The aroma of simmering vegetables and savory spices always fills me with feelings of warmth and love. It’s the language of care passed down from generations in my family. My mother, especially, communicates her affection through a steaming pot of her famous chili or a heaping plate of her signature spaghetti. This tradition became even more profound when I gave birth to my second son during the isolating days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Knowing that I couldn’t enjoy the comfort of her cooking this time due to mandatory quarantine was tough. I had to prioritize not only mine and my children’s health but also my mother’s. Not being able to savor her meals during the years of COVID quarantine was truly heart-wrenching. However, when things started getting safer again, I longed for her to meet my newborn child in person, which thankfully she was able to do.
As my due date approached I searched for online meal delivery services, I was frustrated by the lack of options specifically catering to new mothers and their families. While there were options that existed the available options lacked the vital nutrients I needed for my postpartum recovery journey, and none addressed the preferences of my partner and our older son. I was looking for meals that could take care of all of us, not just me. None of the solutions I found fit what I was looking for.
Soon after the birth of my second son a friend who I have known from childhood who is a private chef dropped off a homemade meal for me and my family, some of the tastiest lasagna I have ever had. This simple act of receiving nourishing food made with love felt like a warm hug – a tangible expression of support in a time of immense physical and emotional change. It hit me, based on this simple compassionate gesture, and based on much Googling for post partum meal delivery services, there was a critical gap to be filled, not just for myself but for countless new mothers navigating the demanding and often isolating early days of motherhood.
This realization became the seed of “what is now” Welcome Home, a meal delivery service designed with love, understanding, and the power of nourishment at its core. We go beyond simply providing delicious meals; we offer holistic support during a particularly vulnerable period for new mothers, supplying them with valuable nutrients to help them gain important nutrients they may have lost during pregnancy and the delivery process.
Science backs the importance of this focus. Studies from organizations such as American Pregnancy Association specifically for “A Faster Postpartum Recovery” show that postpartum recovery demands specific nutrients – high protein for tissue repair, healthy fats for energy production, and fiber for gut health. Welcome Home’s recipes are meticulously crafted to provide these essential nutrients while considering common dietary restrictions such as gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free.
While I look at the science and benefits, I also look at how food is more than just a list of ingredients, food is comfort, connection, and community. With Welcome Home, families receive meals tailored to their needs, freeing up precious time and energy, and allowing mom and dad to be able to focus that energy on baby, it also allows new mothers to prioritize rest and recovery, knowing their loved ones are well-nourished and taken care of.
Creating Welcome Home has meant so much for me as a mother who was in the shoes similar to a lot of these mothers in their journey for finding food options not just for themselves but their families. To be able to share a meal with someone and be able to pour my entire love into their food really warms my heart. Through delivering these meals, I meet many of these mothers, hear their stories, and see their genuine excitement. Welcome Home is more than a business to me; it’s a support group for mothers in similar situations.
Mandela is a mother of two little boys living and working in Brooklyn, New York. A few weeks before giving birth to my youngest, I realized feeding my family three nourishing meals a day just wouldn’t be possible. So I started looking for meal deliveries that specialized in feeding not just me but my whole crew. To my surprise, there weren’t any. That’s what inspired me to create Welcome Home, my newest baby. Welcome Home gives new and growing families what they need most: nourishment, peace of mind, and more time to do what they love with the people they love. Nothing gives me more joy than feeding people a nourishing meal. Whether it’s a new mom, a sick coworker, or a grieving friend — I love being able to lend support in the language we all speak: food. The thing that always makes my craziest days better is the comfort of a beautiful home-cooked meal. I’m excited to bring mine to your home.
