SPATULA Foods is a Toronto-based gourmet meal delivery service that produces ready-made meals that make meal planning tasks quicker and less complicated.
Created by local and celebrated chefs, SPATULA meals promise restaurant-quality dishes you can prepare at home in ten minutes.
Learn more about SPATULA Foods, the latest to enter the lucrative meal delivery business, what it offers, and how it fares with its more established rivals.
Key Takeaways
- SPATULA Foods offers affordable flash-frozen gourmet meals that you can prepare in ten minutes.
- Each dish is heated in a pan, stirred using a spatula, and ready to eat in less than ten minutes.
- The ready made meals from SPATULA Foods start at $9.89 per portion, with two helpings per dish. Chefs’ Specials are as low as $12.49.
- Subscription box prices start at $77.94, while the one-time purchase Discovery box can cost $13.49 per serving.
- Enjoy a $40 discount by using the SPATULA Foods promo code SAVVY40.
What is SPATULA Foods?
SPATULA Foods offers affordable flash-frozen gourmet meals that you can prepare in ten minutes. It provides a variety of dishes developed by Michelin-trained Toronto chefs.
The company uses flash-freezing technology, a quick-chill method that keeps ice crystals from forming and prevents moisture loss when the food thaws. It preserves the texture, taste, and freshness of the dishes.
Each meal kit arrives in a convenient, flash-frozen, and vacuum-sealed pouch with minimal plastic packaging.
The meals are easy to prepare, requiring only heating in a pan and stirring using a spatula. They are ready to eat in ten minutes.
Cooking instructions are on the back of the packaging. The recipes and detailed instructions are also available on the SPATULA website.
The company uses insulated boxes and dry ice to keep the meals frozen.
How Does SPATULA Foods Work?
SPATULA Foods offers three ways to enjoy its meal creations:
- Subscription box – The provider’s subscription box that you can pause, skip, or cancel anytime from your account dashboard.
- Discovery Box – This one-time-purchase box is suitable if you want to try the meal kits without buying a subscription. It is also ideal for gifting.
- Digital Gift Card – This is a $100 virtual card you can apply to subscription and Discovery boxes.
To start your subscription service for the frozen meal subscription plan:
- Create an account at the SPATULA website using this link (includes a $40 discount with promo code SAVVY40).
- Click “Account” on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
- Set up your food delivery schedule by picking from every 1, 2, or 3 weeks.
- Choose the number of dishes you want to add to your subscription box.
- Pay for your subscription using payment options like a credit card, debit visa, and other available methods.
- When SPATULA Foods receives your payment, the company will send you an email confirming your purchase.
- When your order arrives, store it in the freezer immediately.
The subscription plan allows you to sign up for 8, 12 or 16 frozen meals at predetermined intervals, which can be weekly, biweekly, or every third week.
To pause your subscription, log in to your account, go to your dashboard, and make the changes. You have until 11:59 EST, two days before the scheduled delivery.
SPATULA Food Delivery
SPATULA Foods delivers to most areas of Southwestern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ottawa, Kingston, London, Hamilton, and Burlington.
During peak cottage season from June to October, the company offers delivery to Muskoka and surrounding areas.
All GTA subscription orders receive free delivery. GTA includes the following cities:
- Ajax, Brampton, Etobicoke, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Newmarket, North York, Oakville, Oshawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Toronto, and Whitby
While the company delivers for free within the GTA, it charges $4.99 for Discovery Box orders in the area. Outside GTA, the shipping fees range from $9.99 to $12.99.
Delivery times are between 10 AM and 8 PM. Delivery days are as follows:
- Greater Toronto Area and Southwestern Ontario – Every week on Tuesday
- Ottawa and Kingston – Every week on Friday
- And for other areas.
SPATULA Foods works with designated authorized third-party couriers to deliver frozen meals.
Top SPATULA Dishes
SPATULA Foods offers various meal categories with over 25 dishes to choose from.
