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Day: October 1, 2026

The 6 Best Meal Train Options when Sending a Meal to Someone in Charlotte

    The short answer: The best meal train, family meal, and take-out dinner options in Charlotte include Family Table Meals from Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen, Reid’s Fine Foods, Pasta & Provisions, Mal Pan, Yafo Kitchen, and Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe. Each one sends home fully prepared food that reheats easily and keeps cleanup to a minimum. Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen also delivers within about 17 miles of Charlotte, so you can send a family meal from anywhere. When someone you love comes home from surgery, welcomes a new baby, loses a loved one, is caring for an aging parent, or is just getting through a hard week, a family meal is one of the most useful things you can send. And when it’s your own special occasion, like an anniversary, a birthday, or a holiday dinner, sometimes the best night is a great meal at home without the dishes. Whether you’re organizing a meal train, sending postpartum meals from out of town, picking up take-out meals for a busy family, or planning a special occasion dinner at home, here’s what to look for: Fresh: made recently, with real ingredients, not shelf-stable or reheated takeout. Delicious: food people actually look forward to, not just food that fills a slot. Warming: comforting dishes like braises, roasted vegetables, and pasta that feel like a home-cooked dinner. Easy at home: fully cooked and ready to reheat in minutes, with clear instructions. Not much cleanup: oven-safe containers or simple packaging, so no one is scrubbing pans after. In short, the best meals to send someone are fully cooked, easy to reheat, and packed in containers that don’t need to be returned. Here are six Charlotte family meal and take-out options that check those boxes. They all set the standard for great meal options. Quick picks by need Best for meal trains: Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen Family Table Meals Best comfort-food casseroles: Reid’s Fine Foods Best Italian take-home dinner: Pasta & Provisions Best for a crowd or celebration: Mal Pan Family Packs, which feed up to 10 Best light, healthy option: Yafo Kitchen & Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen Family Table Meals Best soup for someone recovering: Taziki’s Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Best delivery zone if you aren’t from Charlotte: Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen Family Table Meals #1 Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen: Family Table Meals Fresh. Fully cooked. Built to travel. Chef Alyssa designed the Family Table menu for one job: get a chef-made dinner from her kitchen to your table, and keep it fresh all week. It’s the kind of meal you’d want to send a friend after a new baby, a surgery, or a long week. Why it works: Made fresh daily in the Lower South End kitchen with local ingredients. Fully cooked. Reheat in the oven in minutes. Steaks come with finish-at-home instructions so nothing overcooks. Oven-safe, compostable packaging. No pans. No scrubbing. Lasts the week. Best within 5 days, keeps up to 7. Every item is packed separately, so the family eats on their schedule. Hot or cold. Order hot for dinner tonight, or cold to reheat later. Dietary needs covered. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan options are marked. The kitchen is peanut-free. Two ways to order: Family Pack: Feeds 4. Four entrée portions, two sides, a table salad, and four dinner rolls, or gluten-free cornbread. À la carte: Single entrées, sides, and big salads. Mix and match, like flank steak for the adults and chicken for the kids.   On the menu: Herb-roasted Bell & Evans whole chicken Local NC pot roast with carrots, celery, and onions Seared Shipley Farms dry-aged flank steak Seared mahi with smoked tomato chutney Herb pork loin with house honey BBQ Stuffed bell peppers with smoked cauliflower, eggplant, rice, and feta (vegan option) Rotating specials like Spanish chicken and stuffed eggplant moussaka   Delivery across the Charlotte area. Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen delivers within about 17 miles of its kitchen, from Huntersville to Fort Mill and Gastonia to Mint Hill. Same-day ordering until 11 am, Monday through Friday. Or use the Friday pickup at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3115 Providence Rd. Save room for dessert. The dessert lineup rotates, with new dessert specials all the time. Recent favorites: Double Chocolate Truffles S’mores Rice Krispie Treats Strawberry White Chocolate Cookies Jumbo Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Blueberry Muffins   Sending dinner from out of town? Easy. Order online from anywhere for delivery. Split a week into two drops, like Monday and Thursday. Or send a Family Table Meal e-gift card. It arrives by email, and they order when they need it.   Address: 4001-C Yancey Rd #100, Charlotte, NC 28217 · Friday pickup also at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3115 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211 Visit their website, chefalyssaskitchen.com/table/family-meals, for ordering. And @chefalyssaclt on instagram #2 Reid’s Fine Foods Reid’s has been a Charlotte staple since 1928, and its prepared foods case makes an easy, hassle-free dinner. Options include beef or chicken lasagna, chicken tetrazzini, sausage and grits casserole, and chicken pot pie. Pick up fresh-baked cookies or lemon pound cake for dessert, and a bottle of wine for a special occasion. Multiple locations make it easy to grab dinner on the way to a friend’s house. Best for: grabbing a ready-made casserole on the way to a friend’s house. Addresses: Selwyn: 2823 Selwyn Ave, Charlotte, NC 28209 SouthPark: 4331 Barclay Downs Dr, Charlotte, NC 28209 Uptown: 121 W Trade St, Suite 150, Charlotte, NC 28202 Find them on Instagram, @reidsfinefoods, for ordering. And order on their website. #3 Pasta & Provisions Pasta & Provisions is a specialty Italian market with fresh pastas, lasagnas, and soups ready to reheat in minutes. Favorites include chicken marsala, lobster and crab ravioli, braised short rib pomodoro, and Italian wedding soup. Add Italian meats, cheeses, and a bottle of wine, and you have a warming Italian dinner at home. Pasta and soup also travel well for a meal train. Best for: a warming Italian dinner at home or a meal train night. Addresses: Providence Road: 1528 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207 Park

