Chef For Hire Inc

What Chef For Hire Inc does

Chef For Hire Inc is a privately held meal service provider headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, specializing in regulatory-compliant prepared meals for seniors (primarily 60+) and at-risk populations across Indiana and Ohio. Founded in 1991 as a catering company by Monty G. Degenhardt, the firm pivoted in 1997 to senior nutrition after partnering with Indiana's Area Agencies on Aging, eventually exiting catering entirely. The company operates an industrial kitchen capable of producing 2.5 million+ meals annually (300-gallon steam kettles, 30-gallon tilt skillets, 20-pan Combi Ovens), delivering frozen, oven-ready meals through its own fleet and partner couriers in temperature-controlled containers. Core products include Home-Delivered Meals (two-week supply, 4,600+ households annually across all 92 Indiana counties), CAFE Meal Programs (bulk frozen for facilities, hospitals, and nonprofits), and specialized dietary menus (diabetic-friendly, heart-healthy, renal, vegetarian, mechanically soft, dysphagia-appropriate). The July 2025 Choose My Meal Program added client-driven weekly selection to combat food fatigue.

Revenue comes from three streams: government program reimbursement (Medicaid Waiver pathways including Pathways for Aging and Health & Wellness Waiver, Title III federal funds, USDA summer meals), direct-to-consumer private pay (minimum 10 meals, flexible ordering), and B2B institutional sales (CAFE Meal Programs). The company is an authorized provider on multiple Medicaid Waiver programs, with the State of Indiana Family and Social Services Administration as a core partner. Pricing is not publicly disclosed for institutional customers; private pay units are billed pay-as-you-go. The go-to-market is consultative, relying on referrals from case managers, service coordinators, and Area Agencies on Aging for program-eligible clients, supplemented by direct outreach for private pay customers. Key partners include CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions, Meals on Wheels, multiple Indiana Area Agencies on Aging, CoAction, Area Five Agency on Aging, and IU Health cancer centers. The leadership team of 50+ employees is led by CEO Mike Burke and Executive Vice President Jeff Scheck (Johnson & Wales culinary graduate, 25-year tenure). No external institutional investment, PE, or VC funding has been disclosed.

Name

Chef For Hire Inc

Legal name

Chef for Hire Inc

Website

https://chefforhire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chef For Hire Inc is a privately held Indianapolis-based meal service provider producing 2.5M+ regulatory-compliant prepared meals annually for seniors, at-risk populations, and institutions across Indiana and Ohio, primarily through Medicaid Waiver, Title III, and B2B CAFE programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Senior Meal Services

NAICS

Food Service Contractors (72231), Special Food Services (7223), Community Food Services (62421), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Meal Preparation & Nutrition Support (Non-Medical) (HSABAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Meal kits & subscription meal components manufacturing (AFAKAHAD), Prepared Meal Subscriptions (Chef-Prepared, Recurring) (CRAHAJAD), Functional Senior Nutrition Foods Manufacturing (High-Protein, Bone/Joint Support Foods) (AFAKAJAK)

Keywords

• Senior meal services
• Home-delivered meals
• Congregate meal programs
• Specialized diet meals
• Medically tailored meals

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallahassee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Program Meals: Revenue from providing meals to Medicaid Waiver programs (Pathways for Aging, Health & Wellness Waiver, Money Follows the Person), Title III programs (Home-Delivered Meals, Caregiver Support), SSBG Program, and CHOICE Program. Meals are funded by federal and state programs for eligible seniors and disabled individuals.
2. Direct-to-Consumer Private Pay Meals: Private pay meal options for individuals or caregivers, with a 10-meal minimum order. Meals are delivered frozen and oven-ready with flexible ordering (weekly, monthly, or as needed).
3. CAFE Meal Programs (B2B): Bulk frozen meal solutions sold to facilities, nonprofits, healthcare providers, and government agencies. Meals are customized based on client preferences and dietary requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chef For Hire Inc prepares and delivers meals targeted at seniors and at-risk populations through home-delivery and congregate feeding programs. The company offers specialized dietary options including diabetic, heart-healthy, renal, vegetarian, and mechanically soft meals, sold both to government/agency purchasers (B2B) and to individual seniors on a private-pay basis (B2C).

Product overview

Chef For Hire Inc operates as a senior nutrition and meal delivery service provider offering a unified meal service platform. The core offerings include Home-Delivered Meals for seniors aged 55+ and CAFE Meal Programs for institutional/bulk delivery, both supported by the Choose My Meal selection program. Specialized dietary sub-products (Diabetic-Friendly, Heart-Healthy, Vegetarian, Mechanically Soft, and Renal meals) are integrated into these core programs to meet diverse health needs. The company also provides Private Pay direct-to-consumer meals and Summer Meal Programs for government partners. All meals comply with Medicaid Waiver, Title III, and USDA standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home-Delivered Meals
• CAFE Meal Programs
• Choose My Meal Program
• Private Pay Meals
• Specialized Diet Meals

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2.5 million complete meals produced and sold in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• CICOA Aging & In-Home SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICOA runs the Meals & More program providing home-delivered and congregate meals to seniors in Central Indiana. Chef for Hire provides the meals while CICOA manages the program, including community sites for socialization. This is a long-standing partnership considered the heart of Chef for Hire's community impact.
• Area Agencies on Aging (Indiana)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef for Hire partnered with Indiana's Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) starting in 1997 to supply Home-Delivered Meals. AAAs determine eligibility and coordinate services for seniors across all 92 Indiana counties.
• Meals on WheelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef for Hire partners with Meals on Wheels to ensure vulnerable populations including seniors and individuals with health challenges receive nutritious, compliant meals.
• Indiana University Health Schwarz Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop tailored CAFE Meal Programs for oncology patients, providing nutritious meals supporting cancer treatment and recovery.
• IU Health West Hospital Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustomized meal programs for cancer patients at IU Health West Hospital, coordinating with healthcare practices offering meals for oncology, post-surgery, and pre/postpartum patients.
• City of Indianapolis Parks DepartmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Summer Lunch Programs and Annual Supper Programs serving children and families through city parks and community centers.
• Pathways for AgingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedicaid Waiver program (60+) through which eligible seniors receive free home-delivered meals from Chef for Hire as an authorized provider.
• Health & Wellness WaivercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedicaid Waiver program for individuals under 60 with disabilities, providing access to free meal services through Chef for Hire as an authorized provider.
• CoActionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide home-delivered meals to seniors and at-risk individuals in Northwest Indiana through CoAction's service programs.
• Area Five Agency on Aging & Community ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeal services for seniors in the Logansport area through Area Five Agency's programs.
• Generations Vincennes University Statewide ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeal programs through university statewide services serving community members across Indiana.
• Just Friends Adult Daycare ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization providing meal services to adult daycare participants.
• State of Indiana - Family and Social