About Stephanie

From momsatwork.org (http://www.momsatwork.org/content/stephanieallen.htm)

A Real Mom @ Work: Stephanie Allen

As a typical working mom, Stephanie Allen’s life was jam-packed with carpools, kids in sports, and her own little catering business. One day, a friend with three kids in basketball asked her, “How do you get a meal on the table for your family?” Stephanie came up with a game plan. She and her friend started getting together once a month to assemble freezable meals for their families. This continued for seven years. “It was a great time for us to reconnect,” Stephanie commented. Before she knew it, she was helping other “moaning and groaning” moms by sharing some of her meal preparation tricks.

The Dawn of Dream Dinners™

In 2002, Stephanie decided to do monthly meal preparation with groups by hosting a “girl’s night out”. It was so much fun that friends started talking to friends. Inundated by e-mail requests, she saw that this was a business and she needed a partner. That’s when she called her friend, Tina Kuna, and together they launched Dream Dinners™.

“I’m a mom first.”

Stephanie has two children; a daughter away at college and a 15-year-old son who is active in basketball and soccer.

No too long ago, Stephanie’s daughter had to write a paper about a person she admired. She chose her mom. Stephanie noted, “That’s quite an honor from an 18 year old.”

Stephanie’s refers to her son as her cooking buddy. He helps her plan dinners that “normal kids would eat.” As her check and balance in menu planning, she says of her 12-year-old’s choices, “No chicken with goat cheese or crab meat with prosciutto!”