What if you could eat a healthy, locally-sourced lunch everyday and help the environment and people in need at the same time? It sounds far-fetched but Philly-based company, Simply Good Jars, has made it happen.
Founder and chef, Jared Cannon, first got the idea four years ago, but the company only just launched officially this past November.
“I’ve been a professional chef now for over 17 years,” he says. “I found myself at the intersection of realizing that food waste was a huge problem, not just in restaurants but globally. Also, healthy food options were hard to come-by and rarely even taste good enough to want again. I think for me, there were all sorts of boxes I wanted to check if I was going to start a company.”
With their subscription service, you can either get three lunches in a jar or two lunches and two breakfasts in a jar, with delivery included for $26 a week. Each jar is under 600 calories and stays fresh in the fridge up to five days. They also offer a catering service as well — perfect for eating fresh at in-office meetings.
I tried the simply salmon, which features baby arugula, raw cucumber, raw radish, raw fennel, scallions, feta cheese, hot-smoked salmon, Israeli couscous and aji-lemon vinaigrette. It was as if I had a personal chef for my work lunch, and I didn’t even have to worry about grabbing it to go or even getting a plate. I just shook the jar to mix up all the ingredients (which are layered separately to keep them fresh) and bam — lunch was served. I ate it right out of the jar.
If you’re the kind of person who is always eating the same thing, Simply Good Jars is a great way to eat more seasonally, too.
“We work with about 25 local farms, and so naturally our menus change with the crop rotations which happen about every six to eight weeks,” Cannon says. “Eating seasonally combined with sourcing locally guarantees fresh products and the most retained nutrition.”
And whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or have dietary restrictions of any kind, Simply Good Jars curates your meals with that in mind.
“Each week you will receive meals that align to your needs and also change week-to-week,” Cannon says. “If you have a must-have favorite, just let us know and we’ll make sure it’s included.”
In an effort to save the environment and give back to the community at the same time, the company also encourages customers to save their used jars to be picked up later. For each returned jar, Simply Good Jars is able to donate a meal to people in need.
“We have grown over 500% in three short months and have donated more than 3500 meals to those in need,” Cannon says. “It’s amazing how many people are willing to help and we are proud and excited to continue our goal towards expanding access to healthy food options and engaging our local communities here in Philadelphia and beyond.”
For more information on Simply Good Jars, visit: simplygoodjars.com.
