Freshly Teams with Kwame Onwuachi, Kristen Kish, Jet Tila, and Sean Brock on Chef-Designed Meals

Courtesy of Freshly

At this point, it seems like there are only about six people left who haven't tried a meal kit or meal delivery service (and those six people have clearly never heard them advertised on every single podcast ever). But whether you're a longtime Freshly subscriber or a first-timer, this announcement may add some excitement to your weeknight dinners.

The New York-based (and now Nestlé-owned) meal delivery company has announced the launch of Chef's Special by Freshly, a new limited-edition lineup of meals designed by four celebrity chefs. The first meal that will be added to its existing menu of more than 35 options will be Kung Pao Steak with Basmati Rice and Toasted Cashews, a recipe created by chef Jet Tila, an Iron Chef America contestant, James Beard Award nominee, and Emmy Award nominee for his Food Network show Ready Jet Cook. Tila's dish will be available for new and existing Freshly customers from April through June.

"The majority of Americans are eating at home right now rather than dining out, and chefs from all over are getting creative to meet them where they are," Tila said. "With Freshly, it's exciting to have a new platform to bring hundreds of thousands of people access to delicious new cuisine for an elevated experience at home, whether they're in New York City or Nashville, with no cooking required."

Later in June, Freshly will debut Chef Kwame Onwuachi's Escovitch Steak with Jerk Broccoli, Peppers & Coconut Rice. Onwuachi is a James Beard Award-winner (and a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2019), and the author of acclaimed memoir Notes from A Young Black Chef.

Onwuachi's offering will be followed by an Oven-Roasted Pork Chop meal from James Beard Award-winning chef and cookbook author Sean Brock (August–October) and Sliced Beef Brisket from Top Chef winner and Fast Foodies co-host Kristen Kish (October 2021–January 2022).

"In the past year, there's been a steady increase in interest for craft and artisanal food from consumers looking to liven up their pandemic pantries. This appetite for authentic food experiences only continues to grow as consumer tastes and preferences evolve," Mike Wystrach, Freshly's Founder and CEO, said in a statement.

"We're thrilled to welcome this roster of celebrated chefs to the Freshly kitchen to recreate their restaurant-quality meals at scale and give our customers a taste of their cuisine no matter where they are. For this series, we aimed to work with chefs who we were not only inspired from a culinary standpoint but also those who had unique stories to tell and are making a cultural impact in their communities."

Like other Freshly meals, each Chef's Special creation is a single-serving that arrives fully cooked and ready to reheat (just about everything from Freshly takes three-ish minutes to go from fridge to table). The Chef's Special entrees are priced at $9.98, which is $1.49 more than the average Freshly meal. The limited-edition menu items can be added to any weekly Freshly meal plan, regardless of whether it's the 4, 6, 10, or 12- meal option.

Jet Tila's Kung Pao Steak with Basmati Rice and Toasted Cashews will be available starting on Monday, April 5.

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