- Elevated Everyday – These are go-to meals that include recipes such as:
- Spanish Saffron-Infused Seafood Paella with Chicken and Chorizo
- Slow Braised Beef Bolognese with Rigatoni and Parmigiano Reggiano
- Pan Seared Tilapia with Roasted White Wine Tomatoes and Herbed Couscous
- Chefs’ Specials – These include chef-prepared dishes such as:
- Wild Mushroom Truffled Risotto and Parmigiano Reggiano
- Braised Beef Bourguignon with Pearl Onions and Pomme Purée
- Singapore Black Pepper Udon with Shrimp and Gai Lan
- Sides include:
- Jasmine Rice with Toasted Coconut
- Sesame Broccoli with Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Herbed Pearl Couscous with Turmeric
- For the soups category, the choices are:
- Creamy Carrot Coconut and Ginger Soup
- Fire Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
- Chicken Orzo Soup with Heirloom Carrots and Baby Spinach
SPATULA+ Friends
The company also provides a marketplace it calls SPATULA+ Friends, where you can add frozen products from local businesses to your SPATULA order.
The add-ons include ramen, pizza, hand-rolled frozen dumplings, desserts, patties, pierogi, handcrafted ice cream, and pies.
The items are only available as add-ons to a subscription box. To access and purchase them, create a custom subscription or Discovery box.
SPATULA Foods Plans and Pricing
The prices for the company’s food plans are:
- Elevated Everyday – Starts at $9.89 per portion (2 portions per dish)
- Chefs’ Specials – Starts at $12.49 per portion (2 portions per dish)
- Sides – $3.25 per portion (4 portions per dish)
- Soups – $6.99 per portion (2 portions per dish)
The prices of some of the SPATULA+ Friends add-ons are:
- Ramen – $14.99 per ramen kit (1 bowl of ramen per kit)
- Pizza – $11.99 per 10″ pizza
- Dumplings – $21.99 per bag (18 pieces per bag)
- Desserts – $17.99 to $23.99
- Patties – $16.49 per half dozen
- Pierogi – $10.99 per bag (350 g)
- Handcrafted ice cream – $11.99 per pint
- Conspiracy Pizza – $11.99 per 10″ pizza
SPATULA subscription box prices start at $77.94 and come with member-only perks such as a surprise freebie in your first order and first access to new dishes.
Discovery box prices start at $89.94, or $13.49 per serving. Shipping fees start at $4.99.
Pros and Cons of SPATULA Foods
The following are some of the benefits and drawbacks of SPATULA ready-made meals:
Pros
- Easy-to-prepare meals that are ready in ten minutes
- No need to defrost
- No grocery shopping or chopping required
- Diverse menu options and meal plans developed by top chefs
- Over 80 meal choices, from chef-curated dinners to add-ons like ramen, pizza, and ice cream
- Cooking instructions are available at the SPATULA website
- Customizable subscriptions
- Referral program
- Recyclable shipping boxes
- Free shipping if within the Greater Toronto Area
Cons
- A shipping fee of $9.99 to $12.99 for subscription orders outside the Greater Toronto Area
- Limited delivery areas
- No SPATULA Foods phone number or customer service hotline is currently available
SPATULA Foods Promo Code
Enjoy a $40 discount with the SPATULA Foods promo code SAVVY40 when you purchase the company’s gourmet meals.
With the “No prep, no mess” flash frozen chef-curated meal kits, you get sophisticated dinners ready in ten minutes.
Just grab a pouch from the freezer, place the contents on the pan to heat, and stir using your favourite spatula. In ten minutes, you get two generous portions from a single pouch.
SPATULA Foods Referral Program
Share SPATULA Foods with your friends to enjoy significant discounts through its referral program.
Provide your email address to keep track of your referrals. Copy your referral link and use it to invite more friends.
You can also supply your friends’ email addresses. They will receive an email with a unique code and dedicated link to use on their initial SPATULA purchase.
When your referral signs up using the emailed link, they get a discount on their first purchase.
For every successful referral you make, you receive an email with a dedicated link and a unique code for a $30 discount on your next order.
Is SPATULA Foods Legit?
SPATULA Foods is a legit company. Former Uber Eats Canada Head of Strategy Ian Weng founded it with fitness guru and Michelin-trained chef Wallace Wong.
The Toronto-based company’s roster of chefs includes Romain Avril, Eric Chong, Ryan Hinkson, and Eugene Wong, who bring their signature dishes to the meal kit lineup.
Before its launch, SPATULA Foods received $1.5 million in funding from Global Founders Capital and other investors, including Panache Ventures, Loyal VC, and angel investors such as the former Co-CEO of HelloFresh US and senior executives at Goodfood.
The company’s physical address is 65 Skyway Avenue, Etobicoke, ON M9W 6C7
SPATULA Foods Customer Service
To contact the company’s customer service, send an email to [email protected] or fill out the Contact Us form at the SPATULA website.
For questions about subscriptions, plan options, payment, and shipping and deliveries, go to their FAQ/Help Center page.
