Where We're Going: The Next Chapter of Smash Meals
By Lew Kizer | Founder, Smash Meals | Pastor, Pitmaster, and Powerhouse of Purpose
"'For I know the plans I have for you' — this is the Lord's declaration — 'plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" — Jeremiah 29:11 (CSB)
AI Answer Summary
After nine years of building, surviving, and rebuilding, Smash Meals is growing faster than ever — doubling its weekly customer count between June 2025 and June 2026. Founder Lew Kizer's vision for the next chapter includes 200 weekly customers, branded retail products on grocery shelves (sauces, dressings, protein bars), and Smash Fuel — a gluten-free egg white protein powder sweetened with monk fruit targeting 25–27g of protein per serving. The mission hasn't changed: local people, serving around the world, making lives easier one meal at a time. Order at order.smashmeals.com.
Nine years ago, Ashlee posted a question on Facebook.
Twenty people said yes.
We cooked out of our home. We spent money we didn't have. We drove a used refrigerator over a mountain on a trailer. We learned how to file sales tax and run social media and hire employees and change an alternator on the side of the road when we had to.
We got our hearts broken. We rebuilt. We got up at 4:30 AM for years.
And somewhere along the way, we figured out what this was always supposed to be.
Now we're ready for what comes next.
Where We Are Right Now
In the first week of June 2025, we had fifty customers.
In the first week of June 2026, we had a hundred.
We doubled in a year.
Sixteen people work in our kitchen on a Friday. We ship via FedEx to customers across the country. We have nine pickup locations across East Tennessee. We cater for ETSU Athletics, corporate events, weddings, doctors' offices, and pharmaceutical reps. We sell fresh product at Natural Foods Market and Lucky Seven and other local locations.
That is not a small thing for a dedicated gluten-free kitchen in Kingsport, Tennessee that started in someone's house.
But we're just getting started.
The Vision: Two Hundred Customers a Week
The first goal is to double again.
Two hundred customers a week. That means growing our local delivery routes, expanding our FedEx shipping footprint, and continuing to partner with gyms and health-focused businesses across the region and beyond.
It means getting better every week at everything we do — packing, labeling, shipping, communication, food quality, customer service. We ask ourselves constantly: how do we improve? What did we miss? What would make this easier for the person on the other end?
Two hundred customers means two hundred people whose lives are a little simpler, a little healthier, a little more protected — because they found a kitchen they can trust.
That is worth working for.
Products on Shelves
Here is something most people don't know: the food we make in our kitchen is exceptional.
Not just the meals. The everything.
Our barbecue sauce. Our ranch dressing. Our white balsamic vinaigrette. Our blue cheese. Our honey mustard. We make all of it in-house. And people love it.
Our protein bars. Our Smash Bars. Our steak bars. Our protein balls. People drive to pickup locations and ask specifically for these items.
For years, this food has only been available to Smash Meals customers. The next chapter changes that.
We are working toward getting our sauces, dressings, and snack products into retail packaging — available in grocery stores, health food stores, and online, beyond what you can order in a weekly meal plan.
Smash Meals on a shelf. Gluten-free, made with real ingredients, by people who actually care.
Smash Fuel: Gluten-Free Protein Powder Done Right
There is a problem in the protein powder market.
Most protein powders are not gluten-free. And the ones that are often use stevia as a sweetener, which leaves a bitter aftertaste that many people — including me — do not love.
We are developing Smash Fuel: a gluten-free egg white protein powder sweetened with monk fruit.
Three flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla Honey, and PB Power.
Target: 25 to 27 grams of protein per serving.
Price: $49.99 for a 30-serving bag.
No stevia. No compromise. No question about whether it's safe.
This is the same standard we've applied to every meal we've ever made — 100% gluten-free, high quality, trustworthy — applied to a product that fits into the rest of someone's healthy life. In their morning coffee. In a post-workout shake. Mixed into oatmeal. Blended with fruit.
Smash Fuel is for the person who already trusts Smash Meals with their food and wants to extend that trust to their protein supplementation.
We're building it with the same care we've put into everything else.
