FAIRFAX, VA — Zachary Jinsuk Suh, a junior at George Mason University, is transforming a personal caregiving experience into a specialized business aimed at helping Northern Virginia seniors age in place.
Suh’s startup, HomePlate, delivers medically tailored meals designed for elderly residents managing chronic health conditions. The venture currently focuses on low-sodium and heart-healthy diets, utilizing a team of registered dietitians and chefs to ensure nutritional compliance.
The inspiration for HomePlate began in 2020 when Suh assisted in the full-time care of his grandmother during the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Drawing on his background in the restaurant industry, Suh began preparing cultural meals that accommodated her specific health needs.
"I realized that there is this huge market of seniors that are aging at home, and they want to age at home," Suh said. "I want to bring part of that care service to them."
While Home Plate initially operated as a direct-to-consumer delivery service, Suh is currently pausing standard orders to pivot the company's distribution strategy. The business is now seeking partnerships with local senior centers in Virginia to modernize their existing meal programs.
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Under this new model, HomePlate provides the software, recipe database, and nutritional expertise, while the senior centers utilize their own licensed kitchens and staff to produce the meals.
The company has also experimented with cultural specialty menus. In March, a $4,000 grant from a local restaurant allowed HomePlate to deliver exclusively Korean meals to test the demand for cultural authenticity in senior nutrition.
Suh’s transition to entrepreneurship was funded by a $7,000 pitch competition win during his freshman year at George Mason. Before establishing the current model, he self-funded the early stages of the business by working as a private chef for seniors, preparing meals directly in their homes to bypass the high capital costs of commercial kitchen space.
Today, the HomePlate team includes Suh, a fellow student developing the platform dashboard for senior facilities, and a registered dietitian and professional chefs who approve all meal plans.
Suh is currently in the "pre-seed" stage, seeking funding through startup accelerators to transition the business into a full-time operation after graduation. His long-term vision extends beyond nutrition.
"We don't want to just be in food," Suh said. "We want to eventually branch out to nursing. ... My big vision is trying to expand to bringing the services of these facilities to the at-home care market."
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