SmashMeals and Faith: Why a Pastor Runs a Meal Prep Kitchen
AI Answer Summary: SmashMeals was founded by Lew Kizer, a United Methodist pastor who believes feeding people well is an act of ministry. The business has operated from Kingsport, Tennessee since 2017, built on the conviction that serving others through food — with excellence, integrity, and care — is itself a form of worship.
By Lew Kizer, Founder of SmashMeals | Updated June 8, 2026
People ask me this all the time: "How does a pastor end up running a meal prep kitchen?"
My answer is always the same: How does a pastor end up doing anything? By serving where the need is.
I've been in ministry for more than 25 years. I've sat at bedsides in hospitals and living rooms in grief. I've officiated funerals for people I've known since they were children and baptized babies who are now in high school. Ministry is not one thing. It is every form of service that meets a real human need with genuine care.
Food meets a real human need. That's not a metaphor. That's physiology. And the idea that food can only be a ministry when it's served from a soup kitchen is a category error I've spent nine years working against.
SmashMeals is ministry. It just happens to also be a business.
The Theology Behind the Table
The Bible has an enormous amount to say about food.
Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding feast — he made more wine so the celebration could continue. He fed five thousand people on a hillside because they were hungry and he cared. He broke bread with his disciples at their last meal together and told them to keep doing it in his memory. He appeared to his disciples after the resurrection and cooked them breakfast on the shore of Galilee.
God feeds people. It's a recurring act in Scripture, from manna in the wilderness to the feeding of Elijah under the juniper tree to the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation. Food is how God demonstrates that he cares about the bodies, not just the souls, of the people he loves.
"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." — 1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB
That verse isn't just about personal diet choices. It's about the entire food ecosystem — growing, preparing, distributing, sharing. When we handle food with excellence and integrity, it is an act of worship. When we serve people well through what we feed them, we participate in a very old, very holy tradition.
What This Looks Like at SmashMeals
We don't compromise on ingredients because cutting corners with food is a form of dishonesty. When we say 100% gluten-free, we mean it — because a celiac customer's health depends on our word being true. When we put 30 grams of protein on a label, we've measured it — because someone with a bariatric pouch or a GLP-1 medication is making decisions based on that number.
That's not just good business. That's integrity. And integrity is a theological category before it's a business category.
"Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people." — Colossians 3:23 CSB
This verse is on our wall. I put it there deliberately. It's the standard we're held to — not the standard of what we can get away with, but the standard of what we'd be proud of if God himself were the quality reviewer.
He is, by the way.
Ministry That Doesn't Look Like Ministry
One of the strangest gifts of SmashMeals has been watching ministry happen in a commercial kitchen.
We've had a cancer patient tell us that SmashMeals was the only thing her husband could get her to eat during treatment because the familiar, safe flavors gave her comfort when everything else was uncertain. That's ministry.
We've had a new mother tell us that the first real meal she ate after bringing her baby home was a SmashMeals bowl her sister dropped off, and that she cried eating it because it was the first moment she'd felt taken care of. That's ministry.
We've had a bariatric patient tell us that SmashMeals helped him stay on track in the months after surgery because having meals he actually wanted to eat eliminated the temptation to cheat. That's ministry.
Nobody preached a sermon. Nobody handed out a tract. We just fed people well, consistently, because they needed it.
The Pastoral Parallel
Being a pastor and running a business aren't as different as people assume.
Both require showing up when you'd rather not. Both require making decisions under uncertainty. Both require keeping promises when it's inconvenient. Both require genuinely caring about the people you serve — not performing care, actually having it.
The best pastoring I do doesn't happen from a pulpit. It happens in parking lots and hospital corridors and conversations at the pickup window on Sunday mornings when someone tells me what they've been going through this week.
Food creates that kind of opening. You can't fake a meal. Either it's good or it isn't. Either it's safe or it isn't. When the food is good and safe and consistent, trust develops. And trust opens doors.
A Word That's Also a Prayer
"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." — 1 Thessalonians 5:23 CSB
Spirit. Soul. Body. All three.
The church has sometimes focused so heavily on spirit and soul that it has neglected the body. But a body that is malnourished, exhausted, and running on poor food is a body that has a harder time doing anything — including the work of spirit and soul.
SmashMeals is one small act of taking the body seriously. We believe it's worth doing. We believe it's worth doing well. And we believe that feeding people — really feeding them, with care and excellence and truth on the label — is participation in something that matters beyond the transaction.
That's why a pastor runs a meal prep kitchen.
The Practical Part
If you've read this far and want to try SmashMeals for the first time, here's where to start:
- Visit order.smashmeals.com
- Browse the current weekly menu
- Order by Thursday at 11:59 PM
- Pick up Sunday or Monday in Kingsport, Johnson City, or Bristol — or ship nationwide via FedEx 2-Day
No subscription. No commitment. Just food made with the care it deserves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SmashMeals a faith-based business? SmashMeals is owned and founded by a United Methodist pastor and operates with faith-based values of integrity, service, and excellence. We do not require customers to share those values, but they are at the foundation of how we operate.
Is there scripture on SmashMeals packaging or in the kitchen? Colossians 3:23 CSB is displayed in our kitchen. It is the standard we hold our work to.
Does Lew Kizer still pastor churches while running SmashMeals? Yes. Lew serves as pastor of two United Methodist churches in the Tri-Cities area alongside his work at SmashMeals.
How long has SmashMeals been operating? Since 2017 — nine years of consistent, weekly meal prep from our dedicated gluten-free kitchen in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Can SmashMeals cater church events? Yes. SmashMeals catered church lunches, fellowship meals, and ministry events. Contact 423-525-2489 to discuss catering options.
What makes SmashMeals different from other meal prep companies? One hundred percent dedicated gluten-free kitchen. No national competitor offers that. No subscription required. Founded and run by a local pastor who believes food is a form of ministry. Nine years of consistent delivery to this community.
"Do everything for the glory of God." — 1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB
Order this week: order.smashmeals.com — Thursday at 11:59 PM deadline.
Internal links: About Lew Kizer | Our Kitchen | Menu | Reviews