Shef Cooks Up Nationwide Expansion After $73.5M Series B
The chef-to-consumer marketplace will use the new funding to help local cooks turn their talents into small businesses
Shef, a culinary entrepreneur platform, plans to expand nationwide after closing a $73.5 million Series B funding round.
The latest round brings Shef’s total funding to over $100 million, and has caught the eye of celebrity investors such as Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom.
The funding round, led by CRV, included participation from Andreessen Horowitz and Amex Ventures. Other Shef investors include celebrity chefs Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods), Carla Hall (The Chew, Top Chef), Kristen Kish (Top Chef, Iron Chef) and Nyesha Arrington (Next Level Chef).
Odell Beckham Jr., Tony Robbins, Visa CFO Vasant Prabhu, AngelList founder Naval Ravikant, Poshmark founder Manish Chandra and former Airbnb executives Belinda Johnson and Joe Zadeh are also participating investors in Shef.
It’s the most significant investment ever in a chef-to-consumer marketplace, elevating local chefs’ reach to new customers by providing them with a business platform.
With the platform, “shefs” set their availability and menus to cook and sell homemade food to their communities.
Members looking to nosh can hop on Shef to search for cooks in their area, explore menus and check out reviews before placing an order for delivery.
With the new funding injection, Shef will help connect thousands of cooks in the United States with consumers looking for locally prepared, healthy, high-quality food options. The platform will also invest in product developments, including new preference and customization features, to deliver a personalized experience.
Shef points out that as of last year, all 50 states now allow for the sale of certain types of homemade food.
The chef-to-consumer brand launched in the Bay Area in 2019 and currently operates in 11 states and Washington, D.C. Since launching, thousands of “shefs” have joined the talented culinary marketplace.
Shef reports that its food safety certified food prep pros are 85% women and 80% people of color, many of whom are immigrants or refugees representing 100 countries. Cooks on the Shef platform have earned tens of millions of dollars in net income, says Shef, and have reached 70 million consumers.
“With our plans to bring Shef nationwide this year, we’re focused on enabling anyone, anywhere to become a food entrepreneur – something that would have been a true economic lifeline for both (co-founder Alvin Salehi’s) and my family when they immigrated to the U.S.,” said Shef co-founder and CEO Joey Grassia.
The company also supports non-profits and has donated over 10,000 meals to those in need, as well as established an initiative to help Afghan refugees.
Cooks can apply to sell their specialties on the Shef platform here.
