Blue Apron Signs Up Another Celebrity Chef

Blue Apron is teaming up with another high-profile chef as it looks to further build on booming sales during the pandemic. 

The company is partnering with Seattle Chef Edouardo Jordan, the winner of two James Beard Awards and chef-owner of acclaimed restaurants JuneBaby, Salare and Lucinda Grain Bar, to create an exclusive meal kit offering for its customers. Jordan's recipes will be available beginning on Nov. 23, starting with a Thanksgiving menu and followed by additional recipes for three consecutive weeks.

"We are excited to partner with Chef Jordan to create a holiday meal that celebrates the unique story he brings to American cooking," said John Adler, Vice President of Culinary at Blue Apron. "Through these recipes, we hope to introduce the history behind Chef Jordan's approach to cooking, as well as his use of unique flavors and ingredients, like freekeh and watermelon radish, that many customers may not get a chance to cook with otherwise."

Blue Apron recently announced it is expanding its menu options in an attempt to offer more variety, flexibility and choice. Customers can now order multiple boxes per week, customize select components of recipes and get up to four recipes per box with the Two-Person Signature menu.

"Our customers told us they want more ways to bring Blue Apron into their kitchen," said Linda Findley Kozlowski, Blue Apron's president and CEO. "By offering additional meals per customer and recipe customization, Blue Apron is making it easier to fit into more people's lifestyles."

Blue Apron has been testing the following three offerings across multiple customer groups and plans to roll them out between now and December 2020:

• Multiple boxes per week option: Customers can get two boxes per week, which allows them to select up to eight different recipes per week at staggered times, double recipes to serve up to eight people per meal on the Four-Person Signature menu, or balance out their cooking by getting a meal prep box for lunches and quick dinners alongside a Signature box for more elevated and premium meals. The multiple box per week option applies to all Blue Apron meal plans and, where available, wine subscriptions.
• Recipe customization: Customers will have the ability to customize select recipes on the Two-Person and Four-Person Signature menus. Customization options will include the ability to upgrade a protein for a more premium protein, replace a meat with a plant protein, swap a vegetable for a starch, or increase the portion size by adding more protein, carbs or vegetables. Upgrades and specific ingredient swaps will be limited to one component per eligible recipe and only for the specified customized options offered by Blue Apron.
• Four recipes per box: Customers on the Two-Person Signature menu can now enjoy a fourth night of fresh, chef-designed meals. Built on the offering availability on the Four-Person Signature menu, this expansion of meals per week helps remove stress around menu preparation or added trips to the grocery store.

Blue Apron, based in New York City, is No. 99 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food retailers in North America.