Updated 10/26/2023 4:15pm
Between catering an Italian lunch and preparing for an NFL client, Chef Arron Sain showed me the magic behind a perfect plate. Sain and his team operate a meal prep company Insanely Fit Meals out of his Plainfield kitchen.
He prepared smoked chicken and slow-cooked peppered steak over vegetable fried rice with brown gravy for me. It was incredible and perfectly balanced. Sain said another secret to creating the best plate is the veggies.
“They deserve the same love as a filet mignon,” he said.
When he’s not local, Sain takes on celebrity clients as an in-home chef and trainer. Some of his clients have included Nick Cannon, NFL players Arron Donald and Bud Dupree.
Sain was born and reared on the East Side of Joliet. He discovered his love for food when cooking for friends and family.
“It’s my way to show people that I love them,” said Sain.
Sain decided to learn the culinary arts and got the idea to enrolled in the culinary school at Joliet Junior College. While taking classes and learning the craft he bussed tables at the Joliet Country Club and cooked at Chapins Steakhouse. He decided to take a break and left the food industry for a job at ComEd, where he worked for 7 years, becoming a Substation Supervisor.
He then realized he wasn’t feeding his spirit.
“I asked myself: What are you going to do that’s infinite?” said Sain
During that same time, Sain had also become a competitive bodybuilder. He would spend 20 weeks dieting in preparation for competitions. Sain found the necessary food for his diet bland and boring and decided to change that.
“My coach would give me broccoli with nothing on it or a bowl of rice that was barely cooked, and I would say, ‘man I’m hungry I want a slice of pizza.’ “I figured out how to make a pizza that taste good and has things in it that are good to eat.”
“ Who says food isn’t supposed to taste good, Sain said.” “Most people contribute to their own demise with weapons of destruction that they use every day…a knife, fork, and a spoon. You have to ask yourself, ‘am I eating a food or a drug.”
Sain said he learned that “most people who are concerned about their weight already know everything that they’re doing wrong. Fat people count calories more than anyone. The problem is they don’t take into account what they eat. They just eat and worry about the repercussions later. The problem is they’ve been lying to themselves. Their friends don’t help by telling them they look good even when they don’t.”
Sain launched Insainly Fit Meals in 2015 recruiting local ambassadors and documenting his meals, gathering an online following.
Today his company distributes 300 meals a week offering quick, healthy meals, protein snacks, and seasonings that you can pick up weekly. Some of the meals offered are shrimp fajita bowls and breakfast scrambles. His most popular products are his protein cookies and donuts that he says his customers love.
When he takes on a celebrity client, Sain said he also incorporates fitness and wellness into their journey. Outside of caloric maintenance, he prioritizes his clients’ energy and mindfulness. He is also certified in Reiki.
“It all just makes sense. Everything is energy and vibration,” he said. Sain goal is to better not only the body but the mind and spirit.
He attributes his success to always taking his food “five steps further.” Sain said he doesn’t have a favorite cuisine; he just aims to make flavors strong and cohesive. His mentor is Atlanta-based Certified Master Chef, Daryl Shular. Shular is the first African American Chef to earn the title.
“I’ll take your grandma’s recipe and make it fast and casual,” said Sain
When not meal prepping or catering, Sain travels and studies international cuisines. He’s also teaching his own kids how to make steak.
Sain hopes to one day open a brick-and-mortar restaurant locally to serve the community. He also has plans to expand his meal prep business to 2,000 meals each week. Until then, locals who are busy or just don’t want to prepare a meal have a healthy option.
Insainly Fit Meals can be ordered and purchased online for pick up at www.arronsain.com/meal-prep Monday thru Thursday until 12pm. The pick-up times are Sunday 8am to 11am, – Tues and Wed.11am to 1pm at 16108 S. Division St. suite 110, Plainfield, Illinois. His private clients currently are Bears Quarter Back Justin Fields, and Safety Jaquan Brisker. news@thetimesweekly.com