UMAMA is a mobile app through which elite private chefs design and deliver meal packages for you based on your culinary and dietary preferences.
How it works:
• Describe dietary needs inside the app such as allergies, aversions, and restrictions.• You swipe on pictures of food so that we understand what you like.
• The more you swipe, the more we can customize meals just for you. It's pretty much a dating app for food...
• Contact your chef via Zoom, phone call, or text, or stay hands-off if you prefer.
• Tell us if anyone is joining you.
• We cook in our kitchen in the West Village and deliver meals throughout NYC, New Jersey, Long Island, and Connecticut.
• No commitments. Book when you need it.
• For every order placed, we donate a meal to a new monthly charity helping provide food security in NYC.
Our private chefs use your dietary and culinary preferences to design the perfect menu for you. This is what makes UMAMA unique from all other food offerings. Meal prep services don't offer this level of customized service, and private chefs for hire cost several times more than UMAMA. Ordering takeout and going out to eat are more expensive and less customized than UMAMA. Grocery shopping and planning and cooking and cleaning is a fine option ... except for the part where you have to shop, plan, cook, and clean.
We provide the benefits of having your own private chef at a fraction of the price. We do this by cultivating a perfect list of ingredients and potential meals based on your meal swipes and preference inputs, which our chefs use as a starting point for designing your perfect menu. In essence, we have made customized meal prep a more accessible service by a combination of unique technology and finding chefs who are experts in tailoring meals to specific clients.
One of the best parts of UMAMA is that we get better with time. The more we understand your preferences and meal ratings, the better we will adjust to exceed your expectations. There is no option like us. We're a private chef in your pocket.
Download the mobile app. Swipe on pictures of meals created by UMAMA chefs so we get a sense for your preferences. The more you swipe, the more we know about your taste profile. You can also explicitly input allergies, aversions, and dietary restrictions - these will always be respected and you can update these settings at any time.
When you are ready to order, browse the main "Eat" tab. We have various order types that can accommodate your needs whether you're ordering for one or for multiple people.
Once you've selected your order type, you can choose between meal package sizes (more details in next section). If you are ordering for yourself and someone else with different preferences than you (for instance if you eat meat but your partner is vegetarian), we will walk you through inputting your dining companion's preferences - it will only take a moment. If your dining companion has their own UMAMA account, you can add their preferences automatically.
Finally, add any order notes, then checkout. You'll see your delivery slot on the checkout page.
We deliver on Wednesdays between 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
We are adding new delivery times soon.
If you need a different delivery time, please contact us.
Your chef will design meals that function as either lunch or dinner and that can be eaten for 3-5 days while retaining their freshness. There is a natural trade off between how long meals will last and the fresh, local nature of the ingredients we are sourcing. Our chefs are very thoughtful about designing meals that fit client preferences and still hold up well. If there is variability across the menu, the chef will leave instructions suggesting which meals to eat first.
Our service has far fewer food handlers than typical foodservice (due to the local food sourcing and single chef working on your meal), and our chefs are regularly tested and wearing masks at all times.
Our delivery service is contact-free.
We screen chefs with third party background checks, safety certification validation, and a selective interview process that validates food handling & safety knowledge, cooking excellence, and interpersonal professionalism.
We deliver throughout New York City and Westchester County and to select areas of New Jersey, Connecticut, and Long Island. Please contact us if you area trying to order and aren't in a covered area, as we may be able to accommodate your order.
Here is our current zip code coverage:
Manhattan
10001, 10002, 10003, 10004, 10005, 10006, 10007, 10008, 10009, 10010, 10011, 10012, 10013, 10014, 10015, 10016, 10017, 10018, 10019, 10020, 10021, 10022, 10023, 10024, 10025, 10026, 10027, 10028, 10029, 10036, 10038, 10041, 10045, 10048, 10055, 10060, 10069, 10090, 10095, 10103, 10104, 10105, 10106, 10107, 10110, 10111, 10112, 10115, 10118, 10119, 10120, 10121, 10122, 10123, 10128, 10151, 10152, 10153, 10154, 10155, 10158, 10161, 10162, 10165, 10166, 10167, 10168, 10169, 10170, 10171, 10172, 10173, 10174, 10175, 10176, 10177, 10178, 10199, 10270, 10271, 10278, 10279, 10280, 10281, 10282, 10065, 10075, 10030, 10031, 10037, 10043, 10080, 10081, 10087, 10101, 10102, 10108, 10109, 10113, 10114, 10116, 10117, 10124, 10125, 10126, 10129, 10130, 10131, 10132, 10133, 10138, 10150, 10156, 10157, 10159, 10160, 10163, 10164, 10179, 10185, 10203, 10211, 10212, 10213, 10242, 10249, 10256, 10258, 10259, 10260, 10261, 10265, 10268, 10269, 10272, 10273, 10274, 10275, 10276, 10277, 10285, 10286
Upper Manhattan / Bronx
10030, 10031, 10037, 10039, 10032, 10033, 10040, 10034, 10451, 10452, 10453, 10454, 10455, 10456, 10457, 10458, 10459, 10460, 10462, 10468, 10472, 10473, 10474
Brooklyn
11212, 11213, 11216, 11233, 11238, 11209, 11214, 11228, 11204, 11218, 11219, 11230, 11223, 11224, 11229, 11235, 11201, 11205, 11215, 11217, 11231, 11203, 11210, 11225, 11226, 11207, 11208, 11211, 11222, 11220, 11232, 11206, 11221, 11237
Queens
11414, 11415, 11416, 11417, 11418, 11419, 11420, 11421, 11004, 11005, 11411, 11413, 11422, 11426, 11427, 11428, 11429, 11374, 11375, 11379, 11385, 11101, 11102, 11103, 11104, 11105, 11106, 11109, 11120, 11412, 11423, 11432, 11433, 11434, 11435, 11436, 11365, 11366, 11367, 11354, 11355, 11356, 11357, 11358, 11359, 11360, 11361, 11362, 11363, 11364, 11365, 11366, 11367, 11368, 11369, 11372, 11373, 11377, 11378
Staten Island
10302, 10303, 10310, 10306, 10307, 10308, 10309, 10312, 10301, 10304, 10305, 10314
Western Long Island
11051, 11052, 11053, 11023, 11024, 11026, 11575, 11005, 11020, 11021, 11042, 11004, 11030, 11050, 11576, 11501, 11514, 11507, 11577, 11596, 11040, 11042, 11545, 11548, 11568
Westchester County
10501, 10502, 10503, 10504, 10505, 10506, 10507, 10510, 10511, 10514, 10517, 10518, 10519, 10520, 10522, 10523, 10526, 10527, 10528, 10530, 10532, 10533, 10535, 10536, 10538, 10540, 10543, 10546, 10547, 10548, 10549, 10550, 10552, 10553, 10560, 10562, 10566, 10567, 10570, 10573, 10576, 10577, 10578, 10580, 10583, 10587, 10588, 10589, 10590, 10591, 10594, 10595, 10596, 10597, 10598, 10601, 10603, 10604, 10605, 10606, 10607, 10701, 10702, 10703, 10704, 10706, 10707, 10708, 10709, 10710, 10801, 10803, 10804, 10805
Connecticut
06830, 06831, 06836, 06807, 06878, 06870
New Jersey
07069, 07920, 07081, 08558, 07960, 08540, 07042, 07828, 07024
Very! Our chefs use sustainable and locally sourced ingredients as much as possible. We use reusable food storage containers whenever possible. When we must use single-use food packaging, we use compostable and/or biodegradable versions.
