The Trolley Company welcomes new owners

The Trolley Company has long been a service “where fun is just a trolley ride away,” and that commitment is rolling on with its new owners.

Stephanie and Chris Bell officially took ownership of the Capital City staple last month, aiming to put their ample experience with community events in Jefferson City to good use: Stephanie, an attorney with Ellinger & Associates and

co-host of “Wake Up Columbia” on 93.9 The Eagle, previously served as president of the

Downtown Jefferson City Association, while Chris is a director of operations with Capital Investment Realty.

The Bells, both Jefferson City natives, jumped at the opportunity to take over when for

mer owners Michel and Donna Deetz decided to retire, aiming to maintain the service’s charm and character while revamping its online booking and social media presence.

“I think it was important for them to keep it local and find someone who really cares about the community,” Stephanie Bell said. “It’s all about creating a unique, fun experience for people in this community. It’s a little bit of nostalgia and a lot of fun to have these trollies in the community.”

The business allows riders to charter a ride around town or to a specific destination, with vehicles able to accommodate around 20 people. Rides are typically available at 5:30 and 7:30 around five nights a week.

The service has a four-trolley fleet and is retaining its current drivers, they said. The business is popular, especially during the Christmas lights season when the fleet takes tours through big displays in Binder Park, an event that’s already drawing interest from the community several months in advance. Autumn weddings also bring plenty of business, the Bells said — spots have already been booked as far in advance as next October, one of the busiest months of the year for the trollies.

While they are still getting used to their new roles in the business, the couple said they were excited to carry on a unique feature of the community that they love, bringing their own experiences to the table for its next chapter.

“It’s about the memories we have of using the trolley service with our friends,” Stephanie Bell said. “It’s a really unique service. They did such a good job building the business up into something that people have come to know and love, and that’s something we’re excited to continue.”

Learn more and book a trolley at (573) 619-4377 or thetrolleycompany.net.

Eat Smart Meals offers healthy meal prep

Locals focused on healthy food, nutrition and convenient meals are in luck: New meal prep service Eat Smart Meals has them covered.

The new service offers farmfresh meal prep from Ben Fischer, a Jefferson City native who went to culinary school in St. Louis. When he returned to the Capital City a few years ago, he set out to open a food truck in town, though the onset of the COVID19 pandemic shelved those plans.

When he offered to help a friend who owns Capital Fitness with meal prep to save time in the kitchen, the idea quickly gained steam with other gym-goers.

“I wasn’t really expecting much to come out of it — I was just doing what I normally do when I meal prep for myself,” he said. “Within a week, I had people coming up to talk to me about joining, and I really started thinking about it.”

He said through working at Lincoln Univerisity’s Culinary Incubator, he got the opportunity to go around the state and talk with other kitchens about how they handled their own programs. Then, he decided to offer his healthier version of meal prep to the community at large.

The business makes use of food from local farmers’ markets as much as possible and labels each meal with the number of macronutrients to ensure customers have the ideal fresh meal for them. It also allows users to create a profile with dietary information, such as gluten intolerance, that automatically carries over to future orders.

The business partners with the Moreau Meat Market, which also houses its kitchen, where shoppers can watch the meal prep process firsthand. The market also presents a venue for the business to hold monthly classes, which Fischer said would begin in the coming months. It’s also partnering with Capital Fitness for grab-and-go meals for its members.

The menu rotates every two weeks to keep pace with the seasons and availability of ingredients. Other items beyond prepared meals are also on their way, including all-natural jerkies and other healthy snacks.

Fischer also launched a website for customers to check out the menus in advance and order online. The site will also allow folks to communicate with each other and the business, a community element he said was a cornerstone of the service.

“We’ve got a lot of things planned,” he said. “We’re going to keep listening to what Jefferson City wants to see from us and evolve in that way. Being able to communicate and listen to the community like this makes it feel like this is where this is all supposed to go.”

Visit eatsmartmeals.net for the menu and ordering options.

Know of any business happenings around Jefferson City? Let us know at [email protected] or 573-761-0243.