Your idea was born in west London – tell us how it came about…
EM: Tom and I met 10 years ago on Portobello Road and Feast Happy has really been that long in the making. However, we began to research the share and on-demand economies in early 2015. We both love food and healthy lifestyles, and thought delivery could be done better in London.
We began to develop a peer-to-peer chef community, then realised this model had been done and failed several times. We started working to solve the problems that makes the economics of peer-to-peer food break-down. From there we developed a professional-to-peer community model and Feast Happy started.
The upcoming week is already sold out – are you struggling to keep up with demand?
EM: Feast Happy is not a fully open marketplace like Airbnb or like HouseBites that was so popular in London before shutting down in 2012. However, we operate a professional-to-peer marketplace that similarly requires balancing two separate users: the supply-side (top chefs) and the demand-side (customers). This dynamic is difficult for any start-up that uses a marketplace model. We are trying to keep these two sides in balance – our goal is to raise our supply just the slightest bit slower than demand increases. This allows us to manage our cash-flow better and creates a sense of exclusivity since meals are offered in limited quantities.
We have a few really exciting chefs interested to join the platform, so we’re confident we will be able to handle our spikes in demand as they come.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
TC: One of our biggest challenges so far has been getting the concept out effectively to potential customers. As our concept is completely new in Europe and food is such an emotive thing, explaining why we offer a service that arrives cold and requires the customer to heat gets a mixed response. Once people actually try it though, it all makes sense, as the meals arrive exactly the same way as they left the chefs’ hands – no drying meat or soggy veg like most takeaways and you put it in the oven for 15 minutes whenever you feel like dinner and it creates a very natural, home-cooked feel to the meals. Business planning on paper is also very different from reality.
EM: I believe the entire process of building a company from scratch is an exercise in solving one challenge after the next – so I’d say the next challenge is always the biggest. I believe the hardest challenge happens at the launch date – you spend months strategising, forecasting and business planning on paper thinking about how big of an idea you have, then the company launches and your mind-set has to go from a completely macro view to a micro view: where is my first customer coming from, and the next. There is no secret to finding your first 100 customers, and this is where a lot of start-ups fail: the only answer is hard work. When we broke the 100-customer barrier it was a huge milestone for Feast Happy.
This isn’t your first start-up; and previous work has taken you to NYC, Philadelphia and the Antarctic. Why do you think London is a good place for a start-up?
EM: I was born and raised in New York, and have moved to London three separate times. There is something about this city that never lets anyone leave. I’m pretty convinced it’s the centre of the world at the moment, and hands-down the most diverse place on the planet. In terms of start-ups, London has a huge appetite for disruption since everyone here is so progressive. We’re in a battle with Berlin for start-up capital of Europe at the moment, but London is taking great steps to support the eco-system with programmes like Start Up Loans and SEIS Tax Breaks. London does still have a long way to go with earlier-stage venture capital – I read San Francisco puts 10 times more money into start-up financing than London every year. Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Uber, Twitter, Whatsapp, Pinterest, Dropbox, Square – San Francisco is creating wealth at an unbelievable rate. It’s leaving every other city behind.
TC: As a native Londoner, born at home by Latimer Road, I truly love the city. I find the movement in food culture in London incredibly exciting. Brits have gone from having the reputation of the worst food in the world to being a cultural hub of all things food. I love the pop-up culture with food, too and the way street food is making an impact and drawing in people’s interests. For me, Feast Happy was always destined to be born in London.
Who is your favourite chef?
EM: Definitely Margot Henderson. She creates amazing food, and shares our ethos of healthy, farm-to-table ingredients; she’s super cool as a person; she’s a big fan of the Feast Happy concept and is a guiding light for us on the food aspect of the business.
TC: Yes, we’re certainly not too biased but Margot and Anna (Tobias) really do epitomise what we feel food should be about; not finicky – just amazing ingredients, cooked to perfection with love.
What’s your favourite west London restaurant?
