The Unbridled Growth Story of CookUnity, with Morley Ivers

·31 min·3 clips

CookUnity's average chef earns $850,000 a year, with the top chef making over $7 million.

Host Danny Klein introduces Morley Ivers, co-founder and CEO of CookUnity, who outlines his background and the company's acquisition of his previous venture, Cookin. Ivers describes CookUnity's model: it provides kitchen facilities, logistics, and marketing for chefs to run delivery businesses, with consumers subscribing to meals. He reveals that CookUnity's annual recurring revenue grew from $350 million to $750 million in 2025, with over 40 million meals delivered. The average chef on the platform earned $850,000 last year, and the top chef made over $7 million. Ivers discusses expansion into Toronto as the first international market, achieving over $20 million in revenue there quickly. He details acquisitions, including Freiche for smart fridges and Flavors for shoppable video content to enhance chef storytelling. A partnership with Airbnb allows meal delivery to rentals in 22 U.S. states. Ivers explains the onboarding process for chefs, noting a recruiting team and a partnership with the James Beard Foundation to underwrite startup costs. He highlights how chefs like Marcus Samuelson and José Garcés use the platform to reach new geographic areas without opening restaurants. The conversation covers CookUnity's expansion into B2B services, such as healthcare, corporate catering, and office meals, driven by a payment model where chef earnings increase with customer ratings. Ivers shares his personal vision of using food to bridge societal divides, which motivated the company's founding. He discusses future plans, including a $250 million funding vehicle with General Catalyst, growing brand awareness from under 10%, and expanding globally. The episode concludes with Ivers providing contact information and reflecting on CookUnity's mission to bring people together through food.

As heard by us

A clear business-side review of how CookUnity presents restaurant pressure as a path toward chef entrepreneurship and partnerships.

CookUnity's case is framed through the hard math of restaurant life, as Morley Ivers, head of Global Strategic Partnerships and CEO of Cookin' Canada, lays out why chefs squeezed by labor, real estate, ingredient costs, overhead, legalities, and narrow margins may look for…

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Why you'd press play

You want CookUnity from the chef side: restaurant pressure, platform economics, and strategic partnerships.

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