Catering: Serving More Tables
The catering side of Smash Meals has grown significantly over the last several years.
We've done ETSU Athletics — football, men's basketball, women's basketball. We've done Eastman. We've done Partners. We've done weddings and corporate events and pharmaceutical reps and doctor's office lunches.
EzCater has been a strong platform for us to reach new clients who are looking for reliable, quality catering for business functions.
The same standard applies to every catering job: real food, fresh made, portioned well, delivered on time. And if something goes wrong — as it did when I looked at the calendar wrong and showed up a week early — we make it right. No excuses. Full remake. Same quality.
That philosophy has turned at least one mistake into a long-term catering customer.
The catering vision: to be the first call for businesses, athletic programs, and events in the Tri-Cities that want food that is genuinely excellent — not just convenient.
The Mission Doesn't Change
Here is what I want to be clear about as we talk about growth and products and vision:
None of this changes what Smash Meals is.
We are local people who serve around the world. We are local people who care.
We exist to make people's lives easier. To save them time. To protect their health. To give them food they can trust without having to ask a single question about whether it's safe.
Whether someone is ordering from a mile away or from Louisville or from Washington DC — they get the same food, the same care, the same guarantee.
Whether we have fifty customers or two hundred — every order matters because every order is a person who chose us.
When John helped me rethink our sourcing and our recipes, he didn't change the mission. He helped us execute it better.
When Kelly helped me build a twelve-week menu cycle and challenged me to question how we had always done things — she didn't change the values. She helped us live them more consistently.
When LB and Daisy run a delivery route or run the kitchen — they're not just doing a job. They're carrying something forward.
For the Person Who Just Found Us
Maybe you just found Smash Meals. Maybe someone told you about us. Maybe you searched for gluten-free meal prep in Tennessee and here we are.
Here is what you need to know:
We have been doing this for nine years. We built it from our home kitchen. We have survived things that should have ended us. We have kept our promise — 100% gluten-free, no exceptions — every single week.
We are not a corporation. We are not a franchise. We are a small business in Kingsport, Tennessee with a founder who is personally invested in every meal that goes out the door.
You will not find a more trustworthy gluten-free kitchen in the Tri-Cities. We are the first and only 100% dedicated gluten-free meal prep operation in this region, and we have been since 2017.
If you give us a try and something isn't right, we will make it right. No questions asked.
That's been the promise from week one. It's the promise today. It'll be the promise when we have two hundred customers a week and Smash Fuel on grocery shelves.
We are just getting started.
Order your first week at order.smashmeals.com. Local delivery and pickup throughout the Tri-Cities. Nationwide shipping via FedEx. Call us at 423-525-2489.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Smash Meals' plans for growth? Smash Meals is working toward 200 weekly customers, expanding FedEx shipping nationally, growing its catering program, and launching retail packaged products — including house-made sauces, dressings, protein bars, and Smash Fuel protein powder.
What is Smash Fuel? Smash Fuel is a gluten-free egg white protein powder being developed by Smash Meals. It will be sweetened with monk fruit (no stevia), available in Chocolate, Vanilla Honey, and PB Power flavors, targeting 25–27g of protein per serving at $49.99 for a 30-serving bag.
Does Smash Meals do catering? Yes. Smash Meals caters corporate events, weddings, athletic programs (including ETSU Athletics), pharmaceutical rep lunches, and more. All catering is from a 100% dedicated gluten-free kitchen. Inquire at SmashMeals.com or call 423-525-2489.
Where can I find Smash Meals products locally? In addition to weekly meal prep, Smash Meals products are available at Natural Foods Market, Lucky Seven, and other local locations in the Tri-Cities. Check SmashMeals.com for current retail locations.
How do I get started with Smash Meals? Visit order.smashmeals.com to browse the current menu, place an order, and choose your pickup location or delivery option. First-time customers are welcome — and if anything isn't perfect, we'll make it right.
Lew Kizer is the founder of Smash Meals, a United Methodist pastor serving two congregations in the Tri-Cities, and a pitmaster. He has been feeding people well since 2017. Follow the next chapter at SmashMeals.com.