Klaire Maranto Turns Love for Food into a Thriving Lynchburg Business
By: Olivia Carter | Photos By: Ashlee Glen
Klaire Maranto never imagined she’d run a thriving meal prep business here in Lynchburg. But a tablespoon of love for food, a few teaspoons of passion for helping others, and a large cup of faith led her to launch Klaire’s Kitchen in 2021.
Since then, her small idea has become a weekly staple for many of her clients in the area.
“I have always been a lover of health, fitness, and food and I come from a really big Italian family, so we always were in the kitchen,” Maranto said. “It was always just a way that you showed love or you brought a meal to someone when someone was in need. You’re always making food.”
Her connection to cooking, paired with a keen understanding of nutrition, became the foundation for what is now Klaire’s Kitchen.
But she says the journey to launching a business was far from straightforward.
Like many others, she found herself at a crossroads during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2020 graduate of Liberty University, she returned home to Buffalo, New York, only to be met with a bleak job market.
“Nobody was hiring. And I was like, ‘You know what? This is maybe my time to get all the nutrition certifications that I want,’” she said.
While she initially intended to use her expertise in a traditional job setting, something unexpected happened. Maranto started coaching family and friends on healthy eating habits, helping them with meal planning and giving them guidance on nutrition. Without realizing it, she was laying the groundwork for her future business.
When she and her husband moved back to Lynchburg for his law school studies, she took a job at a gym and noticed a consistent pattern.
“People would come in and be like, ‘What are you eating? It smells so good.’ And I’d be like, ‘Oh, you know, I just meal prepped,’” she said.
That curiosity quickly turned into meal prep requests.
“I actually love doing this,” she said. “These people are so happy when they get their food. It’s making their life so much easier.”
After a brief stint working at a local weight loss clinic, Maranto felt compelled to make a change and decided to meal-prep for others full-time. It was a bold move, especially since she and her husband were both young and in the midst of building their future.
“He was like, ‘You just went to school for four years to do something completely different,’” she laughed. “But I really feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Initially, she assumed that her primary clientele would be fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and college students looking for convenient, healthy meals. But to her surprise, her customer base expanded far beyond that.
“It’s actually been completely the opposite,” she said. “It’s been pregnant and postpartum moms, working parents, a lot of professionals, a lot of teachers, doctors, lawyers, other small business owners that are like, ‘I don’t even have time to go do anything. I can’t cook my own food.’”
Through trial and error, Maranto has her finger on the pulse of what Central Virginian’s palates are craving.
“Everybody loves Mexican food. So the beef burrito bowls, the chicken burrito bowls, we have a beef enchilada skillet,” she said. “Everyone loves the side salads as well as this one meal that has sweet potatoes, ground turkey, kale, bell peppers and goat cheese,” she said.
She said people can still eat what they want, such as pasta, but enjoy it in the correct portion size.
“You’re getting a cup of pasta instead of the two and a half [cups] fixing it at home,” she informed.
One group of customers in particular has touched Klaire’s heart: the elderly.
“Those people have such a special place in my heart at the kitchen, because they’re talkers,” she said fondly.
“I love being around people and they’ll come in and tell me all about their week and what’s going on.”
What started as a small-scale operation has grown significantly, with customers coming to rely on Klaire’s Kitchen not only for nutritious meals but also for the personal touch she provides.
“It’s not just about the food,” she said.
“It’s about connection and making people’s lives easier.”
Klaire’s Kitchen operates with accessibility in mind.
There are no subscriptions, no commitments, and no minimum orders.
“It’s literally, like, if you want to try one meal, you just order and try,” she said.
Each week, customers place orders and meals are ready for pick-up on Mondays at her new location at the corner of Old Forest and Wiggington roads. This system allows flexibility for busy individuals and families who might not want the pressure of a meal plan but still need healthy options available.
Although meal prep businesses are common in larger cities, Maranto had noticed that Lynchburg lacked similar offerings.
“I actually met with someone, a meal prep business owner [in New York], and that was super insightful,” she said. “But here, there was really no one doing this.”
She started with modest expectations.
“I really went into it like, ‘Hey, as long as I can pay my bills and as long as I’m happy doing something that fuels me, I’m good,’” she said.
But demand quickly grew.
“I had people just calling me saying, ‘Hey, I hear you cook for so and so, would you do it for me?’”
When Klaire first moved back to Lynchburg, she and her husband expected their stay to be temporary.
“We had this idea that we were going to be here for three years and then move somewhere else,” she said. But as Klaire’s Kitchen grew, so did their sense of belonging.
“We can’t walk away from this now,” she said. “The business has grown so much, and I’ve built this incredible community here.”
She credits much of her success to Lynchburg’s strong network of small business owners and supportive residents.
“People here really want to support local businesses and that’s something special,” she said.
She said her business isn’t just about selling meals, but about helping and serving people.
“If you’re passionate about something, you have to go for it,” she said. “I’m so glad I took that leap, because now I get to wake up every day and do something I love.”
“Again, child labor is common in India,” Devi said. He promised to take Devi to a workplace and bring the money Devi earned back to her mom, assuring Devi she could come back to visit. Although she did not want to go, she knew her wages would help with her mother’s medical care. She never imagined that her mother would pass away that same night, and that would be the last time she saw her.
Like many of the children, when Devi learned she was going to be adopted and taken away from India, she tried to run away with other girls from the orphanage. Their plan did not work, and they were caught, brought back to the orphanage, and badly beaten.
“I love the characteristics and charm,” she said. “When we were house hunting, we looked at a few homes for sale on Norfolk Avenue. Having lived in Washington, DC, then eventually when we lived in Winchester, and our suburb in Northern Virginia, I loved the ability to walk to restaurants and shops. When we were walking the sidewalks of Norfolk Avenue, knowing how convenient businesses on Rivermont are to the street, it was a no-brainer for me. I was determined to live on Norfolk.”
“Coming from a strong Filipino and Italian background, I was taught not to waste,” she said.
