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Imagine being able to recreate some of the best restaurant dishes in your own home, with tips from the chefs themselves. Starting next February, ChefShares, a Denver-based startup, wants you to do just that.
Founded by Eric Nance and Ryan Eckhardt, two software developers who love food and going out to eat, the platform brings together chefs, foodies and those looking for a bit more expertise in the kitchen. “We love to eat out at great restaurants. We always thought it would be cool to be able to bring those recipes home with us and recreate a portion of that dining experience within our own home, with our own family,” said Nance.
Chefs can use the site to promote their work, share their most popular recipes and introduce followers to new items. Users, which Nance fondly refers to as “foodies,” can expand their cooking repertoire, learn new tricks and do it without having to buy an entire cookbook. It allows diners to take home that restaurant experience and build a stronger connection with chefs at local restaurants. “There’s plenty of times you are out enjoying things at a restaurant and you wonder, man, how do they make this sauce?” said Eckhardt.
For many chefs, expanding their business beyond the restaurant is hard. Celebrity chefs are few and far between, but Denver’s thriving restaurant scene is ripe for a bit of stardom. ChefShares allows local chefs to get a bit more attention while sharing the secret behind some of the town’s favorite menu items. “It’s a way for restaurants and chefs to share some of their talents that you don’t get through the restaurant experience,” said Nance.
The app is currently in beta testing, with chefs testing out the back end and foodies on the front end. Like so many other software designers, the team is all about making improvements along the way. “The way we see the beta testing is again an iterative process,” said Nance. ChefShares hopes to have an app out for the general public by February, just in time to make your loved one a special Valentine’s meal.
Initially, the app will target local chefs, after all, Denver has such a great restaurant scene. “Within the next 6 months we’d love to see it expand outside of Denver proper and bring in other chefs and restaurants,” said Nance. Eventually, the product could expand into drinks as well.
The startup is currently a two-man show. They are bootstrapping now and are focused on getting the app out and growing their user base. Eckhardt offers some advice for budding entrepreneurs: “You really have to stay focused to keep yourself on track. A lot of people get lost in the excitement.”
Until the app is out, foodies can wet their appetite but checking out some of ChefShare’s favorite spots in Denver. Those include Old Major, Highland Tap, Vesta (they especially like the sauces) and Café Diva in Steamboat.
