I finally pulled the trigger on a gift voucher for a meal delivered to me by Toronto based start up Chef's Plate, servicing a market of people looking for fresh meals without the hassle. The service delivers fresh ingredients to an address of your choice from a weekly published menu. Here is the unboxing of my first order, Pan Seared Cod with a Mushroom and Kale Saute over a bed of Quinoa.
While under the very close eye of the Executive Chef, Buster, and listening to Parov Stelar's "The Demon Diaries" on Rdio, it started. Unfortunately, our Sous Chef, Travis, was away chasing tornadoes in the Southern United States.
Buster, French Bulldog
Unpacking the box that was delivered, I had 2 meals for 2 people, tonight's meal and a future one. The suggestion of Chef's Plate is that if there is fish in the order, you cook within 2 days of delivery. That made it an easy decision.
Your ingredients arrive in a brown box with a great logo printed on the side. Something that everyone asks what you're carrying. Great and free advertising for the company. Everything is packed in a cold bag with reusable ice packs to keep things cold and fresh. The recipe for 2 is packed in a bag, labelled and ready to go.
I found the recipe very easy to follow and after 30 mins of cooking, you present the following like a professional home cook:
The final product, Pan Seared Code
Pros:
- Tasted great
- Super simple
- Great date night idea
- Recipe can be saved and reused
Cons:
- The mushrooms arrived a little wet
Found it great paired with Jackson-Triggs 2013 Grand Reserve Chardonnay. If you have never tried the Jackson-Triggs Wine Club, check it out and support local world class wines. 2 bottles of wine delivered to your home every month.
Overall, a great first experience with Chef's Plate. Support a local start up! If you have an experience with Chef's Plate, comment below. Have another service to suggest, add it.