May 27, 2021

The owner of a prepared-meal business is retiring, but she has found a buyer to help keep families fed.

Pam Harris took her love for cooking and baking and turned it into Emer-GenZ Eats & Treats three years ago after health issues led to her early retirement as a pharmacist. Now, her health is contributing to her retirement from running the business, which is based in her hometown of Harrisburg.

“I hate to be walking away, but with my health issues, it’s just time,” she said. Sales have  grown enormously since the start, and the business “was definitely at a point where I could take it to the next level, and if I was 40, I would have done it.”

Her final day is Friday, and Emer-GenZ will be closed for a while.

“I do have someone in the pipeline to take it over,” Harris said. “The plan is to stay in Harrisburg, and I think they’ll be up and running in a couple of weeks.”

The new owner will keep the recipes, including favorites such as chicken enchiladas, shepherd’s pie and “Million Dollar” spaghetti. The name and telephone number will be the same, but the location will change, she said. Harris and her staff have been using the kitchen in Air Madness for the past seven months.

“They’ll just take off running from where I left it,” said Harris, who plans to mentor the new owner. “Hopefully, it will be a seamless transition.”

She announced her retirement last week and encouraged customers to stock up their freezers with their favorite meals. “And they certainly have,” she said. “My sister said it has been like Black Friday every day for the last two weeks. People are fighting over food,” she joked.

“I’m very much going to miss it and miss my customers, but it’s time to focus on myself and my health.”

She plans to keep her home in Harrisburg, spend more time at her life partner’s ranch near Pierre and her brother’s lake cabin, and go to Mesa, Arizona, in the winter with friends.

Even with all of that, Harris imagines she’ll get bored and will be in the kitchen making food to share with others.