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Foodnome

Full company profile

uuid0006k1p

Namestring
Foodnome
Legal namestring
COOK Alliance
Websiteurl
foodnome.com
Company typeenum
Private
Founded yearint
2015
Descriptiontext

Foodnome, operating as COOK Connect, is a nonprofit-operated online marketplace that connects legally permitted home cooks with diners seeking authentic, home-cooked meals. Founded under COOK Alliance in 2015, the platform was first to market after California's AB-626 (MEHKO Act) was signed into law in September 2018, creating the state's first permitting framework for Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations. The all-in-one ordering platform supports menu management, curbside pickup coordination with digital 'doorbell' arrival notifications, direct cook-diner chat, and secure payment processing via Braintree. The platform is restricted to cooks who complete the COOK Academy training and obtain MEHKO permits, and operates exclusively within California across multiple cities including San Diego, Oakland-adjacent markets, and inland areas.

The business model is a transaction-fee marketplace in which individual home cooks set their own prices (sample menu items range $4-$21) and COOK Alliance reinvests proceeds into chef support, training programs, and MEHKO advocacy. The company monetizes indirectly through platform transaction fees while relying on the nonprofit structure to subsidize the food-safety and permitting infrastructure required to keep cooks compliant. Go-to-market is a hybrid of community-led and product-led: COOK Academy builds the supply side through food-safety certification and permitting assistance, while earned media in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and SF Chronicle drives diner-side awareness. Customer concentration is structurally low — the diner base is a long tail of individual consumers, and the supplier base consists of independent micro-business solo chefs with no single anchor account. Technology stack is conventional (web/mobile marketplace, Braintree payments, Cloudinary image hosting, Google Maps for location), with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, proprietary models, or data flywheel mechanics. The company has raised a single disclosed $1.6M seed round from Watertower Ventures in 2017 and has not pursued subsequent institutional capital.

Short descriptiontext

Foodnome (operating as COOK Connect) is a nonprofit-operated marketplace platform connecting legally permitted California home cooks with diners seeking authentic home-cooked meals, supported by the COOK Academy training program and reinvesting proceeds into chef support and MEHKO advocacy.

Operating statusenum
Operating
Ownership categoryenum
Headcount rangeband
1–10
akta.pro rankint
HeadquartersOakland, United States
HQ citystring
Oakland
HQ countrystring
United States
HQ regionstring
North America
Markets served

Serves global market

Offices1 record

Each record includes

City, Country, Type, Description, Source

Keyword5 values
home cooked food marketplace, microenterprise home kitchens, online food ordering, culinary entrepreneurship platform, homemade meal marketplace
NAICS code2 codes
  • Restaurants and Other Eating Places72251
  • Special Food Services7223
SIC code1 code
  • Retail-Eating & Drinking Places5810
Product category
Online Food Marketplace
Social media profiles1 record
GTM motion2 records

Each record includes

Type, Description, Source

Revenue model1 record
1Platform Transaction Fees
TypeTransaction Fee
Description

Marketplace platform that charges transaction fees on sales made through COOK Connect. As a nonprofit, proceeds are reinvested into supporting chefs and the home cooking movement through programming, training, and small business support.

foodnome.com
Marketing channels4 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Stage, Description, Source

Distribution channels4 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Scope, Target buyer, Description, Source

Cost components4 values
Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Pricing details1 tier
1Individual menu items priced by each home cook
ModelUnit PricingBilling cadencePay-as-you-go
Notes

Sample prices from Papa Rowe's Kitchen: BBQ Ribs $19, Beef Brisket $21, BBQ Chicken $15, Red Snapper $17, Catfish $17, Sides $4-6

foodnome.com
GTM typeB2C
B2C
Offering typeDigital Commerce or Conte…
Digital Commerce or Content
Core offering1 text field

Foodnome operates COOK Connect, the first legal marketplace in the US for home-cooked food, connecting permitted home cooks (Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations/MEHKOs) with local diners. The platform provides an all-in-one ordering system with menu management, curbside pickup coordination with Doorbell notifications, secure Braintree payments, and direct cook-diner chat. The companion COOK Academy program trains aspiring home cooks to obtain food safety certifications and MEHKO permits before joining the marketplace.

