Frequently asked questions
How much extra is the cost of food?
Cost of food depends upon your personal preferences and the recipes chosen for the week. This can range from $75 to $150.
Why isn't the cost of food included?
In order to give you complete control over your recipes and quality of ingredients, the cost of food is extra. Let us know if you have any budgetary preferences or limits for groceries and we'll base your menu around this.
Do I need to be home while the chef is cooking?
You can choose to be home or away for your cooking session. Whatever works best for you!
Do you travel to customers outside of Essex County, MA?
We travel to addresses within Essex County, MA with no additional fees. If you are outside this area, we may apply an extra fee (usually $0.50 per mile traveled outside Essex County). If you live a short distance outside Essex County and are easily accessible by the highway, we most likely won’t charge a travel fee. Contact us and we can give you an exact answer.
Do you carry liability insurance?
Yes - we are fully insured with a FLIP policy.
Can I customize my meals?
Yes! Honey Bread is all about customizing your meals to fit your diet and preferences.
Can you accommodate special diets?
Yes! Let us know your dietary needs and we will create your menu around this. We have experience with vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, sugar free, keto, low calorie, allergen free, Mediterranean, organic/non-GMO, low sodium, paleo, certified humane, and low-histamine diets, among others. We will learn all about your dietary needs and preferences so your meals are made exactly the way you need them.
In some instances, we may request that you first visit with a doctor or registered dietician/nutritionist before cooking special meals for you, especially if the diet is extremely restrictive. Once you consult with them, we will prepare your meals using their specific guidelines.
How many servings do I get per meal?
Meals can be made in whatever amount of servings your family needs. Depending on the recipe, we can usually get 4-8 servings with a single meal. You may choose to have us make extra servings that you can freeze and eat later in the future.
Can you cook my grandma's recipes?
We would love to! If you've been missing your family recipes, let us know and we can recreate them for you! You can send us a photo of an old family recipe card or describe the meal to us.
Can you cook with food I already have on hand?
Absolutely! We can cook with your extra pantry/fridge ingredients and creatively incorporate them into your meals. We can also help you use your CSA and garden veggies. This can help reduce your personal food waste.
Can I cancel or reschedule my booking? What should I do if someone in our household is not feeling well?
We try to be as fair and flexible as possible with our cancellation/rescheduling policy. We allow clients to cancel a booked session with a full refund, less any discounts, 72 hours before the start time of the session. With less than 72 hours notice, we only offer a reschedule of the session (this is because with less than 72 hours, we have already started working on your menu and ordering special ingredients). Sessions may only be rescheduled once; after the first rescheduling, a reschedule or refund for that session will not be offered.
Clients can request to reschedule a session up to 2 hours before the start time of their session (good for cases of last-minute illnesses in the house). With notice of 2 hours or less, the session will not be refunded or rescheduled (this is because with less than two hours, we have already picked up your ingredients and started making our way to your home).
Do I need to purchase any special equipment before my session?
Absolutely not! Before your first session, we will check in to see what equipment you already have on hand. If needed, we have our own food processor, InstantPot, sous vide circulator, rice cooker, pots, pans, cutting boards, knives and all the other utensils. We don't want you to feel like you need to buy a bunch of expensive equipment in order to have service with Honey Bread!
We do ask that you have plenty of food storage containers, kitchen towels and paper towels ready to go for the session. Let us know if you would like us to recommend our favorite options.
Do you prepare kid-friendly meals?
We sure do! We know kids can be picky and want to have their meals in a very particular way. Let us know all of those particularities and we'll cook up some meals they're sure to love.
How much does Honey Bread service cost?
Honey Bread service starts at $199 per week plus the cost of ingredients. Check out our 'Book Online' or 'About' page for more information on pricing and what's included.
Do you offer grocery shopping?
Yes! We do all of the ingredient shopping through curbside pickup or delivery (we do not hand pick items in the store). We source most of our ingredients through Whole Foods (great for reasonably priced organic, non-GMO and humanely-raised ingredients). We can also use Instacart for stores like Wegman's, Aldi and Market Basket. Let us know if you have a store preference.
As an included bonus, we can also order some of your household groceries with the ingredient order. We will bring them to the session, saving you a trip to the store!
