Conversations with Laura Squires

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Squires. 

Hi Laura, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Easy Entrees by Silver Spoons is a spin-off from the catering company our mother started in 2003, Silver Spoons Catering. When mom retired and my sister Julia and I took over, we found ourselves exhausted after a long day of catering but still needing to provide a nutritious meal for our families when we came home. After cooking all day at work, we usually didn’t have the energy (or desire) to spend a whole lot of time cooking at home. 

We tried other meal kit companies but were disappointed in the insane amount of packaging that came with them as well as the incredible prep work. We also found that oftentimes life would have something unexpected pop-up and we wouldn’t be able to get to the meal kits we were buying in time and so we were throwing away all that food. 

We took all the things we loved about meal kits and booted all the things we don’t. Our kits don’t require any sort of commitment. You can order online or in-store as needed. All of the prep work is done for you as well. No chopping or measuring needed. Our packaging is minimal and our ingredients are as local as possible so as to support our community and lower our carbon footprint. And one of our favorite parts of our meal kits is that each meal can be frozen to be used at a time down the road if life throws different plans at you. 

We started with one store in the Lone Tree area. Within the past few years, we were able to open new stores in Littleton and Conifer. We have plans to open stores in Evergreen and downtown Denver by the end of the year. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Competing with giant corporations such as Hello Fresh and Blue Apron are definitely challenges. We don’t have the monetary marketing power to compete and have had to rely primarily on word of mouth to grow. Luckily, we have wonderful customers. 

The pandemic brought its own struggles. The rise in food prices, the lack of workforce, and the supply chain issues have definitely made us have to pivot. Thankfully, we have the most amazing work family who have helped us navigate each issue. We would not have survived any of our struggles without them. They’ve adjusted where necessary, brainstormed, worked long hours, and have all in all been wonderful. We LOVE our work family. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our goal is to bring dinner back to the dinner table. We truly believe that the best conversations happen around the dinner table and food is one thing that brings us all together. Our chefs are great at creating meals that are easy to finish at home but are packed with flavor. 

Unlike other meal kit companies, we have done all of the work. No chopping or measuring is required. You just empty your ingredients into a pan and go. 

We pride ourselves on using local ingredients whenever possible. We believe strongly in community and that starts by supporting your local farmers and businesses. Food tastes better when locally grown. 

However, our best attribute is that we are local and small and are able to listen to our customers. We truly pride ourselves on listening to our customers on what they’d like to see on the menu. We love feedback, both positive and negative so we can learn and grow. After all, we’re providing a product for our customers and it is of the utmost importance that our customers are happy. When they have a say and they know we’re listening, it makes everyone happy. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@ezentrees.com
• Website: www.ezentrees.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ezentreesbysilverspoonscateringLoneTree
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/easy-entrees-lone-tree