Join us today on iRemedy, as hosts Tony and Gary Paquin talk with Richard Bennett, co-creator of Epicured. Richard previously worked with Northwell, and created their healthcare incubator, Northshore Health Ventures. More recently, Richard has teamed up with friend and co-creator, Renee Cherkezian, RN. They are using their collective experience in fine cooking, healthcare, and entrepreneurship to put the healing power of food to work. Epicured brings the culinary world together with the clinical world. Epicured has developed a subscription meal delivery service in the New York area that offers 100% low FODMAP and gluten-free food. The meals are healthy, unique, and digestion-friendly. The recipes shy away from the many carbohydrates and sugars that are hard to digest, and even harder to keep track of. The menu is both exciting and accessible; it’s filled with original healthy creations and our takes on everyday favorites and comfort foods. Listen in to today’s podcast to learn more about how the clinical world ties into consumer’s needs for delicious, healthy, quick meals.

Key Takeaways:

[3:05]  Find out how Epicured was founded. What inspired the idea?

[4:44]  Where in New York can I get Epicured delivered?

[5:25] What are some of the challenges in the food delivery business? Mount Sinai Hospital has partnered with Epicured to help provide care in several departments. It’s important for the food to feel like restaurant food, look like restaurant food, smell like restaurant food and be delicious. Fifty percent of our Epicured customers have no clinical need for our food. They eat it because the food is incredible!

[7:30] How does Epicured work? Epicured offers a weekly subscription offering from five meals, up to 20 meals a week. Food is prepared fresh, cooked, and delivered in sustainable packaging to your home or office 1 or 3 times a week. Food just needs to be reheated.

[9:45] It’s difficult to find the balance in this hyper-paced world. Epicured can help you create and get clean, healthy meals quickly.

[10:50] Thirty percent of the U.S. population has some sort of serious digestive disorder.  Currently, Epicured is focused primarily on digestion. Epicured is also beginning to focus on creating menus for heart health, diabetes, neutropenic diet, and dysphagia diet.

[12:05] What is FODMAP? FODMAP is an elimination diet, composed of short chain carbs, sugars that are hard to digest, Monash University in Australia, pioneered the FODMAP Diet. Digestive patients cannot get the nutrition that they need to survive. The Epicured diet is 100 percent low FODMAP and 100 percent gluten free.

[14:52] Are your meals created to minimize sugar?  Epicured food is clean and generally healthy, with no added sugar.

[16:21] How is Epicured different? We have developed  23-40 dishes that permutate into 100 different options. We will be in perpetual research and development.

[17:59] Epicured is currently available in “commuter New York.” They are currently exploring how to best tackle an expanded national delivery area. Currently, over 200 doctors are working with Epicured on a variety of levels.

[19:54] Where does Epicured food come from? Our basil comes from vertical farming growing basil on the roof in Bronx!

[22:22] How is social media factoring into the business?

[25:28] What role do the Chefs play at Epicured? We have partnered under Renee’s leadership with our culinary team, led by Daniel Chavez-Bello and sous chef Tahirí Gonzále. They are food scientists, and love to understand the impact that certain ingredients have on body chemistry, and how flavor profiles can advance the taste, keep it delicious, but also have a positive impact on one’s body. Connect with Richard at Epicured.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Epicured Home Page

Monash University

iRemedy Home Page