Le Gourmet Valet, a new homespun meal (and gift) delivery service, launches in Dallas

So what do they put in the coffee in Preston Hollow that would make two empty nesters crazy enough to launch a meal delivery business? Whatever it is, I’m glad they’re drinking it.

Becky Nelson and her business partner, Amy Rosengarden, run Le Gourmet Valet, (moto:  “deliciousness delivered in Dallas”), a start-up that cooks home-style meals, bakes exceptional cookies and mini-bundt cakes, and delivers them at pre-arranged times to your home or office.

“It’s the personal service that sets us apart,” Rosengarden said, handing me a neatly packaged Le Gourmet Valet dinner that she asked me to sample. “Becky or I or one of our small staff delivers all our products ourselves. We don’t want to hire a delivery service because we like that our customers know the people who cooked their food.”

I’m sure there are those who wish I could tell you that LGV is an also-ran. But they’re not. While their menu doesn’t stray far from homespun classics, I found it hard to tear myself away from two hand-formed biscuits and a darn good  chicken stew full of big chunks of roasted breast meat, tender carrots and green beens, and spot-on seasoning. A pair of LGV’s tiny devil’s food mini-cakes never made it to the oven for a quick warm up, because I ate those first. I don’t regret it a bit.

For now, LGV is focused on Preston Hollow, where delivery is free if you live within a 5-mile radius of their Lovers Lane office.

Le Gourmet Valet, 5600 W. Lovers Lane, Dallas, 214.738.2378