Chef-to-consumer platform brings professionally trained culinary talent to three new metros, now trusted by over 180,000 families nationwide
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Shef, the innovative meal delivery platform connecting households with local culinary talent, today announced the expansion of its Weekly Shef Service to Austin, Boston, and Washington, D.C. This latest expansion brings Shef's revolutionary "shared personal chef" model to three of America's most dynamic food cities.
The Weekly Shef Service reimagines mealtime by offering families the best of both worlds: the quality and connection of having your own personal chef, combined with the convenience and affordability of traditional meal delivery. Each week, families can mix and match dishes from multiple local chefs, building a personalized menu of fresh, made-to-order meals delivered straight to their door. Every chef on the platform is rigorously vetted, with many bringing experience from the kitchens of America's most acclaimed fine dining establishments.
UNCOMPROMISING QUALITY STANDARDS
Every dish offered through the Weekly Shef Service undergoes rigorous vetting, including taste testing by Shef's internal taste testers, comprised exclusively of professionals from Michelin-starred kitchens. This commitment to excellence extends to chef selection: fewer than 5% of applicants are accepted onto the platform, ensuring families receive only the highest caliber of culinary talent.
"Our culinary team brings decades of fine dining experience to evaluating every chef and every dish on our platform," said Allegra Crespi, Head of Culinary Strategy at Shef. "We taste test everything - from family comfort food to globally-inspired cuisine - because our families deserve high quality, nourishing meals that also feel like home. That's the magic of our shared personal chef model."
EXCEPTIONAL CULINARY TALENT JOINS THE PLATFORM
To support this expansion, Shef has onboarded a new class of over 100 chefs across Austin, Boston, and Washington, D.C. These culinary professionals bring impressive credentials from some of the world's most celebrated kitchens and institutions, including:
- Graduates of acclaimed culinary programs including the New England Culinary Institute, with training from instructors at the Culinary Institute of America and Escoffier
- Michelin-trained chefs from acclaimed restaurants including Nari and Marcel's
- Chefs specializing in a wide range of global cuisines, from Italian and Mediterranean to Caribbean, Egyptian, and Cajun-Creole
- Executive chefs from Google's culinary program, Compass Group, and Emeril Lagasse concepts
"After 15 years cooking in some of the finest kitchens in Boston and D.C. - including Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert and L'Espalier - I've found a way to do what I love most: create the kind of food I grew up with on my family's farm, made with care, for families who will actually sit down and enjoy it together," said Chef Paul Charbonneau, a new "shef" in Boston who trained at the New England Culinary Institute and honed his craft in acclaimed French and New American kitchens. "Shef lets me build something meaningful on my own terms."
TRUSTED BY 180,000+ FAMILIES NATIONWIDE
With this expansion, Shef now operates its new Weekly Shef Service in eight major metropolitan areas: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, Boston, and Washington, D.C. The platform connects families with thousands of fully vetted and trusted chefs, offering a diverse array of cuisines - from elevated American comfort food to authentic global specialties.
"Shef enables families to connect with the incredible chefs in their own communities — giving families access to the quality and care of a personal chef at a price that beats takeout," said Joey Grassia, Co-founder and CEO of Shef. "Our shared personal-chef model isn't just about putting dinner on the table — it's about creating a human-centered food system where talented chefs can build sustainable businesses while families get delicious, nourishing meals without the stress of cooking every night. We're thrilled to bring this to Austin, Boston, and D.C."
KEY FEATURES OF THE WEEKLY SHEF SERVICE
- Professional Quality: Every chef rigorously vetted by Shef's Michelin-trained culinary team, with an acceptance rate under 5%
- Affordability: Plans start at just $54 per week - less than typical family takeout spending
- Flexibility: Skip, pause, cancel, or adjust meals and portion sizes weekly
- Variety: New chefs added regularly; mix and match meals from different culinary artists
- Local Impact: Every meal directly supports a food entrepreneur in your community
ABOUT SHEF
Shef is redefining mealtime by connecting families with their own shared personal chef. The platform curates the best local culinary talent to deliver fresh, homemade meals - combining the warmth of home cooking with the ease of delivery, all at a price that beats takeout. Founded by Joey Grassia and Alvin Salehi, sons of immigrants who understand the power of food to build community and create opportunity, Shef empowers talented local food entrepreneurs while solving mealtime for busy families. Inspired by their mothers' dedication to nourishing their families through food, they built a platform that enables local chefs to earn a meaningful income by doing the same for their communities. Today, Shef operates in cities across the U.S., including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Visit www.shef.com to discover your shared personal chef.
Media Contact
Anthony Mangia, Shef, 1 908-616-2691, [email protected], https://www.shef.com
SOURCE Shef
Share this article