WECO Hospitality is a new farm-to-kitchen table meal delivery service that founder and West Concord native Gavin Lambert feels is “bringing joy to people’s lives through food”. Like many others in the food industry, Lambert lost his job as a chef during the pandemic. His wife, Rachel Amiralian, a former marketing executive, viewed this loss as the perfect opportunity to pursue their shared dream of starting a meal delivery business. One week later, the couple cooked and delivered their first dinner.
Lambert and Amiralian initially prepared dinners from their apartment for family and friends to enjoy at home as a way to connect during quarantine. When their eager recipients began to insist on paying for these restaurant-quality meals, the couple realized that their “kitchen pandemic project” had serious potential. As word of Lambert and Amiralian’s venture spread through the West Concord community and demand for meals skyrocketed, WECO Hospitality was born. Eventually, the business relocated to a nearby commercial kitchen in Acton to serve its growing base of customers.
WECO separates itself from meal delivery giants like Uber Eats and Postmates through its commitment to sourcing local ingredients and combating food waste. During his time as a chef at Woods Hill Table, Lambert developed close relationships with local purveyors like Hutchins Farm in Concord and Little Leaf Farms in Devens. Consequently, WECO sources its ingredients exclusively from local vendors. “By sourcing primarily from local businesses, and with a strong focus on ethical and sustainable products, we have been able to serve quality meals prepared with love,” states Amiralian. WECO operates in a zero food waste environment because they can order the precise amount of ingredients tailored to customers’ orders.
Amiralian and Lambert also pride themselves on a transparent pricing system that ensures the affordability of meals for all customers. Rather than assigning fixed prices to their menu items, WECO runs on a “pay-what-you-want” business model. WECO provides a note listing the cost of the ingredients, which usually ranges from $7.00-$12.00 per person, but customers are ultimately encouraged to pay what they feel the meal is worth.
WECO crafts a weekly, ingredient-driven menu that is posted on the business’s website and Instagram page every Friday at noon. Once customers request their meals, they can pick them up at the Acton kitchen or have them delivered directly to their homes. The menu features a different dinner item every day and also includes vegan, vegetarian, and kid-friendly options. Recent menu items have included miso-roasted sweet potatoes, chimichurri-marinated skirt steak, green papaya salad with herbs, and pork belly udon with wood ear mushrooms. The meal portions are generous, so WECO also includes a bonus note on what to do with leftovers.
Corporate food delivery services are extremely popular among Concord Academy students seeking out convenient meals. For members of the CA community who have grown weary of eating on campus or cooking from scratch, however, WECO can provide what services like Uber Eats simply cannot: a sustainable, affordable, restaurant-quality meal.