Warren Scott ANOTHER FOOD CHOICE — The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce welcomed Drazen Frankovitch, owner of EZFresh Meals of Wintersville, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Frankovitch said the eatery’s goal is to make fresh, healthy food convenient and affordable to area residents. In addition to Chamber President Kate Sedgmer and other representatives of the chamber, Frankovitch was joined by his wife, Dakota, and father, Dan.

WINTERSVILLE — Weirton native Drazen Frankovitch said while living in Florida for a time, he found that ready-to-eat healthy food was more readily available in the Sunshine State than the Ohio Valley.

Frankovitch said since returning home, he has set out to change that by opening EZFresh Meals, an eatery designed to make fresh, healthy food convenient and affordable to area residents.

The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed the business at 762 Main St. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Located in a former ice cream stand, it serves as the base for an operation that is quite large, reaching customers within a 50-mile radius in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania through a network of 17 order pickup satellites extending north to the Pittsburgh area, south to Wheeling and west to Calcutta.

Frankovitch said the business opened with little fanfare during the pandemic. While it was a challenging time for many businesses, it was a good time for EZFresh Meals because the business was designed to provide food through take-out and delivery, the only options available to eateries then.

He said EZFresh Meals has stood out by offering each week a different menu featuring tasty meals made with farm-fresh ingredients. He added not only are they available in three sizes, they also can be adapted for customers with special dietary needs, such as those on low-salt diets.

Frankovitch said with the help of his wife of five years, Dakota, he has developed a variety of tasty recipes, all made from scratch, all organic and free of antibiotics. Many of the dishes are a mix of proteins, vegetables and a savory sauce made from scratch, he noted.

Favorites among his customers include chimichurri steak and potatoes, lemon chicken romano, and barbecued pulled pork taquitos, he said. EZFresh Meals also offers such sweet treats as peanut butter, oat and honey balls with crushed M&Ms and Blueberry Craze muffins.

Full-service home delivery is available within a 45-mile radius on Tuesdays.

Frankovitch said many customers use EZFresh Meals’ online ordering system to order meals throughout the week, but ‘grab n’ go orders’ can be picked up at the Wintesrville’s drive-through from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and noon to 4 p.m. Thursday.

He said the business also offers catering, with meals designed for various ages.

For information about EZFresh Meals, visit its Facebook page or website at ezfreshmeals.com.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)