BETHEL — Charisa Legault’s love of cooking goes back to childhood. It was the first thing that spoke to her, and led her a few years later to start a culinary class at her high school in Wethersfield, Conn.

“It’s instant gratification. You can see the fruits of your labor,” the 45-year-old woman of French and Italian ancestry said Monday afternoon.

She graduated from the Newbury College with a culinary degree, and has worked as a chef in many well-known restaurants, including as the first female chef in Boston’s Giacomo Restaurant.

Now living in Western Maine with her husband, Paul, a former engineer for Raytheon, the couple have opened Gourmet in a Pinch at 312 Mayville Road.

The simple storefront houses a myriad of colorful foods ranging from chicken picatta with artichokes to chocolate-raspberry truffles.

What makes Gourmet in a Pinch different from other food-related businesses is the speed and variety of meals anyone can bring home for an elegant supper.

Charisa prepares meals that can be easily heated up at home. She also creates reheatable appetizers, lunches and side dishes. A couple can pickup a dinner for two with an entree, two side dishes, two desserts and soup for about $20, Monday through Thursday. Because the meals are cooked fresh each day, they can be frozen, or used up to four days after they are prepared.

“Men are our biggest clients. Many open their home to friends,” Charisa said.

Charisa and Paul moved to Newry about two years ago after having traveled frequently from their then-home in Rhode Island to the Sunday River Ski Resort for many years. They met in Newry and were married on the Sunday River Covered Bridge in 2001.

Open for less than a year, the business includes not only reheatable gourmet dinners, but also a full catering service, grocery shopping for some of the homeowners or McMansion tenants at Sunday River and elsewhere, and a full line of specialty beers and wines.

The business also provides some of Charisa’s tantalizing meals for Mill Hill Inn in Bethel and other off-site businesses, including events at Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford.

“We want local people to feel comfortable that they’re getting a good deal,” Paul said.

He is the business manager, and architect and property manager of the Mayville Road business site. The catering business has grown and eventually may become the primary business.

“I like catering because every party is different. Every menu is custom to every party. It’s exciting,” Charisa said.

She has several favorite dishes, including those with duck, red wine sauces, or pasta. But her favorite thing is cooking something she’s never cooked before and learning from that experience.

The business is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Menus are posted on www.gourmetinapinch.net. The business may also be reached at 824-6000.

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