CookUnity

CookUnity is a chef-driven meal delivery service bringing restaurant-quality, fully prepared meals directly to consumers’ homes. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as restaurants across the country shut down, CookUnity saw an opportunity to both support chefs and meet the growing demand for high-quality at-home dining. Elevate partnered with the brand to identify and onboard top-tier culinary talent, helping build the foundation for rapid, nationwide growth.

As CookUnity scaled during a pivotal moment for the hospitality industry, its success depended on recruiting chefs who could do more than cook exceptional food. The brand needed partners with strong name recognition, diverse culinary perspectives, and the ability to translate restaurant-quality dishes into a scalable, delivery-first model. Finding chefs who could maintain authenticity while overseeing offsite production and appealing to a broad consumer base proved to be a complex and highly specific challenge, particularly at a national scale.

Elevate's culinary team leveraged its talent network and industry expertise to identify and onboard a curated group of chefs across key U.S. markets. Beginning in New York with chefs like Marc Forgione, Akhtar Nawab, Pat LaFrieda, and Soulayphet Schwader, Elevate helped establish a strong culinary foundation for the platform. The model was then expanded nationally, bringing on chefs such as Ludo Lefebvre in Los Angeles, Michelle Bernstein in South Florida, and Fabio Viviani in Chicago. Beyond sourcing talent, Elevate played a key role in structuring partnerships and advising chefs on how to successfully adapt and scale their menus for a delivery-first platform, ensuring consistency, quality, and long-term viability.