5 minute read
ANEU KITCHEN
Healthy, homemade comfort is on the menu at Aneu Kitchen, Juicery & Market
THE caring staff at Aneu Kitchen, Juicery & Market is equally concerned about the quality of their real, clean, healthy and homemade food as they are of their customer’s comfort.
“Someone lost a family member, so we dropped off a fresh meal at the beach, so they could mourn their loved one at the beach,” Alex McAvoy, the general manager of Aneu in Ocean City, explained.
“That is my favorite type of work because I feel we can give back, too,” Alex added. “We try to be philanthropic.”
This caring and compassionate approach to cooking and customers emanates as much from the kitchen of Aneu as from the core of their founder, Meridith Coyle.
“Before starting out in business, my mom went to the University of Penn and was studying social work,” Alex explained.
The mantra of the founder (and for each meal) and is blazed in Aneu’s mission statement: “We are a modern marketplace making comfort food healthy. We strive to serve our customers and clients the highest quality products from real ingredients, combined with superior, caring customer service. Our focus revolves around exceeding your expectations with menus and options that fit all dietary and nutritional needs.”
Meridith, who has run Main Line restaurants, caterers and markets for three decades, followed her family’s legacy in the food business. Richard and Irene Coyle – her parents – owned more than 28 restaurants, including the popular Binni & Flynn’s in Berwyn, Pa.
In 1992, Meridith returned home from graduate school to help her ailing father and to bring trends in the industry from around the globe to Philadelphia. Over the years there have been various versions of Fresh Ideas and Meridith’s Catering, before Meridith settled on the name Aneu, which means “beyond compare,” in 2010.
“Aneu stands out because we are always following food and health trends not only in our industry, but the entire wellness industry,” Meridith explained. “We take the time to design every single menu item to fit the needs and dietary restrictions of our clients. We also believe every event is unique, and food should be too.
“Our food is natural, organic when possible,
whole, fresh and prepared daily. You will not find one item from our kitchen that is not made from scratch.”
In addition to this holistic approach to preparing food in Ocean City, Aneu also has locations in Margate and in Paoli, Pa. Alex has been the general manager for Aneu the last six years.
“First and foremost, we are family owned and oriented,” Alex said about Aneu’s uniqueness; she is Meredith’s daughter and also works alongside her sister Keegan. “We are women owned and we give back to the community. Women vendors showcase what they created here.”
Customers can enjoy the fine, local fare from Memorial Day to Labor Day at Aneu.
“We stand out because we have everything,” Alex gushed with pride. “You can grab dinner for six off the shelf and take it to the beach and we do deliveries down the beach for dinner and also we do catering at the beach.
“We are different from the fried shrimp and pizza places.”
Another difference is Aneu offers guidance on how and what to bake or reheat, including a chefs’ list of directions to follow at home – or at the beach.
And, in addition to customer care, the Aneu team prides itself on constantly creating and adding new food items weekly. So, as Aneu says, “if you don’t see what you’d like, just ask.”
The minimum order is 10 guests for catering packages. All corporate catering orders include disposable plates, utensils, and napkins – items that fit easily into the trash cans on the beach – as well as the option of tablecloths, ice and formal dinnerware. An on-site staff is also offered, which will customize each order for both preferences and dietary requirements.
“We do,” Alex said, “just about everything.” And that includes genuinely caring for their customers.
“There is nothing better than seeing our clients come back time after time, event after event, year after year,” Meridith stated. “I have clients that were customers in our first location in 1992, followed us through our farmers market times, then came to our restaurants. Since then and throughout, we have catered their momentous events, weddings, their children’s celebrations, then their children’s weddings, followed by baby showers for their soon-to-be grandchildren.
“We have a culture here at Aneu that is undeniably unmatchable. And that is what I love and am so proud about the most. It’s a passion and a lifestyle for me and my entire team.”
Aneu Kitchen, Juicery & Market is located at 5501 West Avenue, Ocean City, and can be reached at (609) 232-7075. Learn more at aneucatering.com.
Top Tip: OWN YOUR HEALTH
Aneu founder Meridith Coyle shares whole food cooking and integrative nutrition in her cookbook, “From Our Kitchen to Your Table.” She also teaches around the country of how to take ownership of your health through lifestyle and how to navigate the continual changing landscape of food.
