Grilled pollock with watermelon tomato relish and green bean salad
Recently a beacon of light shined into our offices, which are located in a food desert in Brooklyn: Mealku. You may remember the name from years ago, when it first launched as a leftovers-sharing service. Now the concept has been drastically altered—basically, the new and improved Mealku is the You Who's Actually Motivated To Make Your Own Lunch For Work.
Currently servicing neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan (check to see if your neighborhood is available yet), the user can log in and choose from a selection of meals created and prepared by different chefs. You can see photos of both the meals and the chefs, along with a short bio. They also include nutritional info, and offer a selection of gluten-free and vegetarian options, along with their meat fare.
Creator Ted D'Cruz-Young told us this week that they choose "original food concepts that are healthful, unpretentious, interesting and organic," giving each dish a taste test before it makes it to the ever-changing menu. From there, "cooks thrive if their food is excellent and they secure positive reviews, and they build meaningful connections with members they have fed." All meals are prepared in their "compliant production facility in Midtown."
Meals cost $10 + tip, and are delivered at a set time (ours came around 1 p.m.) If you opt in for texts, you'll receive an alert letting you know when your meal is about to arrive. On top of the main dish, you'll get a side, and often an extra treat. It's really a great deal for a homecooked, healthy meal!
For now Mealku is "focusing on making lunch much better for as many people as we can, [but] we will no doubt support dinner service soon, and expand to all boroughs." If your neighborhood isn't available yet, D'Cruz-Young tells us "anyone that wants to have Mealku goodness delivered to their office should email me directly with location details: [email protected]."
