By combining video conferencing, experienced chefs and a love of sharing experiences over food, The Chef & The Dish brings the experience of a Spanish, Italian or Thai kitchen to homes around the world.
Founded by Burlington resident Jenn Nicken in 2015, The Chef & The Dish allows users to video call with chefs from around the world who will walk them through cooking a three-course meal with authentic recipes, ingredients and experience.
“We’re about cooking, but it’s a lot more than that,” Nicken said. “It’s about bringing together cultures and people from around the world. My belief is that food is the ultimate connector and if you can share a table and enjoy a conversation over a meal, you’re able to connect in ways that you otherwise can’t. All of your differences disappear and you just become people who are enjoying conversation and making memories over a dinner table.”
Nicken was born in Buffalo, New York, and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from university to work for an advertising agency, and found that the further she got from Buffalo, the less authentic Buffalo chicken wings would be. She worked with Apple through her advertising job and helped to bring the iPod and iTunes to Canada, and got to experience the Mac computer with a built-in camera for video conferencing. After moving to Toronto for work, she began taking cooking classes as a hobby, which inspired her to enter the food industry and combine her knowledge of video conferencing, cooking and her experiences travelling the world into The Chef & The Dish.
“I realized that there was a way to use my history of technology and bring people together,” she said. “Using video conferencing, you could have a chef in Thailand join you for two and a half hours in the evening. She could teach you to make pad thai, she watches you cook, you’re watching her sunrise and having conversations while cooking the most authentic meal you can.”
Nicken believes that The Chef & The Dish is one of the most interesting forms of home entertainment and is perfect for date nights or corporate group classes.
The cooking classes vary from teaching users how to make pasta, stews and steaks to beignets, basque cheesecake and strudel, and adapt to fit chefs of all skill levels.
“Every single class we offer is tailored just to you,” Nicken said. “Everything is ranged from beginner to advanced and the chef knows how to make it so that you’re able to complete that menu even if you’re a beginner, and if you’re a more advanced cook then they can add some extra flair to bring it up to your level.”
There are currently 15 chefs working with The Chef & The Dish who live in places like Milan, Mumbai, New Orleans, Budapest and more.
The Chef & The Dish is continuing to succeed and grow after almost a decade, but Nicken doesn’t plan to change what makes the service special.
“I really believe that you have to be one step ahead of what you’re doing,” she said. “One step ahead of what people want and what they’re looking for, but you have to stay true to what you want to do as a business. There’s always going to be change and growth. Ultimately, I think that we’re just at the start even though we’ve been doing this for nearly 10 years.”
The Chef & The Dish has been featured in Rolling Stone magazine, CNN, Oprah Magazine and more and has held online cooking classes for people on every continent, except Antarctica, as it grows in popularity.
