Umi Kitchen: Saving Family Time, One Home Cooked Meal at a Time

Sponsored By ”Umi”

Umi is home cooking, delivered, connecting talented home cooks with families and individuals who crave a home cooked meal.

Created By BlankSlate

To think what the fast pace of life and the proliferation of new technologies has done to the family meal: With increasing demands on schedules and everyone’s attention focused on their devices, getting everyone together and interacting can be challenging to say the least — especially on weekdays. That’s a pity because studies show that people who cook at home consume fewer calories, carbohydrates, sugar and fat than those who cook less.

What’s needed are good, old-fashioned meals, cooked at home by people who know that, often, the most important ingredient is love. But who has time for that?

Never fear: There’s an app for that. It’s called Umi Kitchen (“Umi” is the Arabic word for “my mother”) and it’s currently available in Northwest Brooklyn, with availability in Long Island City and Manhattan soon. Umi Kitchen spotlights the cooking skills and refined palates of passionate local home cooks. All you do is select their meals on Umi Kitchen’s iPhone app, order by 2 p.m., and voila! Meal planning, shopping and preparation are done by your neighbors who share their cooking on the Umi Kitchen platform — just gather the troops and wait for dinner to be delivered.

A sort of culinary crowdsourcing yields a variety of flavors, cooking styles, ethnicities and food moods. Say it’s mid-winter and you’re pining for last summer’s Caribbean vacation. How does Jamaican Jerk Shrimp from Chef Chris’ kitchen sound? Or you just started your new workout regimen and are determined to eat healthier. Chicken and veggies from Ali Conklin looks like the right choice. Kids need to fill up on something besides chicken nuggets? Adrienne’s pasta with bolognese and salad is just the ticket.

These meals are prepared in small batches by real people with a passion for good food and a desire to make sure you enjoy their cooking. You can find choices from $12.50 to around $20. But the cooks sharing their cooking on Umi Kitchen are encouraged to provide generous portions so that — like any great home-cooked meal — there are leftovers for late-night snacks.

An added touch: Umi Kitchen’s home cooks include a personal handwritten note with their food to give you a little insight into their process and to help you feel connected to the person who made your meal. “Thanks for letting me cook for you tonight,” writes Ali. “I came up with this soup cooking dinner for myself & friends… thought it was fitting to serve during this random ‘cold’ streak before spring fully blooms.”

Only Umi Kitchen can give you that connection with a passionate local home cook, while freeing you to get the family together (and off their screens) for a wholesome family meal. Sound like a plan? Sign up here.