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It's "Small Households Night" at the meal-assembly kitchen called Dream Dinners in Cross Pointe Centre, and Rebecca Mader of Kettering is moving from recipe station to recipe station. She holds open unzipped plastic bags and adds meats and vegetables and herbs that will become a future dinner.

Why has she chosen to join six other women who have come from as far away as Springfield to put together meals that she'll freeze, thaw and cook over the coming month?

"Because my boyfriend will not help me cook," Mader said, laughing as she stuffs the last ingredients for a "Martha Stewart's Pot Roast" into a bag.

Well, that's not the only reason.

"I get off work every day at 5, and I don't want to start from scratch making dinner by myself," Mader said. "This way, I don't have to clean up what I'm doing, and it's a lot cheaper than eating out. I get all of the benefits of cooking at home, and none of the drawbacks."

Dream Dinners and other Dayton-area "make-and-take" meal-assembly kitchens such as Entree Vous and Main Dish want to fill the dining needs — and the tummies — of busy folks such as Mader. The kitchens offer customers the chance to come in and assemble "make-and-take" meals they'll freeze at home, then thaw and cook as needed (the kitchens will also do the assembly themselves for customers who want to simply pick up frozen, already-assembled meals). Some kitchens also offer pre-assembled, refrigerated "take-and-bake" meals for those who want to take home a meal to cook the same night, no thawing required.

The pitch of such meal-assembly stores is simple: Our food is healthier than fast food and cheaper than eating in restaurants, we do the grocery shopping for you, we bring families around their own dinner tables eating home-cooked food, and cleanup is a snap.

Ohio ranks eighth in the country in the number of meal-assembly kitchens with 38, according to the Meal Assembly Network. But there has been some volatility in the industry, with mergers and acquisitions swallowing up some chains. Even in the few years since meal-assembly kitchens came to Ohio, some have already come and gone. A National Public Radio story earlier this month suggested that the kitchens have lost their luster as "the next big thing" and are facing competition in some parts of the country by large grocery store chains.

But the owners of the three Dayton-area meal-assembly businesses say they've found their niche, are entering a busy time of year and may benefit from the economic downturn as families seek to reduce restaurant visits and grocery bills.

Here's a look at the Miami Valley's three meal-assembly kitchens:

Dream Dinners

101 E. Alex-Bell Road, Suite 170 in the Cross Pointe Centre in Centerville

(937) 312-9930, www.dreamdinners.com.

This meal-assembly kitchen turned 1 year old in June and is a franchise of a Seattle-based company that helped to pioneer the meal-assembly concept. Franchise co-owner Kellie Lovejoy said her business has focused primarily on customers who want to make several family-sized meals in Dream Dinners' kitchen, then take those meals home to freeze. It generally charges a fee to assemble dishes for customers who do not want to prepare the meals themselves. Customers must sign up for a class session and can choose from among 17 different dishes from a list that changes monthly, with most of the dishes going home in Ziploc-style bags and detailed instructions on thawing and cooking. The kitchen has 30 to 40 regular customers who come in every month to prepare 10 to 12 family-sized meals that serve up to six people, and others who come in less regularly, Lovejoy said. "We have some couples who come in together, and the husbands love it. They come in with their wives and make it almost a date night," she said. October menu includes Buffalo Chicken ($18.89 for a six-serving package, $9.91 for a three-serving portion), Canadian Bacon-Stuffed French Bread ($24.14/$12.67), and Tuscan Beef Tips (($29.39/$15.42).

Main Dish Kitchen

767 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Washington Twp. (behind The Paragon restaurant)

www.maindishkitchen.com

(937) 433-3474

This kitchen opened three years ago as a franchise of a Michigan-based chain, but it is now independently owned by Steve Shaw and Ross Fischer. And its business model has evolved, Fischer said. Main Dish initially offered two sessions a day for customers who would come in and make their own meals, "but we started to get more and more requests from people who wanted us to make it for them," Fischer said. Today, most of Main Dish's dinners are assembled by Shaw or Fischer rather than their customers, and there is no additional charge for the preparation, Fischer said. Main Dish does still offer three assembly sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on Saturday mornings in which customers make their own dishes to take home and freeze, but they also keep the cooler stocked each day with refrigerated dinner entrees that customers can buy, take home, and cook right away. "We have a loyal clientele base," Fischer said. "People have started using us as a grocery store — they come in and say, 'What have you got?' " In October, the menu includes Garlic Dijon Chicken ($24 for family-sized entree, $12 for medium-sized), Cathy's 'Berry Good' Meatloaf ($24, $12) and John's Baked Ziti ($24-$12).

Entrée Vous

4429 Feedwire Road, Sugarcreek Twp, just east of Wilmington Pike

www.entreevous.com

(937) 435-8687

This meal-assembly kitchen opened in early 2007 as a franchise of a Lexington-based chain. The kitchen offers make-and-take sessions for customers but will also do the assembly for those who do not wish to do the preparation themselves, at no additional charge, said Jeanette Wood, acting manager for the kitchen owned by her daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Ryan Fendley. Individuals can come in for assembly sessions, but the kitchen also hosts group sessions as well as birthday parties, wedding showers and corporate events. The kitchen offers main courses, side dishes and desserts, and also offers some daily "take-and-bake" meals from its cooler. Entrée Vous customer Renee Ciaciuch of Centerville, who prepares meals for her husband and two teenage daughters, said the dishes she makes are "the next best thing to taking the time to make it at home." Dishes for October include Pesto Parmesan Chicken ($23.99 for a family-sized entree that serves four to six, $12.99 for a half-order), Potato-Crusted Salmon ($25.99/$13.99) and Cheese-Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce ($19.99/$10.99).

What is your experience with make-and-take kitchens?

We asked readers of the Dayton Daily News and of the newspaper's Web site, DaytonDailyNews.com, to let us know of their experiences with local make-and-take kitchens. Here's what you told us:

"My only experience with 'make-and-take' dinners in Dayton is with Main Dish Kitchen, since they were pretty much the first of its kind in the area. It's a great concept. I saw soccer teams coming in to make meals for one of their families that was going through some hard times, and I saw pregnant moms in there stocking up their freezers."

— Jean Love, Kettering

"Members of our organization, Executive Women's Golf Association, have visited the Entrée Vous on Feedwire Road on numerous occasions, both when owned by the previous owner and the current owners. Each visit has been delightful. The reasons I really like preparing meals this way include: a great variety from which to choose; clear, easy to follow directions; all ingredients at your fingertips; a fun environment and great group activity; all food can easily be frozen and cooked later with clear instructions; great, fast food that is not 'fast food;' easy, with no grocery shopping or clean up required."

— Nancy Brady, Washington Twp.

"I have been to several functions at Entrée Vous. They were wonderful events, as we had the opportunity to prepare one full or two half portions with great supervision. The result was a delicious home-cooked meal without any food shopping. The entrees freeze beautifully ... highly recommend and a fun group event."

— Barb Patrick, Kettering

"I have been to Main Dish a few times. They have excellent food and service. I have had a few client events at Main Dish and everyone had a blast. You prepare your meals — ready to take home. I know some clients have returned when they didn't want to prepare a meal, and picked up a meal (to cook at home) that night ... . It saves a lot of money if you don't want to eat out."

— Mike A., Kettering

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2258 or mfisher@DaytonDailyNews.com.