WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? TINY SPACE, HUGE FLAVOR

Meatballs in a perfect Sunday-style sauce with grilled pesto shrimp. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

Found at the end of a short strip mall on White Road in Shrewsbury, the onetime My Sister’s Kitchen space is now home to a venture called Two Cousins Catering under new owners who are, indeed, cousins.

Stopping in on a weekend afternoon, PieHole finds Sue DellaGatta and Rob Klingebiel — whose mothers are sisters — working in a pint-sized kitchen. But the dishes they’re preparing are titanic in flavor.

Rob Klingebiel and Sue DellaGatta at work in the tiny Two Cousins Catering kitchen. Below, a chipotle bowl ready for pick-up. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

Klingebiel found the place on Craigslist, and in November, 2016, enlisted his cousin to go into business with him. Her current fulltime job and background is in finance, while he’s the director of dining and nutrition services at an assisted living facility. Starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, they fill orders to be picked up or delivered.

But  the bulk of their business is on the weekend, when in addition to catering jobs, they prep meals for takeout.

“Some of our customers don’t cook at all,” said DellaGatta. “We can do elaborate, but our specialty is food you grew up with. I think food is love made edible.”

Klingebiel, who steers clear of farm-raised fish in favor of fresh-caught wild fish, sends customers home with instructions on heating dishes for immediate consumption. “We don’t freeze food and don’t promote” freezing, he said.

The business’ website lists a menu of the week with 10 mouthwatering specialties, such as seafood cannelloni, country-style BBQ pork ribs, chicken salad lettuce wraps, chicken or eggplant parmesan with choice of pasta. The dishes run between $12 and $15, and the portions are large enough to easily feed two people.

We tried the meatballs and grilled shrimp. The meatballs were classic Italian-style, tender and served in a meat-based marinara sauce that wasn’t overly sweet. They were delicious, and we’d happily order them again.

Representative of the pair’s style of cooking, the grilled shrimp delivered a juicy and spicy mouthful. The pesto sauce made in-house with fresh green basil and lots of garlic and cheese is not for wimps, however.

“People around here don’t like a lot of heat,” DellaGatta said, but the cousins are happy to add a little more spice if you ask for it.

In addition to the basic menu, DellaGatta and Klingebiel offer side salads, vegetables and what they call starch (pasta, potatoes, rice) to add to a meal. They also have a weekly dessert for $5. This week is Tiramisu, and we’re told that desserts go quickly.

To enjoy a lunch at work or home, customers are advised to call in an order a day ahead. The portions are large enough though to have the dish for dinner and bring the leftovers to work with you the next day.

Current hours at Two Cousin’s Catering are Wednesday through Friday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Weekend hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.