MightyMeals is the Official Meal Prep Company of The St. James
By: Christine Bean
We are excited to announce that MightyMeals is the official meal prep provider of The St. James, a state-of-the-art sports, entertainment and wellness destination with multiple locations in the D.C. metro area. We recently sat down with Kendrick Ashton, Co-Founder and CEO, to learn more about how his background in sports laid the groundwork for building his business and why MightyMeals is the perfect partner for their Performance Nutrition Program.
Co-Founders: Kendrick Ashton (on left) and Craig Dixon (on right)
Tell me about your background and how The St. James came to be.
Kendrick: Amongst other aspects of my story, the common thread is my tireless devotion and passion for competitive sports. From a very young age and through college, I competed and trained in as many sports as possible. I played with four varsity teams in high school, was a highly recruited football player, and played college football for William & Mary, where I met my business partner.
Those athletic experiences my partner and I shared are the foundation of what we are building at The St. James. It’s a shared love of sports that’s essential to our development, and it’s what we really wanted to deliver in a world-class way, not just in D.C. but worldwide.
The goal is to create a platform that enables athletes of all ages, skill levels, and ambitions to pursue their passion for sports and wellness with as few constraints as possible. We strive to provide top-notch training, competition opportunities, strength and conditioning, recovery, and nutrition opportunities – everything athletes need to realize and maximize their potential. We currently have Performance Clubs in Springfield, VA, Reston, VA, and we’ll open a Bethesda, MD location this winter.
What is the Performance Nutrition Program all about?
Kendrick: There are many aspects of enabling yourself to perform at a high level and achieve the goals that you have set out for yourself. One critical element that often gets neglected or misunderstood is designing what you eat so that you further increase the possibilities of getting where you want to go. You must put optimal fuel in your system that will give you the most efficient cost per mile while you are out there competing.
Food prep often gets neglected and left until the last minute because people live such busy lives. When people are super-focused on what they eat, their food is typically bland. We’re a company that focuses on our members – we want to make delicious, healthy food easily accessible to our customers and stay dialed in on their goals. They deserve well-designed food options that fuel their performance with plenty of flavor and variety.
We did a comprehensive dive into the market to see which potential partner would be the best complement for our athletes – what would serve them well and be an anchor for how they approach their growth and development. After thorough testing, we chose MightyMeals as our partner. They were best suited for our customers’ needs, and we are beyond excited about this partnership.
How were you introduced to MightyMeals?
Kendrick: We’ve taken food very seriously from the beginning as a part of our overall offering. This food-centric focus led to us wanting to partner with a culinary talent that we felt understood what we wanted to achieve. We talked to many chefs around the country and partnered with Chef Spike Mendelsohn, a wildly imaginative culinary leader. We share similar visions and backgrounds; he’s not only a remarkable entrepreneur but a star athlete. Spike was the starting quarterback of his high school football team, and he plays hockey. He grasps what we are trying to do, and he’s proven central in helping us think through our Performance Nutrition Program. Our relationship with MightyMeals was born through our relationship with Spike.
Why is MightyMeals an ideal partner for The St. James?
Kendrick: The MightyMeals team truly understands the dimensions of performance. We have a mutual understanding of what our customers need and the breadth and depth of those needs, making the partnership much easier. MightyMeals shares our unique values – as athletes, Craig and I know the importance nutrition plays in fueling premier performance. These shared values and insights make for an effective partnership.
What is your favorite MightyMeals dish?
Kendrick: My go-to meal option right now is the Vegan Stuffed Portabella.
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