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Under normal circumstances, it would be a bad thing to order dinner on January 24 and not eat it until two months later, but in the case of Postcard Foods, that timeline works perfectly. The two-month-old, Dumont-based food truck has a specialty, you see, that essentially erases time: It delivers ready-to-heat frozen meals to your door. You can eat the food whenever you darn well please.
That wasn’t the exact intention of co-founders Bridget Bagel and Jim Abraham though. Yes, the couple wanted to supply I-70 travelers with all-natural, home-style entrées and soups they could heat from frozen when they arrived at their mountain or home destinations. Who wouldn’t want to stay by the fire in loungewear after a long day of skiing (or a lengthy commute back home), heating up a two- to three-person serving of breadcrumb-topped mac and cheese or Thai green curry soup instead going out for dinner or cooking from scratch? Postcard Foods, which launched in late January, was ready to fill that need.
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Then, COVID-19 hit. Instead of selling their frozen wares (and fresh coffee, paninis, and salads) to roadside travelers on their way to and from Colorado ski towns, Bagel and Abraham watched traffic through Clear Creek County vanish as residents were urged to stay at home. The couple decided that if the people couldn’t come to the mountains, Postcard Foods would come to them.
That’s how I finally came to tuck into a tray of Postcard Foods’ Dublin-style shepherd’s pie at the end of March, when Bagel herself drove the food I’d ordered two months earlier to our house. I’d planned on sharing that meal and a quart of turkey green chile with my family at an Airbnb in Vail in early February (hence the late January order), but that was the perilous travel weekend when there were myriad tunnel closings; we never made it to Exit 234, where Postcard Foods’ cherry-red trailer is usually parked. No matter, for Bagel promised to keep the food for us in her freezer so we could get it the following weekend.
Well, guess who forgot to pick up the order the next Saturday, when we drove right by Dumont on our way to Winter Park? Freezer to the rescue again! We didn’t have another opportunity to drive to the mountains until mid-March, when I’d planned to really, truly pick up our food, but then, well, you know what happened in the middle of March.
And so, because we were on COVID-19 lockdown at home, Bagel (who has expanded Postcard Foods’ delivery route to stretch from Denver to Boulder to Castle Pines) drove to Congress Park to bring us our food, at long last. We ate her spicy, tangy green chile over baked potatoes and paired the savory shepherd’s pie, topped with rosemary-garlic mashers and melted cheese, with a fresh green salad a few nights later; I’d order both delicious dishes again.
While I’d rather swing by Postcard Foods on my way to a fun outdoor adventure in Summit County and beyond, for now, it’s good news for everyone that Bagel and Abraham are willing to come to us.
Bonus: For a limited time, with the purchase of four meals, Postcard Foods will gift one free meal or soup to an elderly, immunocompromised, or otherwise in-need neighbor of your choosing.
For Postcard Foods’ delivery route, schedule, and menu ($14 to $19), click here. You can call or text 303-900-3201 or order online. Follow Postcard Foods on Instagram for service updates.