TC: Oh this will be quite a list! Fitou’s, off North Pole road is a hidden gem serving the best Thai food I’ve had in London, Momo in the West End does amazing North African dishes and has a really great fun atmosphere and if you’re looking to splash out on a high end evening then The Ledbury is certainly next level gastronomy.
What is your tipple?
EM: Whiskey neat is my standard. I’ll take an IPA in the pub, or a Negroni to open up my palate.
TC: I’m a tequila man. Straight up next to a beer or in a Tommy’s Margarita.
What’s the last play or exhibition you saw?
EM: I went to the MoMA PS1 for the first time when I was in Brooklyn over New Year’s. It’s the smaller MoMA over in Queens (not the main one midtown). I highly recommend a trip to the outer borough for a visit!
I just saw The Master Builder at the Old Vic – I was fresh off three 16-hour work days, so a four-hour play wasn’t exactly what I needed to unwind… I spent most of the time wishing I was watching Clarence Darrow again.
TC: My last exhibition was Ai Weiwei at the Royal Academy. I don’t do as much cultural stuff as I’d like but it was an incredibly memorable and powerful show.
Tell us your philosophy on life…
EM: This idea has been quoted many times throughout history: that reasonable people learn to adapt to the world, while unreasonable people persist in adapting the world to themselves – so all progress depends on the unreasonable people. Recently the thought is probably most famous from Steve Jobs – ‘Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do’.
TC: My philosophy is to treat people the same way you like to be treated. Be nice, be polite and show some empathy. It’s not rocket science and some people certainly seem to shoot themselves in the foot with this one.
What’s in your fridge?
EM: Every Sunday I go and buy huge bags full of farmers market vegetables that usually last us deep into the week. My wife has been building an Impact Investment Fund, and I’ve been super busy with Feast Happy, so our hours are really unpredictable – ideally we have a couple of Feast Happy‘s in the fridge so we can spend some time with each other once we finally close the computers, instead of stressing about cooking late at night (it sounds like a plug but it’s true!).
TC: I love cooking, too so tend to keep the fridge as full as possible. I love to cook comfort food so steak and lamb with some veg is my go-to. Anything I can create Mexican dishes with are high on my shopping list as well. It’s also worth noting there is really never a moment my freezer doesn’t have ice-cream in it!
What’s your most memorable meal?
EM: Thanksgiving is by far my favourite holiday – it’s a no-stress holiday (for everyone besides the chef) and the only point is to eat a big meal and enjoy some drinks with friends and family. We do a big turkey at our place in London every year and it’s always a night to remember.
TC: My mother lives out in the Daintree Rainforest in far north Australia and my most memorable meal is at a restaurant called Whet by Cape Tribulation. The food is the highest quality; incredibly imaginative with local ingredients you won’t often find in Europe and all in one of the most remote parts of the planet. Plus, it’s always great to have dinner with my mum.
What are you most proud of?
EM: We’ve put a ton of blood, sweat and tears into Feast Happy for the past 12 months and the emotional swings day to day are pretty drastic. I’d say we have a bit of a love/hate relationship going on at the moment – but every day we still have our mission to help the world be healthier, the environment be cleaner and businesses to think more socially, so I’d say I’m consistently pretty proud of what we’re doing.
What’s next at Feast Happy?
EM: It’s amazing to be able to work so closely with Margot and Anna at Rochelle – they’re both truly at the top of the chef world. We’re in discussion with a couple other people who have that ‘celebrity chef’ status as well, and it’s super exciting for us to be building this community of chef superpowers. So a lot of interesting stuff is on the horizon with new chefs coming on board.
TC: I have a major sweet-tooth so I’m very excited to welcome a top pastry chef to Feast Happy too! I’m hoping to sample as many desserts as possible.
What would be your last supper?
EM: As long as my friends and family are all there smiling I’d be happy to share anything, even a simple margarita pizza… But I would prefer if it came from Napoli.
TC: I’m a little less noble than Eric – give me steak and eggs with some garlic parsley butter, some cheesecake and I’m happy to shuffle off my mortal coil.
