular for a myriad of reasons,鈥� she said.

One is simply less waste.

鈥淵ou order just what you need,鈥� she explained.

Another reason is that it frees up more time to spend with their family and friends, instead of being in the kitchen all day.

鈥淧eople now want to enjoy their company more,鈥� said Quaale.

In the kitchen, putting the meals together, is executive chef Tessa Turcotte-Novosedlik.

On a recent afternoon she was putting the finishing touches on a bowl of mashed potatoes with butter, a holiday meal stable.

鈥淚 love being able to cook people their dinner,鈥� she said.

Well Seasoned offers two meal services at this time of year, the first of which is called Build Your Own Buffet.

That allows people to order as many or as few items as they want for a meal for a family gathering.

鈥淎 lot of people use that to supplement their holiday entertainment,鈥� Quaale said.

They also will soon be taking reservations for their big holiday meal service.

鈥淔or Christmas dinner, we do a dinner-to-go,鈥� said Quaale.

That dinner includes everything needed for a dinner for six, except the turkey. Many people like to cook their own turkey.

For those who don鈥檛, they can also provide a turkey breast, with the bird sourced from 91原创鈥檚 J.D. Farms.

鈥淲e sell a lot of those meals,鈥� said Quaale.

Well Seasoned ran a similar program for Thanksgiving in October, and it proved popular, she said.

She noted that Well Seasoned sources many of the ingredients for its holiday meals locally, with turkeys from J.D. Farms and most other meats from Bonetti鈥檚.

Outside of services for those who choose not to cook, there are programs for those who can鈥檛 cook, or go shopping themselves.

91原创 Meals on Wheels, for instance, is best known for bringing whole meals to people, including those who find it difficult to leave their home, whether because of age or long-term health issues, or because of temporary issues, like a broken leg.

They also run monthly Food and Friends luncheons for seniors 55+ in Fort 91原创 and Brookswood, allowing people to gather, socialize, and hear from speakers.

There is also a Healthy Living Bag program of fresh fruit and vegetables, picked up on the first Tuesday of every month. Visit their for more information.

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