Pure & Simple
From Copenhagen to SoCal, Simple Feast is Santa Barbara’s fresh, altruistic alternative to the doorstep-delivered meal kit
Written by Jenn Thornton
Putting more plants on plates, Scandinavian import Simple Feast—a whole-foods innovation company with big social goals—is turning the tables on the typical food model, catering to the growing local appetite for nutritious plant-based meal kits delivered to doorsteps across Santa Barbara.
Bringing its farmer-to-consumer prepped fare to the American market at a time seeing the proliferation of highly processed plant-based options in restaurants and grocery stores, Simple Feast is a return to taste, nutritional value and freshness. What does it mean for Santa Barbara palates? Plenty—all of it good, not only for vegans. Simple Feast works with celebrated chefs from acclaimed eateries like Noma and The French Laundry to craft healthy, high-taste organic fare, presenting consumers with a more digestible way to address the climate crisis. Eating more plants is “the quickest way to make an impact from a climate perspective,” says Jakob Jønck, co-founder and CEO of Simple Feast.
Some might be surprised to find that the plant-promoting Simple Feast is flexitarian. The company is not looking to force feed customers plant-based foods all the time; simply more plants, more of the time. “It’s not either/or,” says Jakob. “It’s just the more, the better.” Turns out, less is more, and completely satisfying, too. Crispy Potato Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Slaw, Kale-Walnut Pesto Pizza, and Layered Tikka Masala, Curried Lentils, and Rice are among the company’s chef-driven selections, along with a “whole universe” of readily consumable plant-based organic foods, from a sugar-free pancake batter, to drinkables, to ready-to-heat vegan bolognaise, soups and stews.
“The point is, it’s easy,” says Jakob. No recipe, no raw vegetables, no components to configure into something requiring kitchen creativity. Simple Feast dinners arrive nearly done. “We’ll have done most of the cooking, so when you get the package, you pretty much finish the meal”—20 to 30 minutes tops for restaurant-quality fare. For Simple Feast, eating healthy means eating delectably, no compromise required. And almost no work, either. Chew on that.
Good food is not complicated, nor should it be, notes Simple Feast’s CIO, Anders Vald. “It’s very important to us to focus on relatively few ingredients, but make sure they are ripe, in season and great tasting,” he says. Partial to California citrus and the state’s “melting pot of great ingredients,” Anders believes a bounty equals a bountiful meal—enough for leftovers. “Our food is meant to be shared. That’s super important to us, and a huge part of the philosophy behind Simple Feast.”
Go ahead and toss that packaging, though; Simple Feast takes sustainable packaging as seriously as it does cutting out processing, only opting for solutions that maintain food quality and minimize negative impacts on the planet—think biodegradable and compostable materials, from trays to lids, and water-based, drain-friendly gel in cold packs.
Backed by an altruistic business model and plant-based goodness in its backyard, Simple Feast is coming to the table with new standards for the greenwashed food industry, including B-Corp and USDA organic certification, sustainability and social investments ranging from sourcing product from local farms and donating unpurchased meals to locals in need. Eating well, doing good, no work—the roots of a winning, irresistible recipe.
Dinners for three nights (two to three people), starting at $89 per week plus shipping; dinners for three nights (four to five people), starting at $149 per week plus shipping. Order until Thursday for Sunday drop-off between 8AM-5PM. simplefeast.com
