Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Ding, dong, dinner is here

All About Food | February 18th, 2016

A few weeks ago as the northeast braced for what would be a historic winter storm, news outlets positioned teams around the area at various locations to capture every possible public nuance and one provided me a great laugh. The team covering New York City located themselves outside of a Whole Foods Market in Manhattan. Now anyone who has shopped at Whole Foods knows it is not only a great store and a great company but consequently not cheap. But you do get what you pay for without a doubt. I cannot imagine how expensive one could be in high rent Manhattan, which pretty much tells you who their clientele are.

A little known fact is that when a potential weather disaster is apparent the first items to fly off the shelves are bread and milk. Nobody is really sure why, I suppose they are both comforting and reassuring. So, as the keen reporters stopped people leaving this up-scale market, they asked them really news worthy questions like “What’s in your bag? “

The best one was to a rather posh, well-heeled older lady who seemed a bit batty and extremely agitated. It might have been the stress of the situation and the impending doom as she exclaimed “They are out of organic carrots, can you believe that there are no organic carrots?” I suppose she didn’t get the memo about bread and milk. Now, if she was using one of the new home delivery dinner services available these days she might not have had to sound so panicked about not having organic carrots.

The new trend of having your weekly uncooked dinners all packed up and delivered to your door along with recipes, photos of the how the finished dish should look and instructions on how to prepare them is taking off faster than a brush fire in southern California.

There are several major players in this burgeoning industry for those either too busy to shop and cook or just dreading the thought of having to come up with tasty dishes on a nightly basis. I suspect it is a combination of the two. Even though the plans vary a little they are basically very similar. Meals, mainly dinner, with three being the norm, are packed up to serve two, four and in some cases six people.

Each meal is broken down to ingredients with are labeled and packed individually along with a recipe card. clear instructions on preparation and a photo to help in plating. All are designed around a thirty minute preparation time with an average price of $9.50 per person per meal. Taking into consideration the value of your time and the quality of ingredients it’s not a bad deal.

Probably the most impressive attribute amongst them is their commitment to using suppliers that have sustainable food customs along with a community of farmers practicing ethical environmental traditions. This is a common theme of the big four and I applaud one over the other as they put this at the forefront of their dialogue.

There are many such companies spread out across the country offering this service but some are regional, the big four deliver nationally with some isolated pockets where they don’t deliver. Fargo is teetering on the edge with some, but these four encompass the eastern portion of our state. The big four are Plated, Hello Fresh, Home Chef and Blue Apron. Each one has some little tweak like Hello Fresh has signed on mega chef Jamie Oliver, Plated is the only one offering desserts, Home Chef also offers breakfast and Blue Apron has a wine program to pair with their food. They are all good but one stands out.

The Blue Apron worn by apprentice chefs in France represents constantly learning and growing. The three year old start-up Blue Apron is just that, and is working off a solid base buying direct from farmers, using seasonal produce and all their suppliers are unique and specialized. They also have a guest chef series and of all the companies they have the best recipes and cooking instructions. Not to mention their recipes all seem to be in the 500 to 700 calorie range.

Home Chef and Hello Fresh would be close seconds with Plated a respectable third. If you don’t want to cook at all, Home Bistro offers a wide variety of seemingly high end pre-cooked, heat and serve meals.

But there is something nagging me about the whole thing. You still have to go to the grocery store for breakfast foods like coffee and snacks along with staples like soap, paper towels and all the other things we use on a daily basis. So unless you are using the shopping and deliver services provided by stores like Cash Wise for example, you still are going shopping.

So when the next impending blizzard is on the horizon, get on the phone to Cash Wise and have them send you all the bread and milk they can muster, it seems to be the trend. 

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comArea children ages 10 and over are invited to join the Fargo-Moorhead Science Museum to explore how rivers work at two Fargo Public Library locations this summer. Stream Table Workshops will…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

Friday, July 25, doors at 8:30 p.m.Aquarium above Dempsey’s, 226 N. Broadway, Fargo"This is what you need to know about Daikaiju,” said Kelly Weidman. “They're loud. They're all instrumental (duh). And they're the band to see…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…

By Ed Raymond fargogadfly@gmail.comThere might be room for Trump on Mount Rushmore after allDuring King Donald’s first term he told Kristi Noem, then a congresswoman and now his secretary of homeland security, his dream was to be…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comAri Aster’s political satire “Eddington” premiered in competition for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May, where Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” received the prize. A…

Press ReleaseTouchmark at Harwood Groves will host a special artist reception featuring renowned glass artist Jon Offutt on Tuesday, July 29, at 2:00 p.m. in the community’s auditorium. The event celebrates Offutt’s temporary…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…