Food & Wine News South Africa

UCook launches cook-along campaign to support local restaurants

As the local restaurant trade continues to take strain amidst the Covid-19 crisis, UCook has launched a new initiative aimed at rescuing some of these ailing outlets.

UCook for Restaurants will see the brand teaming up with restaurants and chefs to bring their quintessential flavours into people’s homes. Each week UCook will offer a specific restaurant's featured dish, and with each dish ordered, a portion of the revenue will go directly to the restaurant.

“It’s undeniable that amongst all the chaos caused by Covid-19 and lockdown, hospitality, and particularly restaurants, has been one of the commercial sectors hardest hit,” says UCook CEO David Torr.

Live cook-along sessions with featured chefs

As a special feature, UCook will be hosting live cook-along sessions on multi-channels each week with the featured chef to help those that ordered the meal to join in and cook the dish with live expert guidance. “Viewers will be able to ask questions, pick up tips and tricks and really experience the personality of the chef whilst preparing their meal,” says Torr.

UCook will team up with a series of restaurants and their owners to help support the industry that has supported UCook since inception. The first restaurant to be featured is Karen Dudley’s The Kitchen. The Kitchen, prior to lockdown, was a bustling eatery in the heart of Woodstock, Cape Town. Some of Dudley’s signature dishes include ‘Love Sandwiches’ served on artisanal rolls with delectable pestos, and beautifully presented salads with incredible ingredients like lime, sesame, goats cheese and coriander.

UCook launches cook-along campaign to support local restaurants
UCook launches cook-along campaign to support local restaurants

Following The Kitchen will be all time favourites including Franck Dangereux’s The Food Barn and Reuben Riffel, amongst many others. Torr says that they’ve also built in an instant donation mechanism that will be found on UCook’s social media channels, so those not ordering UCook can still support restaurateurs.

Cook-along sessions will take place on the following dates, with more planned for August:

  • The Kitchen’s Chef Karen Dudley – 30 June
  • The Foodbarn’s Chef Franck Dangereux – 7 July
  • Jerusalem’s Chef Reuben Riffel – 14 July
  • Il Leone's Daniel Toledo – 21 July

The Kitchen’s recipe will be live for ordering on UCook from Wednesday, 17 June. Delivery of the meal will be on 29 June and the live cook-along will take place on Tuesday, 30 June. For more details, go to UCook.co.za.

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