Ucook is a start-up tantalising the tastebuds of foodies in Cape Town. It’s based on a concept called the dinner kit delivery service, but with an important difference: the customer still does the cooking.
Run by David Torr and Christopher Verster-Cohen with angel investor Klaudia Veixelbaumer, the start-up is attracting additional investors with plans afoot to expand the service to Johannesburg.
Torr previously co-owned Cape Town’s Bihari Indian restaurant chain. He came up with the idea for Ucook while working in London. Tired of living on takeout meals, he was attracted to a model pioneered by Blue Apron, a company that provides fresh ingredients and recipes to customers’ doorsteps. It’s a model that’s been replicated in a number of markets.
Torr said that not only was he saving money by using a service called HelloFresh while in London, but was also eating healthier food. After a year and a half abroad, he realised he was homesick and decided to start a business in South Africa.
He met Verster-Cohen, who was finishing his final year of architecture at the University of Cape Town. “I shared the prospect with him and in a moment of madness he decided to give up his prospective career as an architect and join me in pursuit of something new and exciting.”
In late December 2014, they launched Ucook.
Weixelbaumer, the third member of the team, manages Ucook’s branding and communication. A fourth and integral member of the team is Katherine Barry, who just completed her honours in applied mathematics. She manages the company’s finances. Together, these 20-somethings want to turn the food scene in Cape Town on its head.
Ucook plans the menus, shops for organic ingredients such as grass-fed beef and free-range eggs, accurately measures the ingredients and then delivers it to customers’ homes. Meals cost between R65 and R85 each.
To order, customers peruse the menu online, choosing the portion they want for each meal. If they’re having a dinner for 12 on Saturday evening, for example, it would be quite easy to order appropriately. Customers can order from Monday to Thursday for the following week, with meals delivered on Monday. They can choose between two delivery periods, from 8am to 4pm, or from 6pm to 8pm. Delivery of orders can be tracked online.
“Meals are curated by some of the top chefs in the country,” says Torr. “The programme gives them free exposure, providing a platform for chefs to exhibit their own recipes.”
Instead of having to go to shops and page through recipe books, Ucook wants to make cooking more accessible. Ucook supplies the ingredients and recipes necessary to gourmet meals that cater to the high-end of the market. They also incorporate more family-orientated dishes such as burgers, pastas and lasagnes. MasterChef Italy 2013 winner Lapo Magni is responsible for some of the recipes offered on Ucook’s website.
“The menu incorporates a variety of different cuisine from across the world, including Moscow, Hungary and Italy,” says Torr. “It exposes customers to new cooking techniques and recipes.”
The lifestyle component of the dinner delivery service appealed to Torr. “Ucook allows you to reignite that family cooking dynamic, where everyone sits around the table and eats a meal together.”
There are three menus to choose from. There’s a vegetarian meal option, with each meal crafted with nutritional benefits in mind, ensuring that vegetarians obtain a balanced diet. There’s a high-fat, low-carbohydrate option aimed at Tim Noakes disciples and a “rustic alternative” for those that favour a more homely, savoury meal with no dietary restrictions. This last option incorporates “lots of butter, cheese and pasta and is full of flavour”, says Torr.
Ucook delivers to the Cape Town CBD and the southern suburbs from a facility in Newlands, with plans to expand to the city’s northern suburbs in the next two months. Its Johannesburg expansion plans are at an advanced stage, with a launch set for mid-year. — © 2015 NewsCentral Media
