Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Kitchen is one of ten new, lockdown-improved meal delivery services in Los Angeles.

Capitalizing on longer-lasting frozen meals, the New York-based vegan home delivery company Daily Harvest was initially smoothie-centric but has since expanded to include harvest bowls, soups, lattes, overnight oats, chia parfaits and cookie dough-like “bites.” Flatbreads and vegan ice cream treats debuted in 2020; frozen almond or almond vanilla “mylk” was added in January 2021; and four breakfast Forager Bowls rolled out on March 25. Launched in 2016 from the trunk of founder and CEO Rachel Drior’s car, the company is now valued at over $250 million and has raised $43 million in funding to date — WME Ventures, Bobby Flay, Serena Williams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Haylie Duff, Paris Hilton, Katie Lee and Shaun White are all investors. One hundred percent home compostable, recyclable packaging was introduced last year, when the business did triple-digit growth.

Celeb Eaters Judd Apatow, Ashley Tisdale, Neil Patrick Harris

The menu at New York City-based Eat Sunny, founded by health and beauty-focused journalist Tatiana Boncompagni in May 2020, features organic, immune-boosting Mediterranean cuisine. The mix of ingredients is additionally “designed to promote radiant, hydrated skin and combat premature aging related to oxidative stress or free radicals,” Boncompagni tells THR. Rich in antioxidants, the food is infused with anti-inflammatory spices, probiotics, omega 3s, healthy fiber, and superfood powders (collagen, biotin, spirulina). Executive chef Allan Wyse has worked as a private chef for Fran Drescher, Kim Cattrall, Mario Cantone. Clients can select from a three- or five-day plan — vegetarian or signature (with seafood and lean meat) — including breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack.

Celeb Eaters Brooke Shields, Joanna Coles, fashion designer Michelle Smith

Former entertainment exec Tom Aaron launched clean, prepared meal delivery service Fitness Kitchen in 2012 and acquired the California Chef brand in 2019 — the latter was rebooted last fall to mirror Fitness Kitchen menus, products and pricing and to expand capacity and market share. Serving Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, the companies extended delivery from Agoura Hills north to Santa Barbara in January 2021. Meals are crafted from locally sourced meats, seafood and vegetables free of preservatives, hormones or antibiotics. Delivered daily by 6 a.m., they come in two portion sizes (trim or maintain) and are optionally gluten-free, soy-free or dairy-free.

Celeb Eaters Michael De Luca, Rick Nicita and Paula Wagner, Charlize Theron, Adele and Samuel Jackson with Fitness Kitchen, and Dwayne Johnson with California Chef.

Foodflo

A native of France now based in Los Angeles, chef Florence Bertheau started catering and cooking in 1998 for the likes of Larry David, Billy Crystal and David Geffen. Her service delivers gluten-free, vegan meals and lately has been venturing into items with a longer shelf life, such as muesli, dried soups, superfood mac-and-cheese kits, and berry chia spread. In March, FoodFlo debuted a $69 dried-goods variety box (granola; two soups; a macaroni and “cheez” kit) to ship nationally. “Everything is handmade — not one item comes from a can — there is no fluff,” says Bertheau. “Making food this way is an art form—it is savoir-faire!”

Celeb Eaters Marisa Tomei, Ringo Starr, Randy Newman, Anne Archer

 

Gwyneth Paltrow, author of four cookbooks, moved her lifestyle brand into Goop-y eating March 8 with this clean-food concept. A team led by chef Kim Floresca (formerly at The Restaurant at Meadowood) crafts flavorful grain bowls, wraps, salads, soups and desserts, plus a la carte proteins and sides. Some sauces and dressings are stamped “Goop certified clean,” meaning no gluten, soy, dairy, preservatives, peanuts, processed foods or sugars. The fare ventures into sustainably sourced seafood, turkey, Mary’s chicken, brown rice, blue cheese and eggs, while barbecue-glazed tofu, mushroom carnitas and GP’s Soccata (pan-seared, seasoned chickpea-kale-feta cubes) stand in for meat. And recyclable packaging includes smart slots on top to hold sauce containers for dipping to preempt sogginess or spills. So far, the Teriyaki Bowl is the number one seller, followed by the Brentwood Chinese Chicken Salad and the Spring Salmon Bowl.