Differentiator
Functional benefit
Problem solved
Quantifiable outcome1 of 3 values shown
  • Near 100% food safety record with 0 verified cases of foodborne illness
+2 more records
Product overview1 text field

Foodnome (operating as COOK Connect) is a nonprofit-operated marketplace platform that connects permitted home cooks with diners seeking authentic homemade meals. The core offering consists of the COOK Connect marketplace platform, supplemented by the COOK Academy training program that prepares aspiring chefs to obtain required food safety certifications and MEHKO permits before joining the platform. COOK Connect provides an all-in-one digital ordering system with menu management, secure Braintree payment processing, curbside pickup coordination featuring digital doorbell notifications, and direct chat between cooks and diners. The platform operates exclusively with legally permitted Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs) and reinvests proceeds into supporting chefs and the home cooking movement.

Product and service2 records
1COOK Connect
CategoryOnline Food Marketplace
Description

The first legal marketplace for home-cooked food in the US, operated by COOK Alliance nonprofit. The platform enables permitted home cooks (MEHKOs) to sell meals directly to local diners through an all-in-one ordering platform with menu management, curbside pickup coordination, secure Braintree payments, direct chat, and Doorbell arrival notifications.

2COOK Academy
CategoryTraining & Certification Program
Description

Invitation-only training and certification program that helps aspiring home cooks obtain Food Safety Manager Certification, navigate MEHKO permitting processes, and launch legal home cooking businesses. Serves as the on-ramp pipeline to become a chef on COOK Connect.

Scale indicator4 records

Each record includes

Type, Value, Description, Source

Recent move5 records

Each record includes

Date, Type, Title, Description, Source

Expansion highlight4 records

Each record includes

Type, Description

Market position
Weaknesses5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Competitive moat4 records

Each record includes

Type, Details

Customer concentration

Classification, Details

Named customers11 records

Each record includes

Name, Industry, Type, Use case, Source, UUID

Segment3 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Primary, Description, Pain point addressed, Use case, Source

Ideal customer profile2 records

Each record includes

Profile, Firmographic size, Sales motion, Sales cycle length, Buying structure, Purchase trigger, Buyer persona, Geography, Industry vertical, Primary use case, Description, Pain points, Evidence proof points, Target buyer

Technology focused
Yes
API detail
Has APIbool
No

Docs URL, Description

Integration3 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Description, Source

AI maturity
App detail

Has app

Feature4 records

Each record includes

Title, Differentiator, Description, Source

Core technology
Revenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Number of profiles
Profiles4 records

Each record includes

Name, Designation, Designation category, Overview, Profile commentary, Source

No data
Compliance2 records

Each record includes

Name, Class, Description

Funding overview

Funding stage, Last funding date, Total funding USD

Funding rounds2 records

Each record includes

Round, Amount USD, Date, Pre money valuation, Total investors, Investors, News

Investors1 record

Each record includes

Name, Type, Date of entry, Rounds participated, Website

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Each record includes

Name, Acquisition type, Announced date, Completed date, Status, Website, News

Investment

Each record includes

Name, Round, Announced date, Lead investor, Website, News

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Foodnome

Online Food Marketplacefoodnome.com

Foodnome (operating as COOK Connect) is a nonprofit-operated marketplace platform connecting legally permitted California home cooks with diners seeking authentic home-cooked meals, supported by the COOK Academy training program and reinvesting proceeds into chef support and MEHKO advocacy.

