The title of this article was updated on April 28, 2022
A grand opening was held on April 27, 2022 and the new business name is “Two-My Kitchen.” According to a Facebook post about the ribbon cutting:
Where does the name “Two-My Kitchen” come from? Christina says that when she would cook at home for friends and family, she would typically greet them by saying “welcome to my kitchen.” Christina wanted to keep that same personal touch with a creative twist that recognized the partnership with her husband, Jose, and the importance their two skill sets to run the kitchen.
Delicious, wholesome family recipes are the secret behind a new culinary option in Coronado. Called “Two-Way Kitchen,” owner Cristina Orvananos has been developing this concept for the past year and is now ready to soft launch this week. As a mom of two children, she saw the need to find prepared foods that were organic, healthy, and tasted delicious, so she had the idea to provide ready-to-eat foods with no additives, preservatives, artificial colors, or fillers.
Orvananos is launching Two-Way Kitchen with 13 food selections from soups, meat, chicken, fish, and grain and vegetable dishes, along with sides, including salsas and tasty Bolognese sauce. With plans to grow the menu, she will expand her community and solicit high quality delicious recipes from those around her. Initial offerings and some of her favorites include chicken zoodle soup, which is gluten free, with zucchini ‘noodles’ rather than pasta noodles (and I can vouch for its tastiness), and smoked marlin dip which can be savored with veggies, crackers, or chips. Her price point ranges from $7.50 for a 16 ounce container of delicious lentil soup, which serves one to two people, depending on hunger level, up to $25 for a 16 ounce roasted sesame ribeye steak, which also feeds one to two people.
“Every dish is cooked from scratch in small batches,” she notes. Preparation takes place in a certified kitchen here in Coronado and then is specially frozen to last up to four months. People don’t always understand that frozen food can taste fresh, but she has extensively researched and found the best ways to prepare food and freeze it, so that it can be enjoyed in minutes. She discovered which foods freeze well, and based her recipes on what will maintain the highest quality and taste. When people take the dishes home, the preferred method of heating is to place the container in boiling water until it thaws, and then discard the water and place the food directly in the pan on the stove to reheat, for about 10 minutes. Items can be microwaved, but she isn’t a big proponent of that method, but understands that sometimes people are short on time.
Originally from Mexico, Orvananos still owns two gyms, with adjoining restaurants, in Mexico City, which have been running for 10 years. After moving to the U.S. three years ago, she and her family have lived in Coronado for the past two years. An entrepreneur at heart, and not one to sit idly around, she came up with this idea as a solution she needed and knew that others could also benefit. With an eye to growth and expansion, eventually she and her husband hope to take the concept worldwide.
With a staff of three, including herself, a chef, and packaging helper, she wants to create a community of good and healthy food lovers. She likes to work behind the scenes, “I am involved in all the minute details, and I like to let the food speak to the quality of my business,” she shares. Having traveled extensively, she has enjoyed amazing food throughout the world, and wants to bring homemade comfort food to her customers and their families, to be enjoyed conveniently in their homes.
She studied other food delivery models and created a system that she felt would work best for her target customers, who often don’t plan ahead and need something convenient and healthy at the last minute. She is currently not offering any type of subscription service, but will consider it in the future if customers ask for it. Customers can walk in and pick up items in the Two-Way Kitchen store at 1305 Ynez Place, or order online at www.twowaykitchen.com and pick up instore or have delivery via Uber Eats. Although they opened December 20, they will be taking a few days off between December 24 and January 1, and then be open regular hours, Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 pm starting January 2.
