Toronto-based company North of Here sent out their first batch of elevated make-at-home meal kits yesterday following a successful launch last week.
The meal kit aims to bring high-quality dinners and a Michelin-starred experience to the comfort of your own home. The menu consists of seasonal dishes and customers can choose from three appetizers and three mains. Each meal is carefully crafted to serve two people. Currently featured right now is a selection of winter-themed meals using local and seasonal ingredients.
“I started this as a pop-up event, so I was doing a dinner series with tasting menus,” says Roland Torok-Ducharme, founder and chef at North of Here.
“Obviously with the pandemic, we couldn’t do any dinner parties anymore so we decided to launch this make-at-home meal kit to just try and adapt, try something different and start a new adventure.”
A native of Montréal, Torok-Ducharme’s culinary journey has placed him in some of the most renowned Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, such as Restaurant Lasserre in Paris and Pétrus by Gordan Ramsey in London.
He also spent some time working at the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore before returning to Canada and holding top posts in distinguished Toronto kitchens Canoe and Cluny Bistro & Boulangerie.
While meal kits are becoming increasingly popular among different restaurant institutions in Toronto amidst the pandemic, North of Here is setting themselves apart by offering an elevated menu with minimal prep.
“Right now we’re only offering something for a special occasion––your Saturday night dinner option,” says Bailey Singer, co-owner and head of operations.
Popular restaurants have already pivoted to make-at-home meal kits amidst Toronto’s latest lockdown restrictions that banned indoor dining.
One of Canada's top restaurants Canoe––a restaurant that Torok-Ducharme previously worked at––recently announced they were offering their own meal kits.
Meal kits offer customers a way to bring the excitement and familiarity of fresh, restaurant-quality meals into their homes––and North of Here is looking to step the experience up.
Meals from make-at-home kits typically involve a flurry of ingredients. North of Here values time, noting that their meals involve minimal cooking so you can spend more time enjoying with loved ones.
“When you’re looking at what restaurants are offering, they’re offering food that still needs to be prepped a lot,” says Singer. “We’ve done about 90 per cent of the work for you.”
While make-at-home meal kits have boomed in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of meal kits is nothing new.
Companies like Chef’s Plate, Hello Fresh and Goodfood have been delivering meals to homes across Canada for a few years.
These meal delivery companies utilize a subscription-based process which allows customers to plan and customize their boxes, and manage the frequency of the deliveries. This is the typical business model, and one that restaurants are unlikely to continue once indoor dining is introduced again.
For North of Here, a full-service restaurant could potentially be an option down the line.
“Definitely in the short-term we want to get this business up and running, gain traction and build up our followers and build up our brand,” says Raafy Karim, co-owner and head of marketing.
“Medium term we would like to operate out of our own kitchen––right now we’re sharing with other businesses and ultimately down the line, yeah, I think we would like to open our own restaurant.”
With the latest lockdown restrictions still underway, small businesses in Toronto continue to struggle, but Karim is optimistic that North of Here can thrive in the blossoming meal delivery business.
“The pandemic has really proliferated delivery businesses and we may not have been able to do this if it weren’t for the pandemic,” says Karim. “So, there’s a silver lining there.”
North of Here is now receiving orders from Sunday through to Thursday for a Saturday delivery. Customers can check out their seasonal menu and order through their website.
