Here I am now, officially eating my words.  Surprise - Dad was right, and so was Miss Shoemaker for teaching us a skill so valuable in life.  I think of her often when I have a jam-packed calendar (which, like most of us these days, seems to be daily!).

It’s amazing how teachers influence our lives both in and out of the classroom, and for years into the future.  I think that’s why our Teacher of the Year Awards have been so popular!  Last year, we received over 500 nominations for area teachers, not surprising given all the hard work they do each and every day shaping the lives of our kids.

So, do you or your kids have a “Miss Shoemaker” that you want to thank?  Nominate them to win FREE meals!  Take it from one of last year’s winners, it’s a wonderful way to show your appreciation:

We’ll be taking nominations throughout the month of March.  On April 3rd, we’ll announce the top nominees and let you (and everyone you know) vote for your favorite teacher.  Five deserving teachers will each win a FREE 8-meal session! We’ll surprise the winners during Teacher Appreciation Week (May 3-7, 2010).

Last I heard, Miss Shoemaker was still teaching at my high school.  At my reunion next year, I think I’ll seek her out and say thanks for the gift she gave me 14 years ago.  Perhaps I’ll even bring her some Let’s Dish! meals to show my appreciation!

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Here are a few of my favorites from each of our stores.

Alexandria, VA:

Ashburn, VA:

Fairfax, VA:

Baltimore, MD:

There aren’t any comments about our Columbia, MD location yet, but I can say from first hand experience that there are bunch of fans!

Thanks again for the great reviews and feedback.  Keep it coming!  We love to hear from our customers (all of it - the good & the bad).  And, whether you send us a comment through our survey, website, or post it on another site like yelp.com, you better believe we read it!  It’s how we learn to serve you better and keep our business strong!

Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day,

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• February’s menu offers 9 heart healthy meals

While we always offer healthy choices on our menu, our food development team has put together a menu full of 9 heart healthy meals this month!  With tasty and nutritious dishes such as Rosemary and Mustard Grilled Sirloin Steaks and Moroccan Chicken with Couscous, we’re making it easy to fight heart disease one delicious bite at a time!

• National Wear Red Day - 10% of Ready Made sales donated to the American Heart Association

In honor of National Wear Red Day on February 5th, we’re swapping our orange for red (you should, too!), and donating 10% of all Ready Made sales to the American Heart Association.  A healthy dinner and a donation - what a perfect way to show your support for the fight against heart disease!

Our blog is also a great resource to learn more about heart health.  Just click “Heart Health” or “Healthy Living” under “Topics We Discuss” for past posts, including tips from an AHA nutritionist, heartfelt stories from our staff members affected by the disease and much, much more!  One of my particular favorites is titled “To Your Health” - a post from our food “guru,”, Holly, about how Let’s Dish! makes it easier to live a healthy lifestyle. Cheers to eating right, and to a happy, healthy heart!

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The news of the Haiti earthquake disaster hit all of us hard at Let’s Dish! (as I’m sure it did to you and your family). Yesterday was filled with checking CNN for updates, googling statistics and asking, “How can we help?” Beyond getting out our own checkbooks (and, believe me, we all have), was there something else? And then, it occurred to us… we have a fabulous, wonderful, generous customer base of 40K+ strong. And, there is certainly strength in numbers.

The outcome:

Feed your family, while helping to feed those facing loss of life and devastation.

Today and tomorrow, we’re donating $20 for every session booked using promo code HAITI. Money raised will be donated directly to the American Red Cross Haiti relief efforts.

I think we often hear of disasters of this magnitude, but don’t think that our small contributions can help. (I’m personally guilty of that sentiment.) But, the reality is that it’s going to take every penny, every contribution, to help bring the people of Haiti back to their feet. And, if we all come together, there’s no stopping what we can do.

I’m proud to work for a company that shares this philanthropic view and sincerely hope that you will join us in Operation Feed Haiti.

Promo cannot be applied to previously booked sessions or combined with other offers. Valid at Let’s Dish! in Maryland and Northern Virginia. Must sign-up January 14-15, 2010. Must enter promo code HAITI at checkout on letsdish.com. Offer valid only on 4, 8 or 12 meal sessions, HALVES not included. Money raised will be donated to the American Red Cross Haiti relief efforts. For more information about the American Red Cross, visit www.redcross.org. Let’s Dish! is the region’s leading meal-assembly chain, where customers stock up on homemade, freezer-ready meals that take the stress out of dinnertime. For more details visit letsdish.com.

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