New Toronto-based food delivery app for homemade meals secures $17M
A new Toronto-based company just received $17-million in funding to expand the bridge they’ve built between home-cooked meals and food delivery apps.
Launched in October, Cookin connects chefs crafting homemade meals to hungry people seeking a fresh food delivery option, beyond offerings on UberEats and DoorDash.
The seed of the business began with a phone call a couple years ago between two high school pals, Morley Ivers and Michael Baruch. Their conversation naturally gravitated to a hot topic that frequently entered discussions at the onset of the pandemic – polarization.
“We both came to the conclusion that food has this unique ability to bring us together,” Ivers said. “We have this incredible way to unite people with food, which is our ultimate vision.”
So far, the app has united thousands of people hunting for home-cooked meals with 80 culinary professionals in Toronto. A Byblos chef who cooks Middle Eastern-inspired food with Caribbean flavours, and the founder of Cali Love who makes southern eats as a way of returning to his North Carolina roots, are among the chefs on the app.
They are also in the process of sifting through more than 2,000 applications from chefs keen to join, Baruch said. These culinary professionals create their own menus and set their own prices, while Cookin operates as a middleman that connects home-cooks to households. Chefs keep 80 per cent of the revenue generated.
When the founders first sought venture capital funding, Ivers said the interest they received was immediate and vibrant. “We went out and started doing partner meetings with V.C. firms on a Monday and had multiple verbal offers that night,” he said.
With the new funding secured, Cookin has its sights set on expanding in Ontario, beyond Toronto, along with venturing south of the border to Dallas and Miami. Moving forward, the team is aiming to have their app span 17 American cities by 2025.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.