What is Touch of Gourmet? Touch of Gourmet is the answer to the challenge of serving healthy, affordable, tasty entrées when time is limited. In less than 2 hours, prepare 6, 9 or 12 ready-to-cook entrees, take them home, freeze them and use them at your convenience. We take care of the grocery shopping, chopping, slicing and clean-up.
Where are you located?
We are located at 3931 Trueman Blvd in Hilliard on the corner of Trueman and Fishinger/Cemetery Road. We are attached to Staples next to the Mill Run Shopping Center. View map.
Who uses Touch of Gourmet?
Busy people who want a home-cooked dinner. Dual-working families, stay at home moms, single parents, empty nesters, singles, college students, newlyweds and retirees can benefit from Touch of Gourmet. It is also a great gift idea for senior citizens, someone that has an illness in their family and new mothers.
What food choices do you offer?
Each month we offer 16 different family-friendly entrée choices including seafood, chicken, pasta, pork & beef selections. We also offer a dessert and a breakfast item for added variety.
What cooking methods are used with Touch of Gourmet meals?
There are a variety of cooking methods including stove top, oven, crock-pot and grill. Many meals can be made using more than one method. For example, a grilling item may be broiled in your oven. Or, a crock-pot dish may be cooked slow in a roasting pan in the oven.
Are Touch of Gourmet entrées healthy?
Yes, our fresh meals are designed by a nutritionist with a food science background. She designs meals to pull the flavor out of the food instead of merely poursing sauce on it. Our meals have less fat and sodium than common alternatives: fast food, take out or even prepared foods. We offer superior ingredients like restaurant-quality meats, poultry and seafood, which is a grade above what customers can buy in the grocery store. We use real flavorings, juices, extracts and often choose fresh herbs over dried. We also use fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible and do not add any preservatives during the assembly process.
Additionally, our meals are more nutritionally balanced than other meal options, especially when you choose our à la carte side dishes to accompany your entrées. Touch of Gourmet can help you significantly reduce your daily intake of calories and fat, while enjoying delicious and satisfying meals.
What makes Touch of Gourmet unique?
At Touch of Gourmet you will find a fun, exciting and comfortable atmosphere where you can create nutritionally balanced entrées, using fresh ingredients, customized to your taste. We want to help you take the stress out of dinner time, while adding fun into making it.
We strive to deliver a great value to customers by saving them time and money. Two hours at Touch of Gourmet can save you up to 20 hours of recipe selection, shopping, food preparation, cleaning etc., freeing up an extra 1-2 hours a day on what matters most to you - spending times with your family. You will also save money on:
- fewer impulse grocery purchases
- fewer last-minute drive-thru and restaurant bills - which can add up quick
- less grocery waste for spoiled ingredients
Because we care about your overall experience at Touch of Gourmet, we have worked hard to distinguish our food and our service. Touch of Gourmet has formed affiliations with many culinary experts to bring you wonderful tasting and nutritious meals. At the center of our service is the customer. Our spacious store was specially designed to provide a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. You can get away with a few friends, by yourself or reserve our entire facility for a private party. Either way, our goal is to make your entire experience enjoyable and stress free.
What if I just don't have time for a scheduled session?
Let Touch of Gourmet do it for you! Just go to the calendar, select a Pickup Session, select your menu items , and submit your order. One of our personal chefs will prepare your meals for you! The fee for this service is $25.00.
What is the price of a session?
Please click on Learn More for a complete list of prices. Our best value is the Standard In-store Session (12 dinners).
How do I register?
You may register online by clicking Sign Up/ Login. Alternatively you can call us at 614-876-9452 or register in person at our facility in Hilliard at 3931 Trueman Blvd, Hilliard, OH 43026 (attached to Staples, next to the Mill Run Shopping Center).
How long does it take?
Each person's experience is different (especially the first time) but typically we find that you can make a complete family dinner in about 10 minutes. We prepare, label and organize all the fresh ingredients for each meal. So, all you do is combine the ingredients into containers (that we provide) following very simple instructions. If you choose to split your entrées, please allow extra time for your session.
What do I need to do before my session?
Most importantly is to sign up as soon as you can. Sessions can fill up in advance. On your selected date and time, simply:
- Bring a cooler, laundry basket or some other tote to transport your food home. (We care about the safety of the food that you and your family eat - keeping food cold is a must!)
- During your session, you will have your own refrigerated shelf to store your assembled meals until you are ready to transport in your cooler.
- Clear enough space in your freezer.
How do you practice food safety Touch of Gourmet?
At Touch of Gourmet we take food safety very seriously. We follow the Franklin County Health Department's recommendations for food safety and practice all ServSafe recommendations. We provide refrigeration for all your dinners during your session. Each station will be used for only one food type and all items are thoroughly sanitized after each cooking session. Hand washing is required before the session and between stations. We also have hand sanitizers at each station. All safety requirements will be reviewed at the beginning of each session for all participants. Your safety, and the safety of your families, is very important to us.
When do you charge my credit card?
Your credit card is charged at the time you book your session.
What if I need to reschedule or cancel?
Life happens, we understand. Food and the flu don't mix, if you're not feeling well, we encourage you to call and reschedule. If you cancel 48 hours or less of your scheduled session you have two options - you can contact us and we will assemble your meals for an additional charge of $2.5/meal or you may receive a session credit that you must use within 2 weeks of your cancelled session. Keep in mind, that if your cancelled session is at the end of the month, the only way to receive your original dinner choices will be to utilize our Personal Chef service, otherwise you will need to pick new dinners from the next months menu. If you cancel more than 48 hours before your scheduled session, you may reschedule within the next 2 months or call us for a full refund.
How many people will one dish serve and what if I have a small family? Can I split my dinners and/or session with a friend?
Each meal provides 4-6 servings depending upon your family's appetite. Most dishes can be split into smaller portions to serve fewer people.
Dinners can be split into 2 containers, each serving 2-3 people. You can also bring a friend and split the dinners - split the same 12 dinners into 2 containers or split the session (each of you takes home 6 dinners serving 4-6 servings).
We encourage you to make your time at Touch of Gourmet social and fun. However, in order to be considerate to others booked for your session, we ask that you split the session with only one person at a time. This will ensure that we can adequately plan for the session.
Can we adjust recipes for food preferences or allergies?
Absolutely... Can't stand onions, leave them off; love garlic, pile it on. You are in control of the ingredients that you put into your dinners, and can thus customize to your family's preferences. If someone in your family has a food allergy, you can still use our service. All labels and ingredients are available for you to review in the store, and at each station. We recommend that you come to your session a few minutes early to review the posted recipes/ingredients and review labels of sauces, etc. You are welcome to make any substitutions or changes needed during your session.
Do I cook my meals at Touch of Gourmet?
No, all the ingredients are chopped, diced and prepared fresh for you. Just follow the simple instructions at each of the prep stations and start assembling ingredients into our freezer-friendly containers. During every session our Touch of Gourmet staff is available to answer all your questions. For each of our entrées we provide a label that contains cooking instructions and a suggested side dish.
What is the recommended procedure for thawing my entrées?
Once frozen, the typical full size entrée will require approximately 24-48 hours in your refrigerator to thaw completely. This varies just as fridge temperatures do. NEVER THAW ANY FOOD ON THE COUNTERTOP. This can cause food born illness and is very dangerous. If food is not defrosted completely, you will need to increase the cooking times.
For more information on proper food preparation, freezing, thawing and cooking techniques, please visit the website of the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Do you offer private parties or group events?
Yes! We love private parties as much as our guests. The host/ess rewards are fantastic!! Please click on Private Parties to learn more.
Do you sponsor school or community events?
Yes. Please call or email us with any questions or ideas you may have.
Can I bring my kids?
One of the best things about Touch of Gourmet is the chance to enjoy a little adult time. Feel free to include your children old enough to help you assemble the meals.
My family really likes some of the options on this month's menu, but some don't appeal to our tastes. Can we still do this?
Sure. Feel free to double up on your favorites. While we may limit the total number of any single entrée you may order, you will always be able to order at least 2 of each selection. If you'd like to make more than our limit of any particular entrée, just give us a call and we'll arrange for you to do so at an additional cost.
We love (or we hate) spicy food. Can we adjust the recipes?
Spice it up or tone it down.... It's completely up to you! While our Chef has worked hard to get the recipes in our menu selections just right, you know your family better than we do. So add or subtract ingredients to personalize your meals.
Will this fit in my freezer?
Yes. This will easily fit in a standard freezer with plenty of room to spare for ice-cream, frozen veggies, etc. Plus, you'll notice that by using Touch of Gourmet, your trips to the grocery store will be fewer and you'll have more space in your freezer and refrigerator.
How long will my meals hold in the freezer?
Most meals can be held frozen for up to 2 months. When you're ready to cook a meal, simply remove it from the freezer and follow the cooking instructions on the label we provide.
Food allergies are an issue in my family. Can I still use Touch of Gourmet?
All labels and ingredients are available for you to review in the store. We recommend that you come to your session a few minutes early to review the posted recipes/ingredients & review labels of sauces/etc. You are welcome to make any substitutions or changes needed during your session.
How do I pay?
For online registrations, we accept Visa & Master Card. All credit card transactions are done using our secured server. You may also register and pay via cash, check or charge in person at our store.
What if I cannot eat or do not like certain ingredients listed under a particular menu item?
Customers may alter their entrées as they see fit, with the exception of the primary meat, poultry or fish ingredient. If you don't like onions, simply leave them out. If you are on a nutrition plan, reduce the amount of oil. It's up to you. In fact, we often see customers preparing and packaging a single portion separately for a discriminating eater at home.