Epitome of Comfort Dining

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: October 2024

Though I hope you’re reveling in all the delights to be found in this blessed month, I’d ask you to cast your memory back four years ago, when you and I and all the people we know were living in fear of a stranger’s cough or a random sneeze in a carefully distanced space.

It was a lonely, unsettled time – most of us staying close to home and going out only when necessary.

Thanks to the courage and generosity of local restaurants, takeout became the dining choice for most of us.

Feasting on marvelously prepared dishes in the comfort of home became a strange sort of concierge experience.

And that’s where we learned to treasure The Kitchen CarryAway and Catering.

Sure, we’d been devotees of the place since 2000, when Holly Roberts created a Plateau sensation and served up a kaleidoscopic menu ranging from soups and appetizers, to entrees, side dishes and scrumptious desserts.

And when Suzanne and Dan Young bought the place in 2016, the couple dynamic were supremely well-suited to continue Holly’s legacy and to create a story all their own.

Dan’s family has been a part of the Highland’s scene for decades as owners of Wit’s End ladies clothing store, and the couple have maintained that essential Plateau friendliness.

Suzanne loved Highlands. She loved crafting food. And she was thrilled to buy Holly’s well-established business.

She and her husband seamlessly shifted into catering and a dinner-from-scratch carry-away where boxes of Yum flew out one door and into another. Little did she know that three years later, her business at Peggy would help sustain the Plateau through a pandemic, when residents were forced to hunker-down.

People like Tricia and I longed for variety to enliven home cooking.

The Kitchen was at the summit of our go-to list for indulgent home dining.

Suzanne says, “During the pandemic, our carry-away increased, since so many were not able to gather for big events. We stayed open through the winter, because our customers really needed us.”

Which brings us to our visit to The Kitchen Carryout & Catering last month and the easy charm of this to-go culinary institution was still there, shining like a new dime.

When I arrived (I’d placed our order two days prior), Suzanne greeted me warmly and we brought our own twist to the eternal Plateau conversation. (If you’re not sure what I mean by “Plateau conversation,” just hang out at the Post Office for 20 minutes).

With this essential part of local life expended, I received our order of Trout Picatta, Thai Beef Stir Fry, Broccoli Casserole and Corn Pudding.

See how those choices are the epitome of comfort dining? Delicious, and shared with someone I love in a setting that was, literally, created for coziness.

Suzanne puts out a weekly menu and these were the highlights of our Thursday choices. This is an indulgence that we’d have never instituted into our lives if it hadn’t been for 2020.

Stop by The Kitchen on the ground floor at the Peggy Crosby Center at 350 South Fifth Street, Highlands, any Wednesday through Friday from noon to 5:00 P.M. (or Saturdays from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.) to select items from the refrigerator case. Call ahead at (828) 526-2110 to arrange special orders or arrange your dinners and parties.

Unsure what you want to serve?  Let Suzanne help you decide. She is a storehouse of ideas.

Visit thekitchenofhighlands.com to download their menu. You’ll refer  to it often.