Former Five Towner's Foodie Foray

With over 40 years of experience in the hospitality industry, the Kotchek family knew just what it would take to jump-start a successful business providing homes and offices with healthy meal alternatives nationwide.

The Kotchek family, originally from the Five Towns area, took the first step in their food and restaurant career in 1969 when The Porthole, a fine dining and catering establishment, was open on the south shore of Long Island until 2001.

"There is no place quite like where I grew up, the Five Towns, as it has forever shaped my perspective on our family's food business," said Darren Kotchek, president of , a Plainview-based wholesale company that launched in 2007. "Providing top-quality, flavor-forward, delicious food paired with warm, hospitable service was the winning recipe, which we perfected, hence the 35 years we operated on the South Shore. Now I have been able to leverage that successful formula at MYLO Gourmet."

MYLO Gourmet is made up of an extensive menu of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for "foodies" of all kinds, as Kotchek calls them.

"If you're passionate about what you eat every day, but you have certain preferences or dietary needs, we have cuisine that will satisfy your palate," he said. 

MYLO Gourmet serves clients throughout Long Island, New York City and Westchester, but can ship to clients from all over the country. When orders exceed $50 in one week, Nassau County customers receive free shipping. Generally, meals run from $4 to $9.

"They're very affordable for chef-crafted meals," Kotchek said. "It's a premium item, they're delicious and nutritionally packed."

The menu, which is split into different categories to easily accommodate each foodie, features sections like gluten-free, kosher, organic, fitness, vegetarian and low-carb. 

MYLO Gourmet's low-carb menu is mainly designed for type-1 or type-2 diabetics and hypoglycemics; each meal is made low in sugar and sodium. Low-carb breakfast items include blueberry pancakes ($4.99), fruit danish variety pack ($18), and broccoli & cheddar quiche ($4.99). The eggplant parmesan ($6.99), an award-winning menu item, is the most popular low-carb dinner choice.

Vegetarians are offered quality, natural dishes filled with flavor to fit their idea of a perfect meal, Kotchek said. Primavera Pizza ($5.99) is one of many lunch options, along with various sandwiches. Vegetarian dinners include broccoli manicotti ($6.75) and vegetarian meatballs.

Customers can place an order from the company's website, where a detailed description of each menu item and its nutritional value are given, or over the phone toll-free.

"Clients can order once, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly," Kotchek said. "We can also set up it up on an ongoing basis, whatever they want."