What Foodnome does

Foodnome, operating as COOK Connect, is a nonprofit-operated online marketplace that connects legally permitted home cooks with diners seeking authentic, home-cooked meals. Founded under COOK Alliance in 2015, the platform was first to market after California's AB-626 (MEHKO Act) was signed into law in September 2018, creating the state's first permitting framework for Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations. The all-in-one ordering platform supports menu management, curbside pickup coordination with digital 'doorbell' arrival notifications, direct cook-diner chat, and secure payment processing via Braintree. The platform is restricted to cooks who complete the COOK Academy training and obtain MEHKO permits, and operates exclusively within California across multiple cities including San Diego, Oakland-adjacent markets, and inland areas.

The business model is a transaction-fee marketplace in which individual home cooks set their own prices (sample menu items range $4-$21) and COOK Alliance reinvests proceeds into chef support, training programs, and MEHKO advocacy. The company monetizes indirectly through platform transaction fees while relying on the nonprofit structure to subsidize the food-safety and permitting infrastructure required to keep cooks compliant. Go-to-market is a hybrid of community-led and product-led: COOK Academy builds the supply side through food-safety certification and permitting assistance, while earned media in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and SF Chronicle drives diner-side awareness. Customer concentration is structurally low — the diner base is a long tail of individual consumers, and the supplier base consists of independent micro-business solo chefs with no single anchor account. Technology stack is conventional (web/mobile marketplace, Braintree payments, Cloudinary image hosting, Google Maps for location), with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, proprietary models, or data flywheel mechanics. The company has raised a single disclosed $1.6M seed round from Watertower Ventures in 2017 and has not pursued subsequent institutional capital.

Foodnome firmographics

Firmographics
Name
Foodnome
Legal name
COOK Alliance
Website
https://foodnome.com
Company type
Private
Founded year
2015
Operating status
Operating
Headcount range
1–10 employees
Short description
Foodnome (operating as COOK Connect) is a nonprofit-operated marketplace platform connecting legally permitted California home cooks with diners seeking authentic home-cooked meals, supported by the COOK Academy training program and reinvesting proceeds into chef support and MEHKO advocacy.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Where Foodnome is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city
Oakland
HQ country
United States
HQ region
North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Foodnome business model

Business model
GTM type
B2C
Offering type
Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components
Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

  1. Platform Transaction Fees: Marketplace platform that charges transaction fees on sales made through COOK Connect. As a nonprofit, proceeds are reinvested into supporting chefs and the home cooking movement through programming, training, and small business support.

Pricing tiers

ModelBillingPrice
Unit PricingPay-as-you-goIndividual menu items priced by each home cook

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Foodnome product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Foodnome operates COOK Connect, the first legal marketplace in the US for home-cooked food, connecting permitted home cooks (Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations/MEHKOs) with local diners. The platform provides an all-in-one ordering system with menu management, curbside pickup coordination with Doorbell notifications, secure Braintree payments, and direct cook-diner chat. The companion COOK Academy program trains aspiring home cooks to obtain food safety certifications and MEHKO permits before joining the marketplace.

Product overview

Foodnome (operating as COOK Connect) is a nonprofit-operated marketplace platform that connects permitted home cooks with diners seeking authentic homemade meals. The core offering consists of the COOK Connect marketplace platform, supplemented by the COOK Academy training program that prepares aspiring chefs to obtain required food safety certifications and MEHKO permits before joining the platform. COOK Connect provides an all-in-one digital ordering system with menu management, secure Braintree payment processing, curbside pickup coordination featuring digital doorbell notifications, and direct chat between cooks and diners. The platform operates exclusively with legally permitted Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs) and reinvests proceeds into supporting chefs and the home cooking movement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

  • COOK Connect The first legal marketplace for home-cooked food in the US, operated by COOK Alliance nonprofit. The platform enables permitted home cooks (MEHKOs) to sell meals directly to local diners through an all-in-one ordering platform with menu management, curbside pickup coordination, secure Braintree payments, direct chat, and Doorbell arrival notifications.
  • COOK Academy Invitation-only training and certification program that helps aspiring home cooks obtain Food Safety Manager Certification, navigate MEHKO permitting processes, and launch legal home cooking businesses. Serves as the on-ramp pipeline to become a chef on COOK Connect.

