Out-sauce’ – the online solution for moms with too much on their plate

‘Out-saucing’ your cooking to online upscale kitchens is fast becoming the trend for overstretched mothers with too much on their plate.

You know the scenario. Career or a business to run; plus family, home, the children or one on the way – and now you’re supposed to prepare the food and do the cooking as well?!

Well forget it. No! Better still, order it and let your online chef send it – whether it’s a sumptuous evening meal or a full week of gourmet cooking; all conjured up by a single webpage hit.

The trend to quality, nutritional online cuisine has been showcased by the growth of a leader in the field such as Chef Direct (www.chefdirect.co.za), a Northriding business that serves Greater Johannesburg and Centurion, and has achieved awesome lift-off for its wholesome food offering.

Chef Direct spent a year-and-a-half planning and investing before launching the online ordering model a year ago. The launch was in the middle of the economic downturn, but recession was swamped by a procession of online visitors (often moms and moms-to-be) who found the ‘out-saucing’ proposition too tempting to resist.

“Busy moms with pressured lifestyles are looking for quality time at home with the family,” says Chef Direct co-owner Jonathan Akal. “Online meals give them more time with the ones they love – just what the caring mom ordered.”

Chef Direct produces and supplies fresh, preservative-free, ready-made meals, DIY cooking kits, children’s meals, fitness meals and deli products such as sauces, custards and pestos.

You simply visit the online shop at www.chefdirect.co.za, sign up, go to the menu and place your order. The options are extensive, from family favourites to gourmet delights. Specials and new meals are added to the menu every month. 

Two days after you order, your meals are delivered by refrigerated truck. The cold-chain is never broken. The integrity of your meal to Chef Direct’s cold chain standards ensures seven-day freshness.

Locked-in freshness like this explains another trend – forward planning by organised moms and moms-to-be who order a week’s supply of meals rather than just one or two at a time.

This way you get optimum value from the R40 delivery charge. Of course, you avoid the fee altogether by popping into Chef Direct’s Northriding premises to collect your order yourself. If you don’t live close by, no worries. They deliver across Gauteng.

First-time customers automatically receive a R50 voucher to set against any initial order of R200 or more.

Chef Direct is building a top clientele, yet prices are comparable to those at any quality food store. The difference is everything is done for you in SANAS-accredited kitchens.

Since Chef Direct started to click with moms, eating quality meals at home no longer means taking a bite out your quality time. The food’s fresh. And – just as important – so are you.