Abby DeSantis is here to take a few responsibilities off your plate. The St. Pete transplant is the mastermind behind Vida Foods, a meal prep and delivery service geared towards busy people looking for healthy home-cooked meals. 

DeSantis (no relation to the Florida governor) launched her brand in 2020 in Erie, Pennsylvania, as Meals with Abs, a small operation based out of her parents’ house. 

“During the pandemic, I was pursuing my health coaching certification and nannying on the side. The kids’ parents were working 12 hour crazy days and would come home and kind of just feed the kids scraps of whatever was around,” DeSantis explains. “They asked me if I could prepare meals for them, something they could come home to and throw in the oven. And so I started doing that, and within six months, it became my full time job in Erie.”

The company started with just three families before growing a comprehensive brand including catering, afterschool cooking programs, meal prep and food delivery. To date, DeSantis has served over 100,000 meals to busy professionals, families and individuals.  

Looking for a change of place, and recognizing the potential for growth in wellness-minded St. Pete, DeSantis moved to Tampa Bay less than a month ago and re-launched her business here, rebranding as Vida Foods. Vida, which means “life” in Spanish, reiterates the company’s motto of “Food for the ease of life.” 

“I’ve always loved Florida. I grew up coming here every single year on family vacation. Personally, I just wanted a change with life,” DeSantis said. “I didn’t see an opportunity for much more growth in Erie. It’s small, and it’s also not the right demographic for what I do. St. Pete is 10 times better. It’s a lot of young working professionals, young working families, people just wanting to feel and look their best.”

Vida Foods serves meals for all lifestyles and dietary preferences. Sample offerings include Marry-Me Chicken (named for the theory that the dish is so delicious it could inspire a marriage proposal), Healthy Hamburger Helper, Vegan Sweet Potato Chili, and Gluten-free Pumpkin Blondies. Almost every dish offers some level of customization to accommodate customers’ needs, and many calorically-dense ingredients have been swapped for lighter, “healthier” options. Pasta can often be swapped for spaghetti squash for those looking to avoid gluten or decrease carbs, and heavy cream-based toppings have been reimagined with rich, protein-dense Greek yogurt sauces. 

“I make nutritious things that you wouldn’t be able to tell are nutritious, healthy spins on things. Elevating the dish, adding more, not taking away – that’s what Vida does,” she added. 

DeSantis makes the operation seem stress-free and seamless, but she puts in long hours to keep her customers fed. Vida’s online ordering portal closes at 11:59 p.m. on Sundays, and she starts at the crack of dawn on Mondays, making her shopping list, ordering her groceries and putting in at least 12 hours of cooking to get meals ready for the week ahead. Tuesdays bring at least eight additional hours of meal prep, and then the freshly-cooked dishes are delivered or picked up that same day. 

When she’s not preparing the weekly meal delivery orders, DeSantis is taking catering orders for private clients, menu planning, maintaining her online presence and dreaming up ways to grow the brand. She’s excited to add more Florida-forward offerings to the menu, such as shrimp and fish dishes, and is interested in expanding her business to include weekend markets. 

For now, find her online at https://vidafoodsflorida.com/ or on Instagram at @VidaFoodsFlorida. Online ordering for the following week is available Tuesday to Sunday, and meals are available for pickup at various locations in the region on Tuesday afternoons. Delivery is also available across Tampa Bay.