Real Food, Real Fast: Kitchfix Meals Make Eating Paleo Easy

By Melissa McEwen in Food on Jun 2, 2015 7:00PM

Image courtesy Kitchfix

I first spotted Kitchfix at the Good Food Festival, where they were serving up tender barbecue with colorful slaw. I grabbed a plate and I was impressed. Especially when I learned their company specializes in farm to table meals that meet the needs of those on special diets.

Chef Josh Katt got started with this kind of cooking as a private chef for a client who wanted to eat an anti-inflammatory diet while recovering from cancer. It happened to be around the same time that Crossfit gyms, which encourage their members to eat paleo, started getting popular.

"Shredded grass-fed beef with Paleo bacon-barbecue sauce, sweet potato bread and a kale coleslaw with shredded carrots, red bell peppers and green cabbage" (Image courtesy Kitchfix)

Beyond fitting the "paleo" needs, the food is gluten-free, soy-free, corn-free and dairy-free. But even if the mere mention of any kind of diet makes your eyes roll back into your head, Kitchfix's meals just taste great. So far my favorite is the "sloppy joe," made from grass-fed beef seasoned with maple, apple cider vinegar and garlic with roast sweet potato "buns" and a side of almond-crusted cauliflower.

Chef John Katt showing off their stock/broth (photo by Melissa McEwen)

Their ingredients are sourced from local farms that anyone familiar with the food scene here probably already knows about, such as Gunthorp Farms.

They aren't far off from what I cook at home and they certainly cost less than most premium lunch places charge.

"Sloppy Joe" made with grass-fed beef and roasted sweet potatoes, served with a side of almond-crusted cauliflower (Image courtesy Kitchfix)

Kitchfix primarily does home delivery but you can also pick up meals from one of 25 hubs across the city. Many of the hubs are gyms but you can pick up from them even if you are not a member. You do have to order in advance, though there is no minimum for orders. You can also pick up at their new shiny 5000 square foot kitchen on Grand Avenue in West Town, where they also craft their Paleo Granola you can find at many local stores.

They'll be more opportunities for people to eat Kitchfix on a whim when they open their storefront at Division and State Street in River North. It will also feature a broth bar, perhaps the first for Chicago.

Update: Kitchfix meals are also available via the Foxtrot app and market (2229 N Clybourn Ave.)

Real Food, Real Fast highlights local products that that contain the same ingredients your would use when cooking real food from scratch, but save you some time for those hectic nights when you're hungry.