(By Adam Centamore.
Their Success is No Secret
“We work with local farms and purveyors every way we can, to give people the best possible quality,”
When you’re really, really good at something, it’s impossible to keep it a secret. Just ask Courtney Doyle, owner of Clandestine Kitchen in Hingham.
Doyle moved to Hingham from San Francisco in 2004. She immediately noticed something about her new home, or, more accurately, what was missing. “I came from a place where you went to the farmers’ market every weekend,” Doyle reflects. “There were juice bars on every corner.” Virtually none of that food culture was to be found in her new neighborhood. “Where would I get almond butter?” was a very real concern.
Fortunately, the answer came that same year (and right down the street) when Derby Street Shops opened in Hingham, and with it came a familiar face. “Whole Foods opened, and I could get everything I needed, including almond butter,” she laughs. With that access, Doyle was back on familiar footing and cooking once again.
Doyle credits the start of her success to a friend wanting some of what Doyle was making. Ali Winslow, the owner of Magnitude Strength & Power in Norwell, tasted her cooking and wanted more. “Make some of that stuff for me!” Doyle recalls Winslow’s reaction.
The business was officially formed in January 2018 with that single client. Preparing everything in her own home, Doyle quipped she had “her own secret little kitchen,” which quickly evolved into the name Clandestine Kitchen, nowadays often fondly referred to simply as CK.
In the four short years since opening, the business has grown substantially, approaching 500 clients each week. Working from their new commissary and administrative office space in Kingston, Clandestine Kitchen now offers a broad range of services.
Clients order each week from a menu that typically features 10 to 12 items. Orders are placed for the following week, and the offerings continually change. “We work with local farms and purveyors every way we can, to give people the best possible quality,” Doyle says. Because there are so many different dietary preferences and concerns today, Clandestine Kitchen lists every single ingredient used in each dish. “People absolutely love that.”
To provide as much opportunity as possible for people to enjoy their food, the minimum order is only $35. “That way, someone who only wants one or two items can still get them,” Doyle says. Delivery only costs $5, and clients can opt for a year’s worth of delivery for only $75. All the funds generated from delivery go to maintaining their delivery fleet and helping to pay their drivers, all of whom are employees.
What started as mostly home meal deliveries has expanded into a multi-faceted business including corporate catering, private chef services, and in-home cooking, the latter exploding with the pandemic.
“Funny thing is COVID grew business significantly, but corporate went away almost entirely when people stopped going to work,” Doyle reflects. “Now home service is steady, especially the private chef services, which now almost rivals the demand for home cooking.”
Clandestine Kitchen’s success was driven by existing clients at first but has since accelerated mostly through word of mouth. In mid-August, they hosted their first beer pairing dinner with Untold Brewing, an independent beer brewer in Scituate. “We had 32 people show up. Many of them had never heard of either of us,” Doyle proudly exclaims. “They just loved good food and drink and wanted to give us a shot.”
Doyle credits the quality of the 21-person team she has assembled for the success of such events and her business overall. As she shares some details about the staff, her voice picks up, becoming even more energetic and emphatic. “Everyone has such incredible talent, and I mean everyone!” she says.
From the award-winning chefs, including the renowned local restaurateur Anne Stenfors of Wahlburgers and Nantucket Island fame, to the delivery drivers and managers handling logistics, everyone is a rock star in her eyes. “My whole team is what makes us amazing.”
Doyle doesn’t have any trouble finding excellent people, either. With a strong commitment to providing a work-life balance and quality work environment that may be the envy of the South Shore, it’s no surprise. “I firmly believe people need to have balance in their life, and that means having a true 40-hour work week, full benefits, paid vacations, and everything else,” Doyle confidently asserts. Does it pay off? Wildly. “Let’s just say I have no problem hiring amazing people while others I know can’t fill a single position,” she chuckles.
That appreciation of “creating what you want to be a part of” runs deep in Doyle’s business philosophy, driving her to bring a part of what she loved about San Francisco’s food culture and scene to her new home. “The more we can support the local farmers and purveyors so people see and taste the difference it makes, it will change the expectations of diners.”
Featured recipes provided to eSEMA by Clandestine Kitchen:
Beet and Toasted Almond Hummus
Beet and Toasted Almond Hummus
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1 ½ cups cooked beets diced
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup chickpeas
- 1 Tbsp tahini
- 2 each garlic cloves minced
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients and place in food processor. Puree until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with toasted Naan bread.
Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Hummus
Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, small dice
- 2 each garlic cloves minced
- 1 each medium sweet potato peeled, small dice
- 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3½ cups water
- 1½ cups organic red lentils rinsed
- ¼ cup white miso
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Tahini
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and minced garlic, stirring occasionally. Sweat until translucent.
- Add diced sweet potato, Spanish paprika, cumin. Let the spices bloom and then add water and lentils.
- Cover sauce pan and turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils and sweet potatoes are soft. Let mixture cool.
- When cool, add mixture to a food processor and add white miso, tahini, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. If needed, add additional extra virgin olive oil.
Avocado, Roasted Tomato, and Basil Dip
Avocado, Roasted Tomato, and Basil Dip
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocado
- ¼ cup roasted tomatoes packed in oil
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime Juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Beet and Toasted Almond Hummus
- ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1½ cups cooked beets diced
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 2 each garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Scoop the avocado flesh into a food processor.
- Add remaining ingredients and process into a coarse puree.
- Beet and Toasted Almond Hummus
- Combine all ingredients and place in food processor.
- Puree until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with toasted naan bread, crackers, or vegetables.
Clandestine Kitchen
150 Summer Street, Unit B
Kingston, MA 02332
781-361-7045
www.ClandestineKitchen.com
Adam Centamore is a culinary educator and writer. When he’s not sharing his love of food and wine through his events and stories, he can usually be found searching for the next great lasagna take-out joint. He can be reached at www.eatdrinklearn.com or on Instagram at @eatdrinklearn.
