HUNGRY Gives Boston Chefpreneurs a Chance at the American Dream

An Uber-like platform connecting local chefs with businesses looking for fresh, locally-sourced, top-chef catered meals launched today in Boston.

With more than 100 top chefs on its platform in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Atlanta, the platform is changing lives by giving chefs the opportunity to start and build their own businesses. Chefs on the HUNGRY platform can make as much as $40,000 per month, compared to the average annual chef salary of around $50,000 per year*.

“As a city of firsts and foodies, we knew Boston would embrace HUNGRY’s original concept right away,” said Jeff Grass, HUNGRY CEO. “Our Boston lineup of chefs already includes several talented and notable names. This, paired with Boston’s tech-forward culture, make the city a great fit for HUNGRY. We are also honored to have the support of Boston’s own Chef Ming Tsai, who brings his expertise to the HUNGRY team as one of our top advisors.”

For its Boston launch, HUNGRY is partnering with hometown celebrity and HUNGRY investor, Chef Ming Tsai. Chef Tsai is the founder of Boston’s award-winning Blue Dragon restaurant, as well as the host and executive producer of the public television cooking show, Simply Ming.

“HUNGRY is exactly what the city of Boston needs right now,” said Chef Tsai. “Our community is filled with talented chefs who love to cook and make great food, but who don’t have access to the resources to step out on their own. Not only does HUNGRY give chefs a launchpad to entrepreneurship, it also gives them an opportunity to give back with every meal they make.”

HUNGRY’s business-in-a-box model is redefining the office food standard and disrupting the $50+ billion office catering market. By working directly with top chefs, HUNGRY saves companies an average of 33 percent when compared to traditional caterers**. The platform’s streamlined marketplace allows customers to effortlessly order chef-prepared meals with just a few clicks. And every HUNGRY chef’s signature menu is built with local cuisine in mind, resulting in the best-tasting and most-authentic catering options available.

HUNGRY delivers, on average, more than 40,000 meals per month to hungry businesspeople and, for every two meals sold, donates one meal to those in need. To date, the company has donated more than 265,000 meals and counting.

“This is the best model I’ve seen for business and event catering,” Chef Tsai stated. “HUNGRY’s extremely high customer repeat rates are proof that the platform is uniquely positioned to better meet the needs of today’s catering market. With their model, they have solved the complicated logistics associated with on-time food delivery in busy cities like Boston.”

Following an $8 million Series A funding round in 2017 that included a few of the world’s biggest superstars, more than 400 companies have put their office food needs in the hands of HUNGRY and its top chef network, including Amazon, E-Trade, Microsoft, WeWork, and many more.

By the end of 2020, HUNGRY is projected to expand its footprint to a total of fifteen U.S. cities.

About HUNGRY

HUNGRY is the first-ever platform that provides exceptional business and event catering by its exclusive network of top local chefs. Clients enjoy delicious meals, an array of cuisines and affordable prices PLUS on-schedule delivery, setup and clean-up--guaranteed. HUNGRY chefs focus on what they love most and do best: creating amazing food. HUNGRY is committed to improving the lives of its chefs, clients and communities. Through its ‘Fight Against Hunger’ program, for every two meals HUNGRY clients purchase, HUNGRY feeds a person in need. HUNGRY also protects our planet by using recyclable, fully biodegradable and compostable materials. HUNGRY is headquartered in Arlington, VA and operates in four markets today – the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Boston. HUNGRY is backed by Sands Capital Ventures, Motley Fool Ventures and Marcy Venture Partners.

About Chef Ming Tsai

Ming Tsai is a James Beard and Emmy award-winning chef, author and TV personality. Ming is the leading face of East-West inspired cooking across the US. Ming's cuisine was first showcased at Blue Ginger and continues to feature unique combinations by balancing texture, temperature, sour, salty, spicy and sweet. Chef Tsai closed Blue Ginger after 19 years of dedicated service in June 2017, which was most recently voted one of the 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years. His second restaurant Blue Dragon is located in Boston was awarded Esquire Magazine's Best New Restaurants 2013. Ming continues to celebrate his love of East-West cooking through his five cookbooks and in his television show, Simply Ming, now celebrating its 17th season and is the longest running cooking show on PBS. Ming also supports many charities including Family Reach, an organization very close to his heart. Chef Tsai serves as the President of the National Advisory Board of Family Reach, an organization whose mission is to provide a financial lifeline to families fighting cancer. Since his involvement not only has he created the unique event Cooking Live!, but he has also helped raise over $8 million dollars for Family Reach.

*Chefs working on the HUNGRY platform make approximately $75-150 per hour, vs. the industry average of $23 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2018.

**Average cost of a catered meal is $16, versus $12 with HUNGRY.