Meridith Coyle got her start in the food industry at 8 years old when she began working outside of her parents’ restaurant during parades. She worked the counter of their diner and had her own customers by the age of 9. “My dad used to say I was the most accurate and best waitress he had,” said Coyle. “I loved the interaction with the fun dancing characters that came up to our storefront and the regulars that came in for breakfast on their way to their busy lives.”
This sparked a love for the service industry that Coyle said she still has today. Destined to be a social worker, Coyle said her path took a turn when she moved back home to help her father who was ill. “The loyalty and support for my father’s businesses from this community is what has kept me going for so many years,” said Coyle. The rich community support prompted her to develop a Farmer’s Market into ANEU Kitchens.
ANEU Kitchens is a specialty grocer and catering company that strives to make delicious and nutritious food accessible to their surrounding communities. A modern kitchen, their food is natural, whole, fresh, prepared daily and organic when possible.
“I love to cook for people, simple as that,” said Coyle. “The most important thing I’ve learned is that you must cook with love.” The love she put into her business led to expansions and a final rebrand with the name “ANEU,” which stands for “a new beginning beyond compare.”
Both her leadership style and her passion have led to accolades for the company, and Coyle recently completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business program.
The vision for ANEU Kitchens, looking forward, is to develop a franchise with five branch locations of the company. “With this, our hope is for our brand to reach people who are inspired by the company and want to open one for themselves in their own community,” said Coyle.
According to her staff, when Coyle sees something, she makes it happen. “Meridith is brave and fierce, and she has breached every area of the industry and has broken all the barriers that some leaders find themselves confined to,” they said. “Anyone who knows of Meridith, knows she is a reliable and constant contributor to her community and will do everything for those who are part of her team.”
