The origins of the CookIN app, Co-developed with Chef Ron Tornari,  was born from Mauricio Garcia’s frustration with the repetitive options available for ordering out while on work trips. He yearned for the comfort of homemade food and began to envision a platform where professional chefs and talented home cooks can showcase their skills and connect with those seeking delicious, homemade meals. 

As Garcia explained to show host Shawn Walchef, “I was kind of sick and tired of ordering the same food. ..And the food I can’t experience is homemade food. And that’s when the idea came about.” 

With CookIN, customers can easily log on to the app, select their favorite cuisine or top rated chef, select an arrival time for the chef, and sit back. The chef will bring the pots, pans, ingredients, and leave the kitchen clean.

Ron Tornari emphasizes the importance of recruiting a niche market of chefs and ensuring they are properly certified to provide an exceptional experience, and a level of safety as chefs are entering customers’ homes. 

“I think our niche market will be the younger chef, the younger culinary, and coming out of high school, culinary technical school, going through culinary college.” Tornari says. “We’re working on getting them their ServSafe, their certificates for food borne illnesses, things like that; Background checks, because they are going to be going into people’s homes.”

CookIN’s mission extends across both customers and chefs by filling a significant need on both sides. Tornari and Garcia aim to create a platform that connects talented cooks with busy individuals who crave homemade meals but lack the time to cook. 

“We’re focusing a lot on chefs, professional chefs, cooks, people that are from the industry. But the big picture, the grand vision is that as this begins to grow, provide the opportunity even for people that have not necessarily worked at a professional kitchen or restaurant, but they are really good at what they do.” says Garcia

The app is designed to facilitate not only professional growth but also to offer users a delightful experience, with chefs cooking in their homes, filling them with the enticing aromas of freshly prepared meals blending the opportunity for growth for chefs and home cooked meals for customers needing to reclaim some time, or ones that one the unique experience of a wine tasting or cooking class at home.

“It’s really a very simple concept, but I know there’s a lot of need out there.”

Digital Hospitality is an interview-based video podcast hosted by business owner Shawn P. Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) and produced by his Cali BBQ Media company sponsored by Marqii (@getmarqii) The weekly digital series explores the ways successful businesses and entrepreneurs have merged old and new with innovative digital strategies that harness the power of the Internet and social media. Shawn is the founder of Cali BBQ Media and creator of the Restaurant Influencers podcast on Entrepreneur Media.
➤ Restaurant Influencers — https://link.chtbl.com/RIpodcast
➤ Business Coaching — https://forms.gle/cnQ3sefMcAxQXbKa6
➤ Cali BBQ Content — https://content.calibbq.media