Our Story
Big Ideas...have small beginnings...
Made Meals For Myself And Documented It
This wasn’t “a brand” yet. It was survival, purpose, and healing showing up in the form of meal prep. After a doctor visit shook everything up, Christine made a choice to fight for her health so she could be the mom her kids deserved. She started pre-making meals to stay accountable, then shared the process because it was real and it was working. People didn’t just see food — they saw a woman rebuilding her life in public, one week at a time.
Started My Healthy Penguin In My Apartment
This was the apartment era. A small electric stove, a BBQ, and a whole lot of “how are we going to pull this off?” One unexpected social post turned into a flood of messages, and suddenly it wasn’t just friends and family asking. Christine was still a mom first, trying to be present, while her phone was blowing up late into the night with orders and questions. And somehow, week after week, the demand kept rising — and so did she.
Moved To A Shared Commercial Kitchen In Redlands
This is where it stopped being a hustle and started becoming a real operation. Nights were for cooking, mornings were for delivery, then repeat until exhaustion felt normal. It was the first time she realized: the dream is possible — but it’s going to cost comfort, sleep, and certainty. This era built the grit and standards that still define My Healthy Penguin.
Scaled Delivery And Built The Backbone
This is where it got real operational. More customers meant tighter timing, better planning, and way less room for mistakes. It wasn’t just cooking anymore — it was routes, reliability, and building the structure that made bigger growth possible.
Outgrew And Got Keys To Our Own Facility
Thousands of meals a week… and the stress of having no control in a shared space. Getting the keys wasn’t just growth — it was protecting quality, consistency, and the people behind the food.
Built Kitchen From Scratch When We Got Our Permit
This is the sweat-and-tears chapter. Build it right, keep it compliant, and still keep the heart of the food. Every decision was about protecting quality, protecting the team, and keeping that home cooked feeling at scale.
Moved In To Our Facility
Moving in felt like exhaling for the first time in years. More room meant better systems, more consistency, and finally a space that could match demand without breaking the people behind it. Still scary — but it was ours. And that changed everything.
Top Female Entrepreneur of the Year
In November 2023, Christine won Top Female Entrepreneur of the Year at the Spirit Awards. It wasn’t just a trophy — it was the invisible hours becoming visible: the sacrifices, the risk, the reinvesting, the pressure, the faith. A real “we’re not imagining this anymore” moment.
Sealed Freshness: A New Era
We brought in a sealing machine so meals stay fresher, travel better, and hold up beautifully in your fridge. It’s one of those upgrades you might not notice at first glance — but you feel it the second you open your meal. Same home cooked feeling… now with packaging that matches the standard we’ve always chased.