Being A Chef Is As Easy As One, Two, Three

Meal-kit delivery service Gourmet By Numbers is out to show food lovers that if you can read, you can cook.

Story by April Cumming

On any given Tuesday, you can most likely find Heather Amalaha motoring through the Austin metropolis, dropping off insulated tote bags on people’s doorsteps.

Amalaha, the founder and CEO of Gourmet By Numbers, started her meal-kit delivery company two years ago, in February 2014. For technicality’s sake, though, the company was first conceptualized when she was an undergrad majoring in nutrition and food studies.

After finishing undergrad and graduate school, she returned to Austin five years ago—married and with two kids in tow—and started working as a financial analyst at Dell. As any working mom can sympathize, it didn’t take long for Amalaha to realize how hard it was to work a 9-to-5 job only to come home and have to work a second job, taking care of her kids and getting a home-cooked meal on the table before they were off to bed.

After two years of working at Dell, she thought, “Maybe corporate America isn’t for me and I just need to go pursue what I actually want to do.”

Fortunately, she already had an idea and a business plan sitting in her back pocket. She had done a lot of research on food trends during her undergrad studies. It was a time when companies were creating new business concepts for people to go into a store, prep a bunch of meals and then freeze them for the rest of the month. Amalaha envisioned something more promising.

“I really thought there had to be a better way to get fresh food—less casserole-type stuff you may get sick of— and not spend an entire Sunday doing that. That’s really where the idea came from,” she says.

To get her plan off the ground, she turned to crowdfunding. It was, in her words, a way to “get social proof” that the meal-kit service was a concept people were interested in. By May 2014, she had exceeded her Indiegogo campaign goal of $22,000, and was awarded a $50,000 startup grant from the Business and Community Lenders of Texas, a Keep Austin Funded partner.

Amalaha got to prepping and partnering with seasonal- produce providers Johnson’s Backyard Garden and Farm to Table.

Each Gourmet By Numbers meal kit is created to serve as many as four people and takes less than 30 minutes to make. Included in the insulated tote bag is a recipe and all the pre-chopped and pre-measured ingredients, taking any planning, shopping and food prep off the table.

Amalaha comfortably admits she is not a chef, which is why she wanted to make sure all the recipes and directions were explained in a way that was easy enough for a beginner to understand.

“For a lot of people who weren’t taught how to cook,” she says, “this is a great way for them to be able to participate.”

Since her store opened, Amalaha has seen her subscriber base grow tenfold, with the majority of customers consisting of young professionals on one or two meal-serving plans. Meal-kit subscribers have access to a menu of 30 standby recipes and six new rotating recipes each month.

While her long-term goal is to open more stores and provide more locally sourced food to more people, Amalaha is currently focused on hiring her first delivery driver, someone to take over her Tuesday shift.

The Guest-Chef Program

Heather Amalaha, founder and CEO of meal-kit delivery service Gourmet By Numbers, partners with one personal or restaurant chef in the Austin community once a month to add diversity to her menu. So far, she has worked with chefs like Terry Wilson of Sala & Betty, who contributed a recipe for Moroccan lamb meatloaf with couscous and green beans.

“What’s great about that dish is that it’s also something [Wilson serves] at the restaurant,” Amalaha says. It’s a trend Mary Scala, Gourmet By Numbers’ chief marketing officer, calls “the un-restaurant experience.”

“People want an experience, they want this really awesome food, but they don’t want to actually have to go to a restaurant,” Scala explains. “So, [Gourmet By Numbers] gives them a way to have a restaurant experience at home.”

Try these recipes from Gourmet By Numbers on your own or visit gourmetbynumbers.com to sign up for meals delivered straight to you.

Chipotle Vegetable Posole

Serves two

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 chipotle chili with adobo sauce, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth 15 ounces hominy, rinsed and drained
1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
1 cup corn, off the cob
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
1/4 cup cabbage, shredded
6 each, cilantro stems and leaves

Directions:

1. Cook the posole. Heat a medium pot over medium heat and add the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add in the onions and let them cook, stirring occasionally for about five minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.

