The first-ever chef-to-consumer meal order service has entered Canada, and it’s redefining how we order in. For dining enthusiasts craving thoughtfully created dishes with worldly flavours, CookUnity meets you at your doorstep with this newly launched subscription-based delivery service.
What makes this concept unique is that it brings us food lovers closer to award-winning chefs as well as emerging ones in our city. Michael Baruch and Morley Ivers, co-heads of CookUnity Canada, wanted to help revolutionise the food industry by providing chefs with a new concept to their business model that allows them to monetise their talents further without the traditional challenges of running a restaurant. “These people who make food for others are the most talented people I’ve ever met,” said Ivers at the Toronto media preview launch event at Salon Alo. “As a foodie myself, we wanted to find a way to allow them to do incredible well and, at the same time, nourish Canadians with the most incredible food you could possibly eat.”
While new to us here in Canada, the concept has been a proven success in the US for a decade. But they made it clear, this is all about supporting Canadians and the food ecosystem here by providing an experience that allows chefs to focus on creating recipes while CookUnity helps with the operational side of the business by handling logistics, including packaging, real estate, customer service, marketing and execution. “They don’t work for us,” said Ivers. “They’re their own business, but we take care of everything else.”
The recipes are created by the independent chefs and prepared by their own culinary teams to ensure quality, standards, and freshness. They are offered a state of the art facility — a 25,000 square foot dream location designed for the chefs and their teams.
And if you’re wondering about pricing of the meals like us? We were surprised to discover the affordability considering the quality and convenience. Example, if we ordered pre-made 8 meals per week, it’s $14.59 per meal (note: we noticed there’s a launch time offer of 30% off for three weeks, bringing it to $10.21 per meal)
What we know …
- Canada’s celebrated chefs cook for you
- Made fresh to order, never frozen, and delivered chill within 24 hours
- Menu evolves
- Just heat and serve
- Weekly subscription-based
- Deliveries start June 1st in Ontario
Through the site, consumers can also include food and cuisine preferences, dietary considerations to help personalise the selection of weekly offerings. With over 100 fresh, never frozen, chef-crafted menu items at launch, CookUnity will offer Canadians unparalleled access to an incredible roster of award-winning and emerging Canadian and international chefs.
The A-list chefs we know who are involved so far…
- Patrick Kriss – The Alo Food Group (Alo, Aloette)
- Dadrian Coke – Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen
- Trever Lui – HighBell Hospitality, Fat Bao
- Chef Toben Kochman – TOBEN Food By Design, The Pearl Muskoka
- Chef Sand Tsoi – Baan Thai
- Chef Rocco Agostino – Pizzeria Libretto, Enoteca Sociale
- Chef Hemant Bhagwani – Goa Indian Farm Kitchen
- Chef Kate Noh – Hansik
“Our decision in partnering with CookUnity is embedded in a couple of key things,” said Chef Trevor Lui. “They have a great team and they truly care about the industry and have a laser focus on bridging chefs with consumers. For us, it means we can share our journey and stories of our food with a lot more customers with essentially borderless geographical reach. And really, with the resources and foundation that CookUnity is providing as part of the platform, we can aim to reach new goals faster and really concentrate on creating great meals for customers.”
What you can expect at time of launch…
CookUnity’s launch menu will feature standout dishes from top-tier Canadian chefs, including “Grilled Chicken & Pine Nut–Chili Salsa” created by Michelin-starred Chef Patrick Kriss, The Alo Hospitality Group. “Pad Ka Praow Beef with Thai Holy Basil” by Canadian Chef Sand Tsoi, a graduate from Cookin and one of the hand-picked chefs to launch Toronto’s inaugural Smorgasburg market, “Jamaican Pepper Shrimp” by Chef Dadrian Coke, the chef de cuisine of Michelin-recommended Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen and “Mongolian Beef & Fried Egg Noodles” by award-winning Chef Trevor Lui of Highbell Hospitality Group. As well as dishes from prominent international chefs, including “Cod in Spicy Moroccan Tomato Sauce” by James Beard Award-semifinalist and Chopped winner Chef Einat Admony, and “Mission-Style Carnitas” by James Beard Award-winner Chef Jose Garces. Each chef brings their signature techniques and distinctive cultural influences to CookUnity’s diverse and dynamic menu.
And if you’re wondering about pricing. We were surprised to discover the affordability. Example, at time of pre-launch if we ordered 8 meals per week, it’s $14.59 per meal (note: there’s an additional launch 30% off pricing for three weeks, bringing it to $10.21 per meal)
To learn more, visit cookunity.ca
