I made my way through a chilly Saturday morning fog to meet Caroline and Renee Thomas Jacobs, owners of Renee Gourmet, an El Cerrito company that produces and delivers frozen, family-friendly comfort food.

Since I was heading to their production kitchen in Richmond near the harbor, I figured I’d soon be warmed up by a rack of hot lasagna.

When I arrived, Renee, the force behind the food, was busy at the stove.

“I hope you didn’t have trouble finding us,” she said, extending a friendly greeting and quickly adding that there would be a pizza tasting.

As we chatted, Caroline, a former tech industry manager and now Renee Gourmet’s general manager, arrived with the couple’s two sons, Cole, 5, and Neil, 8, who were  apparently well-aware of ingredients on-hand and promptly bounded across the kitchen to request a ground beef and jack cheese pizza.

A straight-forward method of ordering applies to paying customers, too. Visiting www.reneegourmet.com gets you to a core menu of frozen pizzas, lasagnas and mac and cheese, as well as any seasonal, special event menus, like “March Madness Munchies.” The process involves a few clicks and a little text. You can order also by phone. Payment is always made by cash or check during your chosen delivery window. Custom catering requests also are welcome.

Operations began in 2009. Caroline described New Year’s Day of that year, when “Renee woke up early and ... sketched out a business plan,” buying a domain name on the spot. “The name was easy,” Caroline continued, since “Renee Gourmet” was Renee’s nickname starting in college, when she discovered well-prepared, high-quality food and began cooking it herself, quickly developing a reputation for feeding others well and cutting no corners.

In their desire to help busy families gather together over quality, comforting meals, Renee and Caroline are able to articulate those early food values through their company, and, as Renee puts it, “to become active members of our community via food.”

Their production standard is simple because it involves real food — namely cooking from scratch using wholesome, identifiable ingredients; for example, produce and meat from Berkeley Bowl West and flour from a local mill.

Pastas and pizzas must also freeze well so they perform to a high standard when customers toss them in the oven from a frozen state. Pizza crusts were tested for a full year before one made the grade.

Although she develops and tests all the recipes and prepares all the food, Renee continues to work full-time as a chief operating officer in the retail industry, owing to a production process she calls “asynchronous,” namely cooking and freezing in advance for later delivery, allowing her to compartmentalize both jobs to some extent. 

I asked if there’s an item they’re particularly proud of. “House-made sausage” Caroline said, “and the Mediterranean Madness pizza — because it’s really fun and has great flavor.” 

As we sampled pizzas for an upcoming monthly special, agreeing that the spicy pie with chicken was a winner, we talked about community.

Both feel a strong connection to El Cerrito, their home since 2002 and a place Caroline calls “a hidden gem with a small town feel,” and appreciate that the city is helping them look for a storefront. They donate gift certificates annually to several local schools to assist with fundraising, and do quite a bit of community-based catering.  

In an effort to keep green, product packaging is recyclable and minimal — which also proves kind to home freezer real estate. 

Their sense of community extends to the broad area Renee Gourmet serves, including Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Kensington, Oakland and Richmond, and they offer delivery to other cities in Contra Costa and Marin counties via special arrangement.

A commitment to almost-limitless custom food orders makes them very family-friendly. You can ask for pizzas with the toppings you want, even if they’re not on the toppings list. If you prefer your mac and cheese some other way, ask, because they’re open to just about any kind of modification — usually with only two days’ notice.

For custom catering, including anything from a full turkey dinner to an assortment of snacks, they’d appreciate three weeks’ notice. 

It’s not all about parties, though.

The ability to provide comforting food “when a little extra help is needed, for example when a baby is due or in a time of crisis can make all the difference,”  Caroline said.

For the couple, Renee Gourmet is about much more than earning a living, it’s a meaningful way to connect to their community. And, Renee explained, “It’s a labor of love, and something to have for our family.”