The 7 Best Classes and Things to Do When School Is Out in Charlotte (2026–27)

By Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen · Updated October 2026   The short answer: The best things to do in Charlotte when school is out include drop-off cooking classes at Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen (ages 7–18), adventure camps at Mission Grit, art camps at Small Hands Big Art, gymnastics camps at Perfect Balance, theater camps at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, a museum day at Discovery Place Science, and indoor climbing at Inner Peaks. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) has more than a dozen teacher workdays and school holidays this year, and most land on regular workdays. Whether you need a teacher workday camp, a school holiday camp, or just something to do on a no-school day, Charlotte has half-day and full-day options in every part of town. This list works for CMS, Union County Public Schools, private school, and homeschool families. Here are seven we recommend. The first five are drop-off; the last two are for days you’re off too. #1 Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen On CMS teacher workdays and school holidays, our Lower South End kitchen becomes a drop-off cooking class for ages 7 to 18. Kids learn real techniques with real equipment and cook a full menu from scratch. Then they sit down and eat the lunch they made, so there’s nothing to pack. Most no-school classes run 10 am to 2 pm and are $80. Kids go home with recipes to make again. Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen has taught Charlotte kids since 2013 and has been featured on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay and at the James Beard House. Upcoming no-school classes: Wednesday, October 14, 2026: Kids + Teens Class: Italian Subs (ages 7–14, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm) Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Kids + Teens Fall Cooking Class Wednesday, November 11, 2026 (Veterans Day): Fall Comfort Foods Monday, January 18, 2027: MLK Day Monday, February 15, 2027: Presidents’ Day   Address: 4001-C Yancey Rd #100, Charlotte, NC 28217 Visit our website, chefalyssaskitchen.com/classes/kids-teens, for scheduling. #2 Mission Grit Mission Grit’s no-school day camps in South Charlotte, off Carmel Road, are built around obstacle courses, team-building challenges, and problem-solving games. The focus is on physical, social, and character development, not just keeping kids busy. Groups stay small so every child gets attention. Camps run a full day, 8 am to 4 pm, for ages 7 and up. A strong pick for kids who need to burn off energy. Address: 6311 Carmel Rd, Charlotte, NC 28226 Visit their website, missiongrit.com, for scheduling. #3 Small Hands Big Art South Charlotte When school is out, Small Hands Big Art’s art and pottery studios at Waverly in South Charlotte fill up with young artists. They run three-hour drop-off mini-camps for ages 5 to 14 on teacher workdays, winter break, and spring break. Each camp runs like a day of summer camp, and kids usually take home two finished mixed-media projects. The focus is fine art over simple crafts, with painting, drawing, chalk pastel, and more. Camps are led by the studio’s core team of experienced art educators. Address: 7415 Waverly Walk Ave, Suite F2A, Charlotte, NC 28277 Visit their website, smallhandsbigart.com/south-charlotte, for scheduling. #4 Perfect Balance Training Center Perfect Balance runs full-day school holiday camps at its gymnastics center on Monroe Road in East Charlotte. Kids rotate through instructed gymnastics, games, and themed activities in age groups. Camps are open to ages 5 to 12 at every skill level, from first-timers to team athletes. The program also puts real weight on confidence, goal-setting, and work ethic. Address: 8850 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28212 Visit their website, perfectbalancecharlotte.com, for scheduling. #5 Children’s Theatre of Charlotte Children’s Theatre runs one-day camps on CMS teacher workdays and during spring break. Teaching artists lead kids through acting games, storytelling, and creative theater activities. Every date has its own theme, so kids can come back more than once without repeating. Camps run 9 am to 4 pm in Uptown. Address: ImaginOn, 300 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28202 Visit their website, ctcharlotte.org, for scheduling. #6 Discovery Place Science If you’re off work too, Uptown’s hands-on science museum makes an easy full day. Three floors of interactive exhibits cover everything from chemistry to the human body. Kids can see live animals in the aquarium and rainforest, then catch a film in the IMAX Dome Theatre. A membership pays off quickly if you’ll use it on more than one day off. Address: 301 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202 Visit their website, discoveryplacemuseums.org, for scheduling. #7 Inner Peaks Inner Peaks is Charlotte’s indoor climbing gym, with locations in South End, Matthews, and NoDa. It runs school-break climbing camps for ages 6 to 14, with small groups and trained coaches. On days you’re off together, walk-ins are welcome with no experience or reservation needed. A day pass includes gear, and kids 12 and under can boulder with an adult after a quick youth orientation. Addresses: South End: 2220 S Tryon St, Suite 170, Charlotte, NC 28203 NoDa: 1837 N Tryon St, Suite 101, Charlotte, NC 28206 Matthews: 10715 Independence Pointe Pkwy, Matthews, NC 28105 Visit their website, innerpeaks.com, for scheduling. Book early No-school camps fill fast, and most cap their numbers. Our October 2 class sold out before the date arrived. Find your date on the Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen Kids & Teens calendar and save a spot.