Santa-Monica Based Foodie Shares iOS app and Membership-Based Food Marketplace Arrives on March 5th on Westside

Building a neighborhood-based foodie community centered on sharing authentic food made with integrity is the primary motivation behind founding Foodie Shares, a new membership-based food marketplace and iOS app launching March 5, 2015 in Los Angeles.

According to George Mathew, Co-Founder and CEO of Foodie Shares, “I developed the app at the request of my wife Serelyn, a former professional chef who now cooks at home. She once asked, ‘Why don’t you create an app so I can share my food?’ and thus the concept of Foodie Shares was born. Now Serelyn often shares her creations for free with her Foodie Shares followers when she cooks or bakes.”

Preserving the artistic integrity of the chef is a core aim of Foodie Shares. “We want to present authentic forms of cooking, where chefs do not feel pressured to modify their creations to satisfy the palate of a mainstream audience,” says Ryan Hoffman, Co-Founder. “Our app helps chefs connect with neighboring foodies seeking their style of cooking, and then allows members to purchase dishes and review them.”

And, while many apps focus solely on the delivery of pre-cooked or uncooked meals created by restaurants and commercial kitchens, ending the transaction upon delivery, Foodie Shares aims to connect the foodie with neighborhood chefs cooking from home and establish an ongoing dialogue via the app.

How Foodies Can Use the App

Any food lover hungry to source dishes and search for chefs can download the iOS app. All users in the Los Angeles area can browse available dishes, but must become Foodie Shares members, which is free, in order to interact with the community and order dishes. Users search chefs by their usernames, specialties, cities or relative distances, and see unedited, chef-provided pictures, bios and descriptions. They can see ratings for quality, service and value on each chef’s profile, in addition to individual reviews of dishes posted by other members.

Members can reserve or pre-order dishes for their “foodie basket” and send private messages to the chef via the app. They can also follow specific chefs and get notified when their newest dishes post. In the case of pre-orders, the chef must accept the member’s request before a credit card transaction ensues. Chefs determine whether food can be picked up by members or delivered. With delivery, they can choose to deliver it themselves or use the app’s delivery partner.

How Chefs Join Foodie Shares

Each chef must apply for membership and approval by Foodie Shares staff to post dishes. The majority of chefs have culinary school backgrounds, with some having worked in high-profile restaurants and others running private catering businesses. To apply, each chef must use the app to create a profile with a personal image and background information including cooking interests and specialties. Chefs also upload “foodiefolios” of their culinary creations for display, purchase, or review. Once approved, members can view the chef’s info, and contact or follow the chef. Chefs can choose to post dishes for the coming week in limited quantities or as pre-order options.

Chefs decide how much to charge for their dishes and how many servings are available. “Because chefs control availability, certain high-demand dishes may not always be available,” says Noa Rodriguez, Co-Founder. “And while there is no fixed price range for dishes, prices in the community are reasonable given the high quality.”

Examples of chef creations include: Risotto Primavera with Pan-Seared Chicken Breast by chefalex; Argentinean Style Grilled Pork Chop Bone In by Serelyn; and Power lunch! by tomasreyes.

“Foodie Shares makes the interaction between chef and food lover much less anonymous, and we’re thrilled to be able change the way foodies engage with chefs and vice versa,” says Ryan Oehm, Co-Founder. “Chefs also value the opportunity to engage with our members and receive ongoing feedback. Both parties gain in building this community.”

For the March 5th launch, the app will be available in select areas of West Los Angeles (http://foodieshares.com/launch-area/).

Foodie Shares, Inc. was co-founded by George Mathew, Ryan Hoffman, Noa Rodriguez and Ryan Oehm in Santa Monica, California in 2014. The company is self-funded and anticipates a larger funding round in Spring 2015, which will allow its operations to expand. The Android version of the app will be available in Fall 2015. For more information, visit www.foodieshares.com or e-mail info@foodieshares.com.