FOOD PROFILE Monadnock Eats • Peterborough, NH

For Rhonda Cilley, owner and founder of Monadnock Eats, preparing food is more than serving a nutritious meal. It's about giving people their time back. &emsp;"The bulk of our customers are looking for something to save time. We are giving them the gift of time. Time to do what they need to do for their mental health," she says. &emsp;Her storefront reflects this mission. Set in the corner of a tidy brick-and-mortar building on Main Street in Peterborough, the entryway of Monadnock Eats is warm and inviting. The first thing visitors see is the salad bar. With 26 different toppings and numerous dressings sourced from Monadnock Oil and Vinegar, the bar offers customers a quick and flavorful personal-sized salad. &emsp;Cilley recalls a recent customer interaction: "She told us: 'I can't tell you how much this means to me. I love salads, but it costs me more to go to the store and make my own salads than it does to just come here.' That's the kind of feedback we love." &emsp;Around the salad bar is a small, intimate dining space lit mainly by daylight streaming in through the large front windows. Photos of local landmarks hang on the walls, and a free-standing hutch is filled with local honey, oils, crackers, vinegars, kitchen linens and humorous coffee mugs. &emsp;Heading towards the back of the store brings you to the main event: the deli case. It is filled to the brim with various offerings, each as mouthwatering as the next. Crispy egg rolls share space with Italian sausage and cowboy candy stuffed mushrooms, meatloaf, loaded baked potatoes, bacon-wrapped scallops, and the enduringly popular chicken salad and chicken pot pies. &emsp;Cilley aims for a diverse menu with an emphasis on quality. She sources much of her produce from Tenney Farm in Antrim. Vegetarian options include quiche, fresh beet salad with walnuts, feta cheese, and Sicilian lemon dressing, or curried quinoa with cashews and chickpeas. In the colder months, Cilley makes sure there is always soup on the menu. &emsp;"Our Hungarian mushroom soup is a real crowd-pleaser," she says. &emsp;Most food is prepared only a day in advance to maintain freshness. All customers need to do is come in, choose what they want to eat, and pay. &emsp;Yet, there is another time-saving component to Monadnock Eats that represents the core of the business. &emsp;Cilley calls it "Mobile Meals," an advance-order menu via email and on Facebook every Thursday or Friday. Customers order from the menus and pick up their meals the following Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. "It's a low-stress, no-commitment thing," says Cilley. "Customers tell us what they want, and we have it prepared a day ahead of when they come to pick it up." &emsp;Catering is another major addition to Monadnock Eats, with hand-assembled, customizable charcuterie boards being the most popular request. Loaded with fruit, cured meats, and organic cheeses sourced from farmers in New Hampshire, Vermont and Wisconsin, the boards range from small platters to entire tables. &emsp;Preparing food is nothing new for Cilley. An industry professional, Cilley first started making prepared meals for friends and family during the height of the pandemic. &emsp;"It was something I did to keep busy, but it started growing really fast. People kept wanting more," she says. &emsp;Eventually, she decided to turn it into a business, starting out of a corner in Beepa and Lulu's in November 2023 and expanding to the Main Street location in June 2024. &emsp;The coziness of the space blends perfectly with the spirit of the crew Cilley has surrounded herself with, one of whom happens to be her daughter, Lindsay Leavitt, who serves as the business manager. &emsp;"I love working here," Leavitt says. "Everyone on our team has their strengths and does all they can to help the business. There are no egos here." &emsp;Whether it's the family atmosphere, the time-saving element, the quality of the food, or a combination of all three, one thing is certain: customers love patronizing Monadnock Eats. &emsp;"We started a running joke with our customers. Even if we knew we wouldn't see them for a few days, we'd say, 'See ya tomorrow!' Eventually, they started saying it back!" Cilley says. &emsp;"We should put that on a T-shirt," Leavitt says with a laugh. &emsp;"We should!" Cilley agrees. "We see a lot of people come in through our doors, and it is important to us to show them that we care. That is reflected in the quality of the food, and that makes people happy. And happy customers make us happy, which is what it's all about." BOX Monadnock Eats 15 Main Street Peterborough, NH 603-784-5302 HOURS: Sat 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.