When Rolan Pongpuntara left her job as a pharmacy technician in 2013, she made the proverbial leap of faith, and decided to pursue something that spoke to her heart. The decision was clear; there was something that had enraptured her since she was a child: soulful, mindful, healing food. Pongpuntara, who is the founder of successful LA-based catering company Side Kitch, had been involved in selling with her dad at farmers markets since the age of seven, and thus felt no qualms about returning to her roots. She began her journey with preparing cold-pressed juices out of her own home and delivering them to her friends and family in LA- her very first clientele. In 2014, she decided to open up a restaurant with a partner, and expand her business further.
Rolan Pongpuntara left the restaurant in 2017 but she was determined to continue her journey in food. She took yet another leap of faith and started Side Kitch Catering, a project she truly poured her heart and soul into. In starting this new venture, Pongpuntara had a clear vision: making food that made people feel good. According to her, “with years of experience from nutrition, wellness, and running a kitchen, my goal is to heal people through food”. She put all her focus into curating dishes that were healthy, nutritious, and still absolutely delicious, by working with the best ingredients, like her flavorful fresh herbs.
Over the years, Side Kitch has grown and evolved as a business. Today, it is so much more than just a catering company, and is focused on making meaningful changes to the lifestyles of its clients. Pongpuntara wants to make food an enjoyable, ecstatic experience for everyone, without skipping out on nutrition. With its meal prep service, Side Kitch provides its meal subscribers a wide variety of customisable meal plans, catering to the specific needs of each individual, meal prep for health institute and recently got her meal prep in a vending machine. Talking about this philosophy, Pongpuntara says: “I have lived in LA my entire life. I know our community has very different days, experiences, and workloads. People need food that fits around their life, without compromising on nutrition. Side Kitch empowers you to balance yourself through food, and to live your life without restrictions”. The meal prep primarily focuses on “eating with intention”, and works by limiting ingredients like refined sugar, alcohol and MSG, and using more nutritious foods and high quality ingredients with a purpose.
Whether the food she prepares is for you, or to cater your next dinner party, Pongpuntara’s vision remains unchanged- her goal is to ensure the client is always satisfied with the food they get, and works with them to create customized menus which can accommodate any dietary restrictions, including options for vegan, soy free, gluten free and sugar free diets.
To order your next meal, or find out more about Side Kitch, visit their website.v
