Cook It Boutique

A little more than a year ago an idea came together over a bottle of wine that evolved and changed and eventually became Cook It Boutique. Cook It is a local online start-up that delivers all the ingredients you will need to put together a wonderful, homemade meal from scratch. In March of this year they hit the ground running with a successful launch in Montreal and a hope to eventually push their boundaries nation wide.

The Cook It concept is simple. Conceived as a delivery service that drops off fresh ingredients and recipes at your door, their M.O. is all about saving you the precious and sometimes scarce time you need. As a busy person who loves the nightlife but also enjoys cooking for my friends, I sometimes feel like I don’t have time to breath when running from from work to the metro to the grocery store to a cab to home just in time to clean, set the table and get dinner ready; it’s all the cardio I need in a day. When I saw Cook It scroll down through my social media feeds I signed up immediately. It seemed like something that would be perfect for someone like myself.

I met shortly after with Thomas Dubrana, co-founder of the online delivery service. When asked about the market he hopes to reach with Cook It, he replied ‘anyone who might need some extra time or some inspiration to try something new’. Each week Cook It features 5 new recipes we can try either by ourselves or with our guests. Each recipe is conceived and tested by their in-house chef and then packaged in a neat box and brought to your home. Each box (with a cooling liner) contains a minimum of 4 portions that you can divide up any way you wish.

The recipes that I’ve seen so far are fairly diverse and quite simple to put together. Last week I gave the service a try for myself with their Indian chicken thighs and pan seared pork medallions. I followed the recipes to a tee to top notch results but don’t be afraid to season to your liking as well. This is after all your home cooked meal. Ordering is also very simple. You create an account online, put in your address or the address to where you wish to have the food delivered and pay online. No messing around with cash or cards at the door. They show up, pass you the goods and you get to work wowing your friends.

Cook It practices responsible purchasing and buys produce locally. They also work closely with the butchers at Maison de la Roti (on Mount Royal avenue) for their meats. Because each serving is portion controlled (see example above), no excess food or money is wasted. Also, most of the packaging materials are recyclable which is always a good thing.

Some of the best ideas come about in the wee hours of the morning over wine and friendly chatter. These ideas, like many dreams are gone by the end of the night but in some cases all it takes is a little perseverance and drive and ideas like Cook It will become reality. For more information on Cook It, visit their website and unleash your inner chef.