Celeb Eaters Gwyneth and friends

Honest Plate

 

PHOTO : HONEST PLATE

Southampton-based meal delivery and catering company Honest Plate — serving The Hamptons and Greenwich, CT since January 2020 — plans to expand into New York City in June, while relocating from a commercial kitchen in Calverton, New York, to a farm in Bridgehampton in order to grow more produce. The team consists of Jon Albrecht and Nick Reisini (former chefs at Tutto II Giorno in Sag Harbor) with Diana and Ashley John Heather (founder of The Spur co-working space in Water Mill).  Star chef David Burke joined last June to develop exclusive dishes. Appealing to all dietary tribes, the plant-based, Whole30-approved menu can be supplemented with seafood and meat add-ons. Food and smoothies are crafted from locally sourced, organic ingredients. There are also desserts by Long Island vegan bakery The Savory Fig. For every ten meals ordered, a weeks’ worth of meals are donated to cancer counseling center, Fighting Chance. Other selling points include pantry items from local vendors, a kids’ menu, and sweet potato Honest Paw dog treats (landing in May).

Celeb Eaters Christina and Chris Cuomo (who used the service while recovering from COVID-19), Bill McCuddy, Broadway dancer-turned-fitness instructor Isaac Boots

Methodology

 

PHOTO : METHODOLOGY

Clean meal subscription company Methodology offers prepared meals, snacks and beverages free of gluten, refined sugar and dairy with an emphasis on sustainable ingredients. Recyclable jars and bottles used as packaging are a signature. During the past year, the Concord, California-based brand has tripled its plant-based menu. “We’re continuing to create more and more vegan versions of our members’ favorite menu items,” founder and CEO Julie Nguyen tells THR, adding that ready-to-eat mix-and-match jars of vegetables, meats, seafoods and starches are particularly popular as “great shortcuts for home cooking.” In the mix are also ready-to-bake cookie dough, a variety of drinks (almond milks, teas, wellness tonics, juices and kombucha), seasonings and condiments, frozen raw meats and seafood, even ceramic tabletop by Match Stoneware in Culver City and “Every Day I’m Trufflin’” T-shirts.

Celeb Eaters Zedd, Lucy Hale, Meghan Trainor, Ruby Rose, Stephanie Beatriz

Provenance Meals

 

PHOTO : PROVENANCE

In May, Provenance Meals — the Brooklyn-based company that acquired Los Angeles farm-to-table meal service Paleta in early 2020 — will expand delivery of its prepared meal service and five- or seven-day cleanse offerings to Los Angeles. Interested clients can sign up now. Known for clean, nutritionist-designed organic meals (free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar), the company was founded by holistic health coach Caroll Lee. From food sourcing and packaging to solar-powered kitchens, sustainability is an emphasis. Menu options cater to everyone from vegans and pescatarians to omnivores. Complimentary 15-minute virtual health coaching sessions are also available. Last year, the brand began to ship a three-day Feel Good Fix program ($198), as well as branded vitamins, supplements and snacks such as granola and grain-free crisps (starting at $9) to the 48 contiguous states.

Celeb Eaters Gina Rodriguez, DeWanda Wise and Brittany Snow used the service on set in New York while filming Netflix’s Someone Great.

Sakara Life

 

PHOTO : SAKARA LIFE

New York City-based organic, plant-focused meal delivery and wellness company Sakara Life recently completed a $15 million Series B funding round, announced on March 24, which will be used primarily to develop a new line of beauty and personal care products. (Its line of Beauty Chocolates, Beauty Super Bars, Youth + Beauty Tea and Beauty Water Drops was introduced a few years ago.) The brand reports 200 percent year-to-year growth from 2019 to 2020 in its packaged goods business — prenatal supplements, starting at $130, are the most recent addition — and expects to hit $150 million in profitable revenue in 2021. Next up are a larger line of supplements. Sakara Life also recently pledged a goal of 100 percent sustainable packaging by 2023.

Celeb Eaters Drew Barrymore, Hilary Duff, Lena Dunham, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jill Kargman

Z.E.N. (Zero Effort Nutrition) Foods

 

PHOTO : Z.E.N.

L.A.-based healthy meal delivery program Z.E.N. offers cleanses, weight-loss plans and meal programs for vegetarians (not vegans), pescatarians and omnivores focused on calorie control to achieve a healthy weight; gluten-free options are also available. In June, its delivery range will expand from Southern California to the entire state. Also in June, the company will debut a new brand as a subscription-only meal program, based on studies of eating habits that promote longevity. “We have been feeding Hollywood’s most influential power brokers and actors for 11 years … They come back because we have built a trust within the Hollywood community, and we are continuously referred by agents and managers when they need to get a client in shape for an upcoming event or film project,” says CEO and founder Mariana Rossano, a former fitness trainer.

Celeb Eaters Producer John Melfi, Marlee Matlin, Vanessa Hudgens, Paula Abdul, Zac Efron

Source: The Hollywood Reporter magazine