If you prefer to do the grocery shopping yourself for your session, let us know and we will send you the grocery list.
Does the chef have a clean background check?
Yes! We understand how important it is to make sure anyone entering your home is fully vetted with a clean background check. If you would like a copy of the background check to verify this yourself, please let us know and we will email it to you.
Do I need to book Honey Bread every week? Are there any obligations/subscriptions?
Not at all! Honey Bread is here whenever you need us. You can book us every week, every other week, once a month, or just one time.
Can the chef cook enough meals to last the whole week?
Absolutely! Most meals will stay fresh and delicious in the refrigerator for up to four days after your session. We can make extra servings of meals to portion and freeze. So if you book a Monday session, we can make sure you have enough frozen meals to eat on Saturday and Sunday. We want to make sure you can enjoy our service every day of the week!
Do meals include heating/serving instructions?
Yes, all of the meals are color-coded with labels and a corresponding menu for the week with preparation instructions. Most meals can be heated in the microwave but if you're ever interested in a fresh-baked casserole for example, we can prepare it all the way before cooking so you can just heat it in the oven and serve. These specifics depend upon the meals your family is interested in.
Can Chef Nate teach me how to cook/bake during the Honey Bread session?
Absolutely!! Chef Nate loves sharing his knowledge of cooking and baking with others. If there's a skill you've been wanting to master (such as baking and decorating cakes, a popular request), we can definitely use our session time for this. Let us know at least a week ahead of time what you would like to learn. Note that time spent teaching may reduce the amount of meals we can prepare for your session.
Can you cook for a special event?
Possibly, though we do have some limitations. As we are a meal prep service, we do not offer meals plated and served warm for immediate consumption.
We can definitely get you ready for informal birthday parties, reunions, get-togethers, anniversary parties and more as part of our meal prep service! We can use your session time to prepare food for a future event, which can mean great food at a great value for you. Contact us with your ideas and we'll see what we can work out!
Do you deliver meals to my home?
We are an in-home meal prep service, meaning we prepare your meals in your own kitchen. We do not offer meals cooked off-site.
Can I purchase a Honey Bread session as a gift?
Absolutely! Let us know that you are interested in booking a session as a gift. Then, book any date for your desired session type and complete checkout (your recipient will be able to choose their desired date themselves).
The recipient must have a home address located in Essex County, MA. We require a $125 grocery deposit to pay for the cost of their ingredients. This is due 48 hours after booking and payable by Venmo or PayPal. After completion of the recipient's session, we will send you the grocery receipt(s) and issue a refund for the difference if the cost of groceries comes to less than $125.
Why is there a range of meals and servings for the week?
Depending upon the complexity of your meals requested, we may be able to do anywhere from 4-6 meals with 4-8 servings per meal (Queen Bee session), 2-3 meals with 4-8 servings per meal (Bumble Bee session), or 1-2 meals with 4-8 servings per meal (Honey Bee session).
More meals and servings are possible when the meals are not technically complicated, repetitive or time-consuming. Take, for example, chicken noodle soup. It is much quicker to make it with premade broth and dry noodles instead of homemade chicken stock and homemade pasta. Both are doable (and delicious!), but the latter will decrease the amount of meals and servings we will have time for during your session. The simpler the recipes, the more meals and servings per meal we will be able to give you.
If maximum number of meals and servings is your goal, we know how to adapt recipes to get what you need! If more elaborate and special recipes interest you and you don't need as many servings, we can do that, too! Before every session, we will consult with you to craft a menu which includes number of meals and servings.
What ingredients go into the signature honey bread?
Our signature Honey Bread is made with unbleached enriched white wheat flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, pure clover honey, white sugar, yeast, and iodized salt.
Allergens include wheat (gluten). There may be traces of other allergens present, particularly treenut, peanut, dairy and soy. Let us know any allergies you have before consuming.
Can you help me clean my fridge/organize my pantry/do other kitchen tasks?
Possibly! As a rule, we don't include fridge/pantry cleaning and organization as part of our service. If you're interested in some extra help beyond the scope of your session, let us know and we may be able to accommodate you. This will usually result in an extra fee added to the session price.
