The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Garnish & Gather assembles locally sourced meal kits to connect dinner tables to the farm,
Emily Golub of Atlanta-based Garnish & Gather was a pioneer in the world of meal kits. Golub had been a member of a communitysupported agriculture program for many years. “I enjoyed the challenge of it, but quite frankly it was a lot for me to handle sometimes. And I had trouble getting friends on board. They couldn’t handle getting a mystery box of produce every week. And it can be tough when you get cabbage four weeks in a row in January.”
Golub wanted to keep her connection with farmers, but make eating what they were growing more approachable. In 2013, she decided to create meal kits using recipes for seasonally available and local ingredients. She began by offering her customers three dinner options for the week. She and her one employee would drive to farms and farmers markets buying what they needed, assembling the ingredients and then delivering the kits to their customers.
If you’re not familiar with meal kits, they’ve become big business since Golub started. Generally speaking, the kits support the desire to cook at home by packaging measured ingredients with a recipe card and detailed directions. No more standing in line at the grocery store. Or having to pick and choose at the farmers market. Or having to decide what to do with what’s left when you buy a butternut squash but only need one cup of cubes.
“We focus on bringing the farmers market to you,” Golub said. “Our customer wants to know who’s growing their kale, where their beets are from, why this pork chop is better, but they don’t always have the time to go from farmer to farmer gathering those ingredients. That’s one thing that has made us different: We are totally focused on local farmers and seasonally based. And we’ve built out a connection with local chefs.”
In the four years of Garnish & Gather, the company has grown to offer five main dish meal kits each week, a dessert kit or two, and a grocery option with prepared foods, eggs, bread, cheese and local produce. Customers can order a meal kit, or several, for dinner next week, but also the ingredients they need for breakfast, or for lunch, or for another meal they will cook from scratch.
Once a month, Garnish & Gather customers can cook like a local chef with “Be the Chef ” specials. They can make Kevin Gillespie’s Korean Pork Bulgogi Lettuce Wrap at home, or try the Steak & Chimichurri meal kit from chef Chris Grossman of Atlas at the St. Regis.
Golub started her business with no background in the food industry. “I was an aspiring home cook, looking up recipes on Pinterest on the weekends. It took a lot of networking, going to farmers markets and asking, ‘Can I buy from you?’ and meeting chefs and getting the permits. In June 2013, we launched. A chef helped develop the recipes, and I tested them in my kitchen. I had to work out how to portion and package all the ingredients.”
Developing the website was critical in moving Garnish & Gather to the next level. This is the business showroom, showcasing the meals available and the additional grocery options, explaining how people can pick up their products or arrange delivery and answering questions about how membership works, what to do about food allergies or how long the ingredients will last before cooking.
“The website was a big learning curve. … Once the website was ready, we started adding groceries slowly, and then prepared foods. Those prepared foods are now a big seller, which we think is because they really help out for busy weeknights and lunches.”
Now Garnish & Gather has three full-time salaried employees and about 15 “gatherers” who help pack the meals.
Each Garnish & Gather meal kit arrives with everything needed for the meal except salt, pepper and oil or butter. They can’t send out beer or wine, so if your recipe needs one of those, you’ll have to supply it yourself.
Best-sellers are enchiladas and fish tacos. There are always at least two gluten-free meals available and a range of proteins. The meals are delivered in reusable shopping bags so there are no boxes or ice packs to deal with. The company has 1,000 subscribers.
“Our customers enjoy being in the kitchen but just don’t have time to put everything together. We have lots of young married couples, young families and lots of empty nesters and those who are busy professionals. They tend to order one or two meals a week,” Golub said. “We have no minimum requirement, so you never have more meals coming than you can use.”
“Be the Chef” has been extremely popular and in 2018 will include meals from their customers’ favorite chefs and new meals from Canoe, One Eared Stag, Ford Fry, Upbeet and more. For the holidays, Garnish & Gather has a special offer. Holiday gift cards are available, and with each purchase of $75 or more, they will include a set of stemless wineglasses. For more information, visit garnishandgather.com.