2. Add the oregano and cumin, stirring to combine, then add the zucchini. Let it all cook for one to two minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste and chipotle in adobo. Let it cook for about two minutes, stirring occasionally so the bottom does not burn. The vegetables should be coated in the paste and adobo.

4. Stir in the broth, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the drained tomatoes and hominy, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add in the corn and let the soup simmer uncovered for at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

5. Garnish. Before serving, season to taste with salt, pepper and freshly squeezed lime juice. Serve with crumbled queso fresco, cabbage and cilantro garnishes on top or on side.

Note: Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for as long as five days. Reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Thai Red Curry Coconut Soup with Shrimp

(Vegan if no shrimp is used)
Serves two

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons neutral-flavored, high-heat cooking oil
1/3 cup white or yellow onion, sliced
1/2 cup bell pepper, sliced
1/3 cup carrots, sliced in quarter-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk, canned
1 cup snap peas or snow peas
4 ounces small shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Black pepper, to taste
Lime wedges for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat a medium pot over medium heat and add in the oil. When the oil is hot, stir in the onion, bell pepper and carrots. Cook for three to four minutes, stirring only occasionally, until the onions and bell pepper start to soften. Stir in the garlic, fresh ginger and curry paste, and cook for one minute, stirring frequently.

2. Stir in the red pepper flakes (if using) and broth, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once it’s boiling, reduce to medium-low heat, cover and let it simmer for eight to 10 minutes. Uncover, stir in the coconut milk and let it simmer another five minutes. Add in the shrimp and peas, simmer for another five minutes, then stir in the soy sauce and brown sugar.

3. Remove from the heat and season to taste with lime juice, black pepper and more soy sauce (if needed). Stir in the fresh basil and cilantro, and serve immediately, accompanied with lime wedges.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps With Peanut Sauce

(Gluten-free if gluten-free soy sauce is used)
Serves two

Ingredients:

Filling:
1 tablespoon neutral -flavored cooking oil
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
Small pinch crushed red pepper
3/4 pound (12 ounces) ground chicken thighs
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 sliced scallions, divided

For serving:
46 romaine or butter lettuce leaves
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup cabbage, finely shredded
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
4 lime wedges

For peanut sauce:
1/2 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons water, or more if needed
Sriracha hot sauce, to taste (optional)
2 tablespoons peanuts, roasted, for garnish

Directions:

1. To cook the filling, heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add in the onions and bell pepper. Cook for one to two minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 30 seconds, then add the ground chicken. Cook the chicken for about eight minutes, breaking it up occasionally with a wooden spoon or spatula to cook evenly.

2. While the filling cooks, start on the peanut sauce. Heat the cooking oil in a medium pot. When the oil is hot, add in the garlic and ginger, and cook for one minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

3. Stir in the coconut milk and brown sugar, then let the mixture come to a simmer. When it starts to bubble, remove it from the heat and start adding in the peanut butter. As it begins to melt, whisk the peanut butter to help the mixture emulsify. Whisk in the soy sauce, lime juice and water, adding more water to thin out the sauce if needed. Note: If the peanut butter isn't melting, put the pot back over very low heat, being careful not to let it get too hot, as it will break, separating the oil. If it breaks, whisk in a little more water.

4. Season with Sriracha sauce if needed and immediately pour the sauce into a serving dish. Garnish with roasted peanuts.

5. When the chicken filling is cooked through, stir in the hoisin, soy sauce and sesame oil, andremove the pan from the heat. Stir in the lime juice and half of the sliced scallions, reserving the rest for garnish.

6. To serve, scoop a few tablespoons of the filling into each of the lettuce leaves. Top with shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with peanut sauce and lime wedges on the side.

Photos by David Zacek.