Frequently Asked Questions
Vita Kitchen’s meal delivery service is for anyone who understands that food and diet directly influence your health, work performance, energy and interpersonal relationships. It is for anyone who feels overwhelmed with decisions on a daily basis and wants peace of mind having nutrient-dense foods delivered to their door. It is for anyone who wants to feed their family healthy foods but feels they don’t have the time. It is for anyone in recovery from sickness or injury who wants to eat foods that will aid in the body’s natural healing. It is for soon-to-be moms, and new moms, who need nourishing foods more than ever. Vita Kitchen is for anyone who wants to feel at their best, and wants to amplify their positive impact on the world.
We currently deliver to all of San Francisco + Alameda counties. We deliver to most parts of San Mateo county (excluding Pacifica + Half Moon Bay), parts of Contra Costa County (Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Walnut Creek), and parts of Santa Clara county (Palo Alto + Los Altos).
We deliver on Mondays between 1- 5pm; and Thursdays between 3-6pm. We package meals in insulated bags with one ice pack each. It is not recommended that meals be left unrefrigerated more than 4 hrs.
All of our meals are packaged zero-waste. Meals are packaged family-style in glass pyrex containers and sauces, condiments, etc. are packaged in small jars. All meals are labeled with ingredients and heating/serving suggestions. All we need you to do is wash the containers afterwards and we’ll pick them up with your next delivery!
When you begin services with us we ask for a $100 non-refundable fee for use and maintenance associated with the glass containers.
If the standard delivery time does not work for you we can arrange a pickup from our kitchen in downtown Oakland.
- All proteins are organic and/or grass-fed/pasture raised.
- All vegetables are either certified organic, or from a local farm that uses best practices. Our local farm partners include Riverdog farm, Blue Heron farm and Dirty Girl.
- All seafood is sourced from Monterey Fish Market using best practices.
- None of our meals include any: refined sugar, artificial ingredients, canola oil, vegetable oil, processed ingredients, whey protein, carrageenan.
For more on why we don’t use canola oil or any other refined vegetable oils see our blog post here.
Contact us at elyse@vitakitchen.com if you have any further questions on ingredients used.
No, at this time we do not offer a plant-based meal subscription, although we do offer 2-3 fully plant-based meals/week. We hope to be expanding these offerings in the near future.
Yes, at this time we do offer a pescatarian meal option at three meals/week. This package includes one fish/seafood based meal and two vegetarian meals.
No, at this time we do not offer meal packages that strictly adhere to these diets, although our packages can all be adjusted to be low carb.
We are happy to connect you to another chef in our referral network. Send us a request through the “Contact Us” tab.
Yes, we can accommodate many common food allergies under our basic plans. However please be aware that we are not a nut-free and/or gluten-free cooking facility.
No, our meals are not calorie controlled for one simple reason : we don’t believe in counting calories when you are eating clean, whole foods on our weekly meal plan. All of our meals are nutrient-dense, and appropriately portioned for your family size, precisely so you don’t have to worry about counting calories.
We are subscription based service for two reasons. The first (and primary reason), is that we believe the biggest health changes come when eating clean, nutritious food on a consistent basis.
Secondly, cooking for you on a regular basis also ensures that we get to know your tastes and preferences to best serve you, and your family.
There is no minimum commitment to sign up for a subscription. You are free to sign up and cancel at any time without charge (provided you give us at least five days notice).
You will receive the menu by email six days prior to your delivery date. You will then have three days to make your meal selections.
To pause the subscription we require at least five days notice prior to delivery day to avoid being charged. Each client is granted five weeks to pause the service per year (not including the last two weeks of December when our kitchen is closed).
To cancel the subscription we simply require five days notice prior to delivery to avoid being charged.
Yes! Of course. As long as the person you are gifting to lives in our delivery range.
It comes from a line from a Steve Jobs commencement speech.
To us it means stay curious about the world around you. Keep exploring. Keep making art. Keep making mistakes, and keep getting back up again. Keep going for your dreams, even when others say its impossible. Keep having the courage to fail.
The world needs you now, more than ever. <3
“I signed on with Vita Kitchen when I was having my first baby, as I knew the last thing I wanted to spend time worrying about while on maternity leave was getting fed (after all I had a new baby to feed!). Elyse and her team impressed me with their healthy, delicious and satisfying meals which kept me nourished for the little one and for my own recovery. Her meals were such a hit with my husband and me that we decided to keep working with Elyse and still are to this day. We live to eat, and are always impressed with her creativity and mastery of flavors and regional cuisines. As busy working parents it takes such a weight off of our shoulders to know that we have high-quality meals thoughtfully prepared in our refrigerator every day, especially as our weekday time with our little one is so limited. Thanks to Vita Kitchen we can spend our time after work focused on our family, instead of worrying about grocery lists, recipe planning, meal prep and cooking. Plus, our little one is starting solids and we know that the food from Vita Kitchen is perfectly healthful for her as she learns her way around new foods and flavors. It's been an absolute delight to work with Elyse and team. ”