Bringing Humanity Back to Mealtime

In a world where no-fuss dinners typically mean takeout containers and microwave trays, we believe mealtime should still feel human.

At Shef, we connect busy households with a shared personal chefs - vetted, local culinary professional who prepare fresh-made meals, just for your household. The result? Homemade food, made with care (never manufactured!) and delivered to your door.

Shef was built on a simple belief: that real food, made by real people, nourishes more than just the body—it brings comfort, trust, and connection to every table. Shef isn’t another meal service. It’s something more personal.
‍
‍

In a world where no-fuss dinners typically mean takeout containers and microwave trays, we believe mealtime should still feel human.

At Shef, we connect busy households with a shared personal chefs - vetted, local culinary professional who prepare fresh-made meals, just for your household. The result? Homemade food, made with care (never manufactured!) and delivered to your door.

Shef was built on a simple belief: that real food, made by real people, nourishes more than just the body—it brings comfort, trust, and connection to every table.

Shef isn’t another meal service. It’s something more personal.

The Power of a Homemade Meal

At Shef, we’re rebuilding the food system from scratch, redefining who can participate in the food economy, and returning personal connection to the making, eating, and sharing of food. We are an online marketplace for local, food safety certified cooks to connect with customers in their community and earn a meaningful income selling homemade dishes.
‍
Homemade is the aroma of your childhood kitchen, the laughter around a family table, the taste of locally sourced produce; it’s memories, nostalgia, and tradition. It’s building bridges between cultures and people that make us whole.
‍
More than anything, the power of homemade food comes from the love and care of those who make it, all opening up their hearts to provide the gift of a homemade meal to you.

A combination of “she” and “chef”

In honor of mothers and parents everywhere, who do so much to support and nourish their families and communities.

Man in a gray apron brushing herbs onto fish fillets on a baking tray in a kitchen.

Our Shefs

Shefs are local culinary professionals who bring care, skill, and heart to every homemade meal they create.

Each shef shares their own story and culinary craft, offering flavors and traditions from around the world. Most importantly, they’re your neighbors — passionate, vetted food entrepreneurs dedicated to nourishing their communities with food made with integrity and love.

Bringing Opportunity to the Table

Shef is part of a growing movement to empower local food entrepreneurs and create a more inclusive food system for all. By giving talented chefs the platform, tools, and support to share their homemade meals, we’re helping every chef to turn their passion into opportunity.Since 2019, thousands of “shefs” have delivered tens of millions of homemade meals to households across the US — each one made with care by a neighbor who loves what they do. Because when food is made with heart, it connects us all.

Why We Started Shef
‍

Shef was inspired by a longing to bring back what makes food special — the warmth, intention, and human touch behind every homemade meal.

Our founders, Joey and Alvin, grew up in immigrant households where food was more than just a meal—it was an expression of love, culture, and connection. As adults, they both felt how rare it had become to experience the comfort of homemade meal, and when they met, they bonded over a shared hope: to empower people like their parents, who poured their hearts into nourishing their families and their communities. So they built Shef to do what communities have done for generations - nourish and feed one another.