Radish
Too tired to cook and put off by all the usual unhealthy delivery options? Lazy man cannot live on pizza alone, and Radish, a local tech start-up that launched in April, offers a needed solution to that dilemma: a smartphone app that seems like a mashup of Uber and Whole Foods’ food court. After downloading the app and setting up an account, you order a freshly prepared dinner to be delivered in less than 20 minutes. Choose between three proteins (one typically a vegetarian option) and anywhere between four and six sides. Cooked dishes are hot when they arrive, and you can track the delivery driver on a GPS map. Most importantly, the food on the frequently changing menu is good: a chicken thigh was succulent and well seasoned, and beets with mint and basil were crisp and summery. A protein and two sides usually comes in at around $10, plus a small delivery fee. The quality is due to chef David Yusefzadeh, formerly of Mario Batali’s New York eatery Baffo, who’s the only person I can think of making healthy, quasi-gourmet food specifically for the delivery market in Chicago. Better still, any excess food is donated to Zero Percent, an organization that makes use of surplus food that would otherwise go wasted. Still in its very early stages, Radish operates only between 6 and 9 PM Monday through Thursday, with Belmont, Roosevelt, Ashland, and the lake as its delivery boundaries. But the nascent company plans to dramatically expand its range in the next few weeks, extending the hours, and even adding lunch later in the year.