Chefs Plate is a Canadian food company founded in 2014. It is a division of the global meal kit delivery service Hello Fresh, so you may notice some similarities. The company delivers farm-fresh ingredients to your door weekly along with recipe cards so that you can cook quick and tasty meals at home. You can say goodbye to meal prep and long grocery lists. You will also be supporting a company that is dedicated to sustainable practices and giving back to the community.
In the beginning, Chefs Plate only offered two types of meal plans for families and couples. Now, there are four different plans with plenty more options to cater to different needs. At the moment, the meal delivery service does not have specific recipe boxes for allergies or diets, but they plan on expanding their recipes soon.
Before you try Chef Plate, take a look at our Chefs Plate review below. We detail everything you need to know to get started, along with the company's history, pros, cons, and frequently asked questions. Here's how Chefs Plate holds up as one of Canada's most popular services.
Chef's Plate At A Glance
- Best Match For: Canadians searching for simple yet delicious meal kits with fresh ingredients and recipes created by an expert culinary team.
- Commitment Level: Subscription with weekly delivery
- Availability: Available in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario.
- Value: $8.99-$9.99/serving; Shipping fee $6-$9.99; 50% off on your first order
- Type: Meal kits with fresh ingredients (needs cooking)
History of Chef's Plate
The two Chef's Plate founders are Patrick Meyer and Jamie Shea. Once they put their headquarters in Toronto and saw major success in Canada, HelloFresh then acquired the business. The founders wanted to increase Canadians' access to fresh products, so Chef's Plate provides a meal kit service directly to people's homes. Additionally, the business is the first meal kit company registered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as safe for food processing.
Chefs Plate has made strides to help the community since its inception. They donate over 50,000 meals every month to the Abbotsford Food Bank and Second Harvest. They also use their revenue to fund programs such as Top Chef Canada.
Chefs Plate prioritizes convenience and freshness. Unlike other meal kit companies where dinner can take 30 to 45 minutes to prepare, the average Chef's Plate recipe box takes only 15 minutes. Since the recipes are simple, it's a perfect service for people with little time or little kitchen experience.
How Chef's Plate Works
Chef's Plate is a time-saver for anyone who wants to make dinnertime easier.
The company works with locally-owned farms in Canada to provide sustainable seafood and fresh, seasonal produce.
They also work with nutritionists to provide healthy, portion-controlled meals.
The company also works hard to reduce waste, as they donate leftover kits and ingredients to food banks.
According to their website, Chef's Plate recipes come from an expert culinary team who work directly with suppliers and farmers to develop meals around seasonal availability.
The team comes from diverse food backgrounds, so they work hard to create options that everyone can enjoy.
Chefs Plate's three meal plan options include:
You can also sort your selection by 15- minute meals. As the name suggests, kits in this plan are ready in 15 minutes or less. There are 15-minute options available as part of all of the other plans.
Every recipe plan has a rotating menu where you can pick which recipes you want to try. The exact number of recipes depends on your plan type. With each plan, you can choose to get two, three, or four meal kits each week made to serve two or four people. One great thing about Chefs Plate is that you aren't stuck with whatever they send you that week. You can still customize your box using their "Taste Preferences" selection tool. This way, you can exclude ingredients that you never want to receive.
Finally, you don't have to make a commitment to get meal kit delivery from Chefs plate. Though you will need to sign up for a subscription, you can skip, pause, or cancel your meal plan at any moment. The company advertises itself as a "flexible subscription service" since you have full control over your deliveries. You can manage your account online and view orders up to four months away. Just remember to make any changes at least four days before your delivery day.
Other Features
The website is straightforward to use to manage everything you need for your recipe delivery.
With only a few clicks, you can cancel your subscription, skip weeks, or change your plan. If you need to reach customer service, you can do so at the email or phone number on the website.
Chef's Plate also has social media accounts where you can reach them with questions or concerns.
A true Chefs Plate review has to include the app. As a customer, you can download the app on Android or iOS to manage everything about your recipes and meals from there.
You can postpone deliveries, switch your recipe plan, make weekly choices, and choose your number of recipes. It's extremely convenient for people on the go.
If you lose your recipe card or get a box without one, you can pull up the recipes on the app and follow the instructions from your phone.
