{"id":337976,"date":"2026-06-16T04:27:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T04:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/337976\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T04:27:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T04:27:02","slug":"inside-austins-growing-meal-prep-scene-the-austin-chronicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/337976\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Austin\u2019s Growing Meal Prep Scene\u00a0 \u2022 The Austin Chronicle"},"content":{"rendered":"

After Anna Mayeux was diagnosed with the hormonal disorder polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, doctors told her medication was her primary option. Unsatisfied with that answer, she began researching the ways lifestyle changes could balance her hormones, and adopted a strict \u2013 gluten-free, low-dairy, low-sugar, no seed oils \u2013 diet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She spent Sundays lining up containers and planning meals for the week ahead. Now, she\u2019s doing the same work for hundreds of customers across the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working a nine-to-five at the time, and \u2026 I was having a hard time eating that way consistently unless I was meal prepping for myself,\u201d she explains. \u201cSome of my coworkers were like, \u2018Oh my gosh, all your food looks so good, please post your menus, or sell it to me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Shortly after, Mayeux launched Annie Eats<\/a> on Instagram, and an influencer messaged her to order a meal kit. \u201cThat was the second time ever selling them,\u201d Mayeux says. \u201cShe made a TikTok about it, and it exploded \u2013 literally 150 DMs. I got all my health permits, I found a commercial kitchen in four days, and cranked out 300 meals that weekend. It was insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across Austin, meal prep companies are finding customers for a variety of reasons. Some residents turn to prepared meals to save time during busy workweeks, while others seek options tailored to dietary needs or fitness goals. As the city continues to grow, local businesses are building loyal followings by offering everything from ready-to-eat dinners to specialized nutrition plans.<\/p>\n

\"\"Stephen Taylor and Shawn Evans of Corey\u2019s Kitchen Corner Credit: Corey’s Kitchen Corner<\/p>\n

This local meal prep boom mirrors a larger national trend. According to Grand View Research<\/a>, the U.S. meal delivery market reached an estimated $15.29 billion in 2025 and is projected to continue growing as consumers increasingly prioritize personalized nutrition and ready-to-eat options.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Austin is a growing city. It\u2019s a city on the go,\u201d says Shawn Evans, co-owner of Corey\u2019s Kitchen Corner<\/a>. \u201cTo be able to grab one of our meals, pop it in the microwave, and eat it in two to three minutes, it\u2019s just very convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corey\u2019s Kitchen Corner offers weekly rotating meals, bulk proteins, and customizable options that customers can order online for pickup or delivery. Evans and co-owner Stephen Taylor said adult children frequently order meals for aging parents who live alone, while parents of UT-Austin students purchase plans for their kids during finals season. Most local companies charge between roughly $10 and $15 per meal, a price many customers compare favorably to restaurant takeout.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have one client that used to DoorDash about $60 in one day on food,\u201d Evans says. \u201cHe was like, \u2018With you guys, I spend about $150, but I get to eat for five days,\u2019 and so that\u2019s how it\u2019s changed his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Prepared meals from Full Stoke Kitchen Credit: Full Stoke Kitchen<\/p>\n

Evans and Taylor worked with the previous owners of Corey\u2019s Kitchen Corner before purchasing the business, saying they were drawn to it as a way to build a healthier lifestyle, stay connected to the community, and work for themselves. But not all entries into the meal prep industry are intentional.<\/p>\n

Matt Sweren launched Full Stoke Kitchen<\/a> after a torn meniscus forced him to step away from his job as a server and undergo surgery. During recovery, he was unable to stay on his feet for long periods. While he was unemployed, Sweren, a longtime home cook, began cooking meals for a friend. What started as a favor quickly grew into a business built largely through Instagram and TikTok.<\/p>\n

Many of Sweren\u2019s customers simply want an alternative to cooking after work or ordering takeout multiple times a week. He believes the industry\u2019s biggest challenge isn\u2019t convincing people to try meal prep, but making them aware it exists.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anna Mayeux of Annie Eats Credit: Annie Eats<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are a lot of people that don\u2019t know meal prep exists,\u201d Sweren explains. \u201cOr they don\u2019t understand that it could be for anybody. It doesn\u2019t have to be gym food. There\u2019s a gazillion different shapes and sizes to that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Annie Eats shows how far the category has expanded, serving customers with specific dietary needs while still offering the convenience of prepared meals. Less than a year after launching the business, Mayeux quit her nine-to-five to focus on it full-time. Mayeux says her growing customer base reflects a growing shift in how customers think about food and health.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many women are being diagnosed with hormone disorders,\u201d Mayeux says. \u201cThere\u2019s more awareness around hormones and how food\u2019s affecting that. You shouldn\u2019t have to go on medicine if food can fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Nicholas Noel of Meal Proz Credit: Meal Proz<\/p>\n

Alongside more specialized meal prep services, fitness-focused companies like Meal Proz<\/a> still anchor part of the industry. After Nicholas Noel won a local bodybuilding competition, he began cooking meals for his former high school football teammates who wanted to improve their physiques. The idea quickly snowballed into Meal Proz, a business that now operates four Central Texas locations. \u201cWe\u2019re fitness soul food,\u201d Noel says. \u201cYou\u2019re eating healthy, but it doesn\u2019t taste like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meal Proz saw a surge in demand during the pandemic, growing by roughly 300%, Noel says, as people spent more time at home and became increasingly focused on health. More than five years later, many of those customers are still ordering. \u201cThey will like supporting local. It\u2019s fresh, it\u2019s not frozen, and they can call or walk in to meet the owner,\u201d Noel says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That sense of local familiarity has helped meal prep become quietly embedded in weekly rhythms: groceries skipped, kitchens unused, and one less \u201cwhat\u2019s for dinner\u201d at the end of a long day.<\/p>\n

A note to readers:\u00a0Bold and uncensored,\u00a0The Austin Chronicle\u00a0has been Austin\u2019s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community\u2019s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After Anna Mayeux was diagnosed with the hormonal disorder polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, doctors told her medication…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[120540,132,134,133,120541,1551,120542,120543],"class_list":["post-337976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-annie-eats","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-coreys-kitchen-corner","tag-feature","tag-full-stoke-kitchen","tag-meal-proz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}