Birmingham Eats launches weekly meal delivery service

Rick Claypoole used to work in corporate America. He traveled frequently and was gone a significant amount of time, leaving his wife, Kathy, primarily responsible for feeding their three children.

After the Claypooles found that they enjoyed cooking meals for people at their church — new mothers in particular — they decided to create a time where they could bond as a couple in the kitchen.

“We needed time as a couple, so on Sundays the kids would do whatever they wanted to do, and we would stop and make dinner for the week,” Claypoole said. “We’d take a few hours, and it was a chance to catch up if I had been traveling, talk, listen to music — we enjoyed spending time together and to cook.”

The Claypooles continued this for about five years — and it changed their lives.

“It helped immensely with portion control,” he said. “We used to throw food away that we would buy and never cook, especially fresh items. It was a life-changer.”

Now the Claypooles are not just cooking for their family of five, but for any Over the Mountain family who wants to participate in their weekly meal service, Birmingham Eats. Birmingham Eats offers free delivery, with groceries bought Saturday, food cooked Sunday and meals delivered Monday for the week.

“Our goal is to help busy families find healthy meals,” Claypoole said. “We’ve been there; we know it; we have lived it. If you have 5:30 batting practice and dance rehearsal at 6:15 [p.m.], cooking, eating healthy and cleaning in that time period is not possible. So you end up at a fast-food restaurant. Our goal is to show up Monday, leave you dinner for a week, and you’re always two minutes away from a healthy dinner.”

Birmingham Eats launched in January and is headquartered in Hoover, but serves anyone in Over the Mountain communities and will also deliver into downtown Birmingham, Claypoole said. 

“We want to serve as many families as possible,” he said. “If you’re buying too much at the grocery store or spending too much time at the drive-through, [we want to serve you]. Our goal is to keep growing and growing.”

Birmingham Eats cooks for 15 to 20 families. They take orders through Friday, and the price is $15 per serving, or four meals for $55.

“Meals start going down in price once you start adding them,” Claypoole said. “The more you buy, the more you save.”

Each meal includes an entrée, a side and a vegetable. One of the Claypooles’ favorites is their asiago crusted pork chops dish with a side of Southern fried potatoes and a vegetable of peas and carrots. Another hit is their coriander-crusted salmon, potatoes O’Brien and chickpea artichoke salad. 

Customers can order extra portions, so they can take leftovers to work the next day, and kid-friendly meals are available.

“Sometimes kids want something simple, and we provide that as well,” Claypoole said.

Their menu is constantly being updated and is on their website at bhameats.biz. 

“Our food is much more flavorful [than fast food], and it might be something you’d never make on your own,” Claypoole said. “Being a parent of kids, we complain that we have no time, no time, no time, and we wish our kids ate healthier. It became obvious to us that working moms and dads need an efficient solution to get healthy meals on tables. 

“If a habit is ordering pizza or getting a hoagie or going to Publix, we are teaching our children when they are 13, 14 or 15 that this is how dinner is served, so when they are 22, 23 and don’t have young people’s metabolism forever — that won’t last forever,” he said. “Parents have a certain responsibility, and there is a certain social responsibility to not buy food that will get thrown away because you don’t cook it.”

Birmingham Eats also raises funds for schools and nonprofits, and the food ordered doesn’t have to be for the person ordering it — it can be for a family member who needs a break, a friend who is grieving a loss or a gift of convenience for anyone.

“I got a call yesterday from New London, Connecticut — a lady found us and has a niece in Hoover,” Claypoole said. “She said ‘I need to help them; here’s some money, figure out how to get them dinner for a week.’ I called the young woman yesterday, and on Monday I’ll show up with dinner for an entire week.”