What You Can Expect From Your Meal
The Chefs Plate kits arrive on your doorstep in an insulated box with ice packs. The ingredients are pre-measured to cut down on food waste, but you'll still need to bring out the cutting board for certain items. You'll get everything you need to make your meal.
However, you'll need to provide some common items such as olive oil, seasonings, and cookware. Each box comes with easy-to-follow recipe cards that have useful pictures. You can view the nutrition information for your meals online before you order them to see the number of calories, protein, sugars, and carbs per serving. It's also included in each bag, so it's easy to keep track of what's going into your body.
Since you make the meals yourself, you can always put your own spin on things. You're free to leave out any extra salt or sugar or even substitute ingredients for what you have at home. You can also keep all of the recipes on hand in case you find a meal you'd like to make again.
Though the boxes come with a lot of packaging, Chefs Plate honors their commitment to sustainability. According to their website, all of the packaging is recyclable, including the ice packs.
Every item you receive in your meal delivery is fresher than what's in the grocery store. You also know where your food comes from, as Chefs Plate provides information about all of their suppliers and farmers.
Every week, you can log into your Chef's Plate account and pick your meals. If you miss the deadline or don't feel like choosing your food, Chef's Plate will automatically select some based on your preferences. It's also easy to switch between meal plans.
If you like Chefs Plate, there are incentives for sharing your Chefs Plate review with friends.
Whenever you refer someone to Chefs Plate, your friend or family member gets three servings off their order, and you get four free servings. You can also give your friend a free box by sending them a Chefs Plate gift card.
Sample Meals
Anyone can view the Chefs Plate meal options for the week without creating an account. There are 19 menu options weekly that cater to different preferences and diets. As you browse the list of recipes, you will see the highlights, such as whether the meal is vegetarian and the meal's spice level.
When you click on an item, you will see the nutrition facts, the ingredients, and the cooking directions so you can assess the difficulty level. Chefs Plate also lists the cooking time and any common allergens. It's important to note that the Chefs Plate facility does process soybean, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, and milk. If you have serious allergies, contact the company for their recommendations.
Here are some sample Chefs Plate meals you might find on any given week:
The portion sizes are made for two or four people. If you have a bigger family, you'll need to order more than one box. The company does not sort their meals by many different diet types. However, they offer diverse proteins each week, so you can find meals for a pescatarian, pollotarian, or vegetarian diet. For example, pescatarian foodies may enjoy the chimichurri shrimp with mashed potatoes or the sweet potato sushi bowl.
Delivery
When you select your meal kit plan and checkout, you'll get to choose your delivery date from a list of available days based on your location. You will get your order once a week with all of the meals you signed up for in the same box. Your subscription renews until you cancel. The delivery fee is included in the weekly price for the recipes if you order recipes for more than two family members.
The day you select will automatically roll over to your future deliveries, but it's easy to change this for future purchases if you need to. At the moment, Chefs Plate delivers to Nova Scotia & Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Endward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. Chefs Plate does not offer meal delivery services to the United States.
All delivery boxes come with a tracking number so you can keep tabs on your package. Your package should arrive between 8 AM and 8 PM on the day of your delivery. If your box arrives late or with missing ingredients, the customer service team can quickly solve your problem. You do not have to be home to receive your Chefs Plate meal kit. The ingredients will stay cool until you get back, but make sure you put them directly in the fridge.
FAQS
Yes, Chefs Plate Canada is a legit meal kit delivery service. The service sends fresh ingredients for a variety of recipes right to your door. The goal of Chefs Plate is to make mealtime easy with a focus on locally sourced ingredients. The company also partners with Second Harvest and Canadian Turkey.
Both recipe delivery services are of high quality. Additionally, both Chefs Plate and Hello Fresh have healthy meal options with top-tier ingredients. While the Chefs Plate cost is slightly less expensive and the meals take less time to prepare, Hello Fresh has more variety when it comes to food.
Yes, in 2018, Hello Fresh acquired Chefs Plate. Both companies are available to Canadian customers.
Chefs Plate does not advertise that their recipes cater to specific diet plans, so it's not a diet service. However, the fresh ingredients and portion-controlled recipes are healthy and much better than fast food or frozen food. Additionally, the diversity of meals and recipes can help you enjoy new foods.
For optimum freshness, you want to prepare your Chefs Plate seafood recipes as soon as possible. For meat and vegetarian dishes, you can enjoy them up to five days after delivery.
Yes, you can cancel Chefs Plate any time by logging into your online account.
HelloFresh acquired Chefs Plate in 2018.
Yes, Chefs Plate is a meal kit subscription service that delivers fresh ingredients and chef-created recipes to your door every week.
Patrick Meyer and Jamie Shea co-founded Chefs Plate in 2014 in Toronto, Canada.
Chefs Plate delivers across Canada to locations in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. They are always expanding locations, so check the website for your area.
Yes, you can skip weeks in your Chefs Plate Subscription whenever you need to. Simply go to your online profile and click “Skip Week.”
You can pause, cancel, or skip weeks of your Chefs Plate subscription any time before your next delivery. Go to your online profile and adjust your subscription status.
Yes, you can cancel Chefs Plate whenever you want at no extra charge.
Yes, there is a Chefs Plate app. With the app, you can select your meals, manage your account, and more.
To change your payment information on Chefs Plate, navigate to your online account, hit “Payment Details,” and enter the updated card information.
The price of Chefs Plate depends on your meal plan. In general, the meal kit service costs $8.99 to $12.95 per serving.
To change your Chefs Plate delivery date to another available date for the current menu, log into your account and select an option from the "Delivers on" date section.
You can buy Chef's Plate Gift Cards in any amount starting at $25. The recipient can use the gift card on any box, and these gift cards never expire. You can print out or email the gift card.
Yes, Chefs Plate is cheaper than Hello Fresh. However, Hello Fresh has more variety and delivers to more locations.
No, Chefs Plate does not deliver to the USA. The company delivers to Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba.
To redeem a Chefs Plate code, select the plan you’d like and proceed to checkout. You’ll see a box that asks if you have a discount code. Enter the code and hit “apply.”
Yes, you can buy Chef's Plate Gift Cards in any amount starting at $25. Once you email or print out the card, the recipient can use the gift card on any Chefs Plate box.
Chefs Plate Costs
The standard plan can accommodate two or four people with 2-4 meals every week. You can expect to pay $8.99 to $9.99 per serving and an additional $6 to $9.99 shipping fee. First orders receive 50% off.
Pros & Cons
The average Chefs Plate review is positive. Like many meal delivery services, some customer complaints include receiving spoiled food or latte recipe boxes. Fortunately, Chefs Plate customer service is quick to resolve any problem. Before you get a meal plan, make sure you have the time to cook the meals you order during the week so that your produce doesn't spoil.
Here are our pros and cons of the meal kit service:
Pros:
- Plenty of options that kids will enjoy
- Flexibility on number of recipes per week
- Meat, seafood, and produce are sustainably-sourced
- Easy to cancel or alter the meal plan subscription
Cons:
- Not many options for special diets
Chefs Plate may not be ideal for a picky eater or for families with kids who dislike veggies. Though you choose your meals per week, the seasonal availability of certain items means that you may need to try recipes you've never had before. This aspect of meal delivery can be a positive or a negative depending on your preferences.
Food for Thought
The average person has trouble finding fresh ingredients and diverse recipes. Making interesting meals at home often requires a lot of planning time, shopping, and prep that many family members can't complete with busy schedules. When you try to save time for lunch or dinner, you may turn to unhealthy fast-food or expensive restaurant takeout.
When it comes to dinnertime for your family, a meal subscription can be a great way to go. The recipes and ingredients are a huge timesaver, and you still get the experience of cooking. You can also use meal delivery as a way to bond with your loved one in the kitchen. Chefs Plate is perfect for foodies who want to try new things and incorporate some fresh foods into their diet. Even though the recipes are easy to make, they are full of flavor and nutrition.
Though there are not many options for vegans or vegetarians, the rotating menu means you'll have new recipes per week. Chef's Plate can push you out of your comfort zone a little in the kitchen and help you improve your skills. Unlike other meal kit delivery services, Chefs Plate does not promote calorie counting or intense dieting, which can be a huge relief for foodies who want to eat healthy without too much pressure. Hopefully, this Chefs Plate review has helped you decide whether the service is right for you.
Chefs Plate meals are most compatible with people who want to experience simple cooking with fresh ingredients.
Chefs Plate