THE
PORTABLE PANTRY
Cafe,
Catering, Meals To Go & More
12
Hanson St., Rochester, NH
Hours
& Contact Info
The
Cafe
Lunch
Menu (pdf)
Daily
Specials
Bakery
Items
Catering
Menu
Our
Services
Request
a Quote
Take
and Bake
Every
Day
Inspirations
Place
an Order
Gift
Certificates
Customer
Comments
Susan's
Bio ….. so far
Hello,
I
could tell you how much I love creating good food for people or
about my extensive cooking and restaurant experience, but I'm
going to be completely honest: I needed an outlet for my
obsession with collecting cookware and cookbooks. It was
either open a business where I could lovingly use each and every
pan, gadget, and recipe while sharing my passion for good food, or
build an addition on my kitchen at home. My husband convinced me
to open The Portable Pantry.
A friend had told me about her
Personal Chef business in Arkansas and I was intrigued with the
idea of cooking healthy meals for clients. After almost a
year of doing that part time, I found a local building in
which to build a commercial kitchen so I could include
catering and a cafe as well as providing meals for busy families.
So in 2005, the Portable Pantry was reinvented on Route 4 in
Northwood just a half mile west of the Northwood Ridge.
After four years, we needed a larger space and wanted to
expand the cafe, so we relocated to downtown Rochester on Hanson
Street. We now have a larger cafe – with seating outside also –
and a much larger kitchen in a building with tin walls, tin
ceilings and a lot more character.
I suppose I should tell
you of my experience, unless of course it's enough to know that I
have great pans, lots of cookbooks, and not enough counter space
in my home kitchen.
I began cooking professionally
at the Covered Bridge House in Barrington where the focus was on
healthy soups, salads, and homemade breads and desserts. I
developed an interest in vegetarian cooking, so I apprenticed with
the owner of the Gray Barn Natural Cafe in Epsom. She
taught me about macrobiotics and vegetarian cooking in general,
and it was there that I really began to love to cook. Norma
at Susty's/Radical Vegan Foods hired me to cook on weekend nights,
offering me the chance to take vegetarian cooking a step further.
My experience took an entirely different direction
when I was hired to reopen the take out restaurant and cook
prepared foods for the Finestkind Fish Market and More in York,
Maine. I learned to recognize and cook with quality fresh
seafood, a skill that had up until then been a mystery to me.
Prior to opening The Portable Pantry, I was cooking for
Dinner's Done in Portsmouth where clients assemble prepared
ingredients to stock their freezers with a month's worth of meals.
It was there that I learned about cooking in quantity for the
freezer.
So this long and varied road has led to The
Portable Pantry, where I can offer a wide range of culinary
options. I hope everyone who comes in will find familiar
favorites as well as new and interesting dishes to try.
I
look forward to seeing you at the shop,
Susan