Quantifiable outcome

  • Near 100% food safety record with 0 verified cases of foodborne illness
  • +2 more outcomes

Companies that use Foodnome

Customer profile

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Foodnome technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API
No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Foodnome partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Foodnome competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

Foodnome social profiles

Digital presence

Foodnome compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance2 records

Foodnome financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Foodnome leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Foodnome funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Foodnome M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foodnome

What does Foodnome do?

Foodnome operates COOK Connect, the first legal marketplace in the US for home-cooked food, connecting permitted home cooks (Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations/MEHKOs) with local diners. The platform provides an all-in-one ordering system with menu management, curbside pickup coordination with Doorbell notifications, secure Braintree payments, and direct cook-diner chat. The companion COOK Academy program trains aspiring home cooks to obtain food safety certifications and MEHKO permits before joining the marketplace.

Is Foodnome a public or private company?

Foodnome is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Foodnome founded?

Foodnome was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Foodnome based?

Foodnome is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.

How does Foodnome make money?

One revenue line is on record: platform Transaction Fees.

Does Foodnome have an API?

No public API is recorded for Foodnome.

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Live signals
PR NewswireFirst Home-Based Restaurant in SF Bay Area Receives Permit to OperateThe City of Berkeley Environmental Health Division approved the first Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) permit in the San Francisco Bay Area on June 4, 2021, authorizing home chef Akshay Prabhu to legally operate his restaurant Bao House. The permit represents the culmination of years of advocacy by Foodnome, the legal marketplace for homemade food that Prabhu founded after being shut down in 2014, culminating in California's AB 626 Home Restaurant Bill passing in 2018. The program is positioned as an economic recovery pathway following COVID-19 restaurant industry devastation, with AB 626 now implemented in six California counties and similar legislation pending in New York and Washington.PR NewswireFirst Home Restaurant In The United States Gets PermitMeghan McConaghy Chane of Riverside County, California became the first person in the United States to receive a permit to open a home restaurant, after being supported by the startup Foodnome, which helps home cooks navigate the legal requirements. California is currently the only state where home restaurants are legalized under bill AB 626, though each county's board of supervisors must individually opt-in to allow home cooks to operate. Foodnome, which connects home cooks with diners, is positioning itself as a key resource for advocates seeking to expand home restaurant operations across the state.PR NewswireFoodnome Announces New Resources To Empower Home Restaurant AdvocatesFoodnome, a Northern California-based food startup, has launched a new web application providing free resources for home restaurant advocates, including one-click outreach tools to contact county boards about opting into California's Homemade Food Operations Act (AB 626). The resources also include a platform for sharing Cook Stories videos and a dedicated hotline for prospective Home Restaurant operators. The founder noted that while AB 626 legalized home-cooked food sales at the state level earlier in 2019, individual counties must still opt-in before home cooks can legally operate.PR NewswireLocal Business To Host Free Workshop To Educate Passionate Cooks About Starting A Home RestaurantFoodnome, a platform connecting home cooks with diners, is hosting a free workshop on March 30, 2019 in Oakland, California to educate aspiring home restaurant operators on the requirements and process for launching a legal Home Restaurant business. The company's founder, Akshay Prabhu, lobbied for and helped pass California Assembly Bill AB-626, the Homemade Food Operations Act, which legalized permitted Home Restaurants statewide as of January 1, 2019. The workshop will cover topics including the new law, community building through food, and practical steps for starting a Home Restaurant.PR NewswireInnovative Start-Up Looking To Disrupt The $800 Billion Restaurant IndustryFoodnome, a food sharing economy platform connecting home cooks with diners, was featured at CES 2019 in Las Vegas. The company's founder, Akshay Prabhu, helped create and lobby for the Homemade Food Operations Act (AB-626), which made home-permitted restaurants legal in California as of January 1, 2019. The platform aims to help preserve diverse food traditions and cultures while offering economic opportunities for home cooks.