Dream Dinners

How many of us plod home after a long day's work, or a long day of anything, for that matter, stand in front of the refrigerator in a fog-like stupor and hope something will jump out at us that's easy and quick to prepare? Like many other working people, when I come home from a full day, the last thing I want to do is worry about creating some fabulous dinner in a short amount of time. Enter Dream Dinners. Founded in 2002 by two working mothers in Washington, their mission was to bring the family meals back around the dinner table with the least amount of effort.

Hundreds flocked to the grand opening of the elegant, new Dream Dinners store recently. Owners Lisa Uhern and Lissa Mooney were on hand to greet the guests as they arrived to sample dinners such as Maple Thyme Pork Chops and Tuscan Chicken. The festivities included a ribbon cutting hosted by the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce, live music by Steve Williams and assorted raffles and give-aways. Representatives from the California State Assembly, the County of Los Angeles and Sen. Jack Scott's office presented the store owners with certificates to commemorate the event.

La Crescenta residents Lissa Mooney and Lisa Sojka Uhern have a ready answer for the daily query, "What's for dinner?" It's called Dream Dinners, an innovative concept in meal preparation that eliminates the drudgery of daily menu planning, shopping, prep-work and clean-up by moving the dinner assembly process out of home kitchens and into specially equipped retail outlets. Dream Dinners is located at 4121 Pennsylvania Ave. and on Nov. 16 there was a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. by the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce followed by the official store grand opening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. In addition to raffling off ice chests and offering samples of assorted Dream Dinners meals, the first 100 guests received an Herb Crusted Flank Steak.

The public is invited to a special event hosted by Dream Dinners — La Crescenta. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, partners Sharmel Stern and Lissa Mooney will offer delicious food and drink, play Dream Dinners trivia and award raffle prizes. Anyone who brings a friend can earn extra raffle tickets. This open house is an opportunity to reacquaint those who have not been in for a while and introduce the Dream Dinners concept to those unfamiliar. Dream Dinners is located at 4121 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite ‘F’ just south of the Foothill (210)

Two La Crescenta businesses, Dream Dinners and Curves, have partnered together to raise money for the Susan G. Koman Foundation and the upcoming Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk — going the distance to fight breast cancer. Fundraising efforts continue in both stores through Oct. 27. The two business owners, Faith Cartland of Curves La Crescenta and Lisa Uhern of Dream Dinners, have decided on a goal of $2,000 that they hope to donate to the Foundation. Both women are optimistic that they will be able to reach their goal as they have implemented a simple fundraising process.

As we celebrate the birthdays of our great presidents this week, we are reminded of some inspirational quotes by these great men:   “That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.” — Abraham Lincoln “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” — George Washington   What better way to associate with good quality men, women and members than to become involved with the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce?

Cooking can be a nightmare, which is why Lisa Uhern and Lissa Mooney are opening Dream Dinners, a unique food franchise in La Crescenta. "You get tired of deciding of what to cook for all these people in your family," said Mooney, who is a nutritional educator with the Los Angeles Unified School District. The store will target busy mothers, bachelors who live alone and people who love to cook, she said. "It's a way to make life easier for busy people," said Uhern, who was an owner of a bookkeeping service until she decided to devote her time completely to the new business.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey   At the Crescenta Valley Chamber we are thankful for the 4th annual HomeTown Country Fair. Don’t miss it! Come by today, Friday, April 24 and tomorrow, Saturday, April 25 to Crescenta Valley Park at the corner of Dunsmore and Honolulu avenues for some great hometown entertainment!

The public is invited to a special event hosted by Dream Dinners — La Crescenta. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, partners Sharmel Stern and Lissa Mooney will offer delicious food and drink, play Dream Dinners trivia and award raffle prizes. Anyone who brings a friend can earn extra raffle tickets. This open house is an opportunity to reacquaint those who have not been in for a while and introduce the Dream Dinners concept to those unfamiliar. Dream Dinners is located at 4121 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite ‘F’ just south of the Foothill (210)

La Crescenta Dream Dinners is pleased to report on its recent fundraising efforts. In October, La Crescenta Dream Dinners and La Crescenta Curves partnered to raise funds for Breast Cancer Research. Dream Dinners donated $1 for every six serving dinners made in their store and La Crescenta Curves also donated a percentage of all new sign-ups for the month. Together, with some direct customer donations, a total of $1,914 was donated to the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Research Fund.

Two La Crescenta businesses, Dream Dinners and Curves, have partnered together to raise money for the Susan G. Koman Foundation and the upcoming Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk — going the distance to fight breast cancer. Fundraising efforts continue in both stores through Oct. 27. The two business owners, Faith Cartland of Curves La Crescenta and Lisa Uhern of Dream Dinners, have decided on a goal of $2,000 that they hope to donate to the Foundation. Both women are optimistic that they will be able to reach their goal as they have implemented a simple fundraising process.