Alternative Meal Kits in Canada
As a new player in the field of meal kit delivery services, SPATULA Foods has the potential to keep up with the big names in the food subscription box industry.
See below how it compares with some of the more established companies in its line of business.
SPATULA Foods vs HelloFresh
While both SPATULA Foods and HelloFresh are in the meal kit delivery services, they have major differences:
| Feature | SPATULA Foods | HelloFresh |
| Prep time | 10 minutes | Around 30 minutes |
| Meal kit price | Starts at $9.89 | Starts at $8.99 |
| No. of meals | 80+ item menu | 25+ |
| Meal plans | Elevated Everyday (Go-to meals), Chefs’ Specials, Sides, Soups | Mostly Meat, Family Friendly, Carb Smart, Calorie Smart, Vegetarian, Quick & Easy, Pescatarian, High Protein |
| One-time box purchase | Discovery Box (Starts at $89.94) | None |
| Shipping fee | Between $4.99 and $12.99 | $9.99 |
| Delivery schedule | Every 1, 2, or 3 weeks | Every week |
One chief advantage that SPATULA Foods has over HelloFresh is that its meal kits are ready to eat in ten minutes. HelloFresh works differently because its meal kits contain fresh ingredients and require up to 30 minutes to prepare, depending on the dish.
The ready-made meals from SPATULA Foods are ideal if you are the heat-and-eat type. HelloFresh is for those who prefer cooking meals using portioned raw ingredients without doing grocery shopping.
Here’s a review of HelloFresh to learn more.
SPATULA Foods vs Chef’s Plate
Chef’s Plate’s business model is similar to HelloFresh, offering comparable quality and services.
A meal kit from Chef’s Plate starts at $8.99 compared with SPATULA’s $9.99 per portion. SPATULA, however, has more meal options (over 35) in contrast with the Chef’s Plate’s 24.
As with HelloFresh, Chef’s Plate requires a preparation time of about 30 minutes, which is longer than the ten minutes you need to heat a SPATULA meal.
| Feature | SPATULA Foods | Chef’s Plate |
| Prep time | 10 minutes | In 30 minutes or less |
| Meal kit price | Starts at $9.89 | Starts at $8.99 |
| No. of meals | 80+ item menu | 24 |
| Meal plans | Elevated Everyday (Go-to meals), Chefs’ Specials, Sides, Soups | 15-Minute Meal Plan, Vegetarian Plan, Family Plan, Classic Plan |
| One-time box purchase | Discovery Box (Starts at $89.94) | None |
| Shipping fee | Between $4.99 and $12.99 | $9.99 |
| Delivery schedule | Every 1, 2, or 3 weeks | Every week |
Related: Chefs Plate review.
SPATULA Foods vs Goodfood
Goodfood is another meal kit delivery service that works like HelloFresh and Chef’s Plate.
Meal kits from Goodfood start at $11.24, depending on the plan. This is more expensive compared with the $9.99 per portion at SPATULA Foods. Goodfood though has more meal options (40+) than SPATULA (35+).
In terms of prep time, you need 20 minutes to get a Goodfood dinner ready, whereas, with SPATULA, it only needs ten minutes.
| Feature | SPATULA Foods | Goodfood |
| Prep time | 10 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Meal kit price | Starts at $9.89 | Starts at $11.24 |
| No. of meals | 80+ item menu | 40+ |
| Meal plans | Elevated Everyday (Go-to meals), Chefs’ Specials, Sides, Soups | Classic, Easy Preparation, Clean15 (Low Carb), Vegetarian, Family Style |
| One-time box purchase | Discovery Box (Starts at $89.94) | None |
| Shipping fee | Between $4.99 and $12.99 | $9.99 fee for orders below $50; plus $1.99 for rural areas |
| Delivery schedule | Every 1, 2, or 3 weeks | Sundays to Saturdays, depending on the postal code |
Is SPATULA Foods Worth It?
Our Spatula Food review is positive. If you are after the convenience of getting gourmet meals ready in just ten minutes, then SPATULA Foods is worth it.
It is also worthwhile if you want to experience ready-made meals created by Michelin-trained chefs without the restaurant price.
It may not be cheaper than buying groceries and making the meals yourself, but it is more affordable than eating out.
A variety of meal options, reduced food waste, portion control, and time-saving qualities are other perks that meal kit delivery services like SPATULA Foods offer.
Related: Free meal kit trials in Canada
