Diane Mironesco is the co-founder of CityChef, a revolutionary premium food delivery platform that provides people with high-quality meals, good enough for a fancy dinner party, or a delightful night in with friends. In her interview with LocalBini, she tells us all about how she came up with the idea for CityChef, and how she managed to turn her passion for food into a career.
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Can you tell us how CityChef started?
In 2014, when I was in London with my good friend Constance, we started thinking about how frozen meals cost a fortune and don’t even taste that good. We imagined an alternative service where people pay a reasonable price for ready-made meals that actually taste good. So good in fact, that people who are not that great in the kitchen can use this service when they invite their friends over for dinner. Knowing that we had something there, we took the train back to Paris and got straight to work.
Within six months, we were meeting with startup investors to pitch our project. The idea behind CityChef is to provide a platform for young passionate chefs to showcase their original recipes and share them with customers. Customers can then enjoy putting the finishing touches on the chef’s dishes at home, before sharing them with their guests. People bought into our idea because of our commitment to excellence in the kitchen, and our unconditional love for the chefs’ creations! And so, little by little, CityChef was born.
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Would you say it is a dream come true?
Yes, definitely. It wasn’t always my goal to work in gastronomy, but I have always been passionate about the cultural and creative industries, which is precisely what I love about this project! It is about combining creative talent with food. Plus, it was always my dream to run my own business. It is like working in an A-Team. Everyone has their own position, but at the end of the day, we are all working towards the same goal. It is undoubtedly a dream come true!
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Do you enjoy traveling? What is your favourite thing about travelling?
Yes, of course, I LOVE travelling. Whether I am backpacking alone, or going on a trip with my family, my favourite part is always getting to know the locals. It is through them that you can get to see the true beauty of a city. I also love to travel with friends. It is a great way to spend quality time with them. Because when you are working all the time, you don’t get to see your friends as often as you like, and it can get quite lonely don’t you think?
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What is the key to having authentic experiences when traveling?
Food. It is an intricate part of a place’s culture. Of course, there is the language and other aspects of it too. But I believe that it is food that ultimately brings people together. It’s always interesting to travel with people who are willing to share their knowledge of the local cuisine with you. Coming from Paris, it can be hard to find locals who are open to outsiders. People are generally more reserved and like to do their own thing. I think that that finding open-minded people who are willing to share experiences with you, particularly over food, is something very valuable. As for me, I would definitely be willing to share culinary tips with travellers, and help them discover the nicest restaurants in Paris!
Stay tuned for the second part of Diane Mironesco’s interview, coming up next week.
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