Blackened tilapia tacos are just one meal option from Terra's Kitchen, hitting Richmond next month. (Photo courtesy: Terra's Kitchen)
You: love healthy food, hate grocery shopping, frequently cut yourself chopping onions and have cash to burn when it comes to quick, delicious meals. Terra’s Kitchen: sources healthy ingredients, preps and sorts them into meal concepts and delivers them to your house after some quick click-n-pay action on the Internet. Consider yourself match-made; on March 7, the West Coast success story will launch in the east, and Richmond is one of the prominent eastern target markets.
The idea of meal delivery isn’t new, and it’s becoming more popular every year. As far as brands with national reach, there’s Blue Apron, Plated, Forage, Hello Fresh — the list goes on. Terra’s Kitchen features one interesting difference, though: Rather than the insulated box or tote bag chosen by those companies for fresh delivery, your Terra’s Kitchen order arrives in an eco-friendly cube with drawers that keep everything cool and organized; like the headline implies, it’s literally the whole kit and caboodle.
Farm-to-front-door nourishment is Terra’s Kitchen’s focus. Vegetables and meats get sourced from farms and ranches that “practice environmentally friendly and sustainable agriculture and promote animal welfare,” according to the company site, and as the brand expands east, you can count on your meals being sourced regionally. Head of Culinary Direction Libbie Summers transforms these goods into meal kits with both healthy eating and a speedy cooking time in mind, and all meals can be made in 30 minutes or less. Vegetarian, gluten-free, Paleo and non-GMO options are labeled as such on the online ordering menu.
Curious about the food? Sample items include honey mustard chicken breast with grilled vegetable kabobs ($14 per meal), spicy Southwest steak bowls ($15 per meal), tomato-scallion rice with cheesy grilled squash ($13 per meal), and fajita-style street tacos ($15 per meal). Each item comes portioned for two, though, so those numbers would actually be multiplied by two, per order. Delivery is free, but the minimum for delivery is $84. No meal tops out over $19 per individual serving.
It’s convenient if you like to cook, although the model may struggle against pre-cooked meal delivery services like local hero Daily Jars. If you love home delivery kits and your preference is that just-out-of-the-pan sizzle, Terra’s Kitchen seems a great option. There are 15 meals from which to choose when you plan out your next week’s — or month’s — dinner plan, commitment and fee-free.
Service begins in the Richmond area on March 7; get a head start on your selection process online.
Correction: Terra's Kitchen was originally scheduled to debut in Richmond on March 1; its start date is now March 7. This piece has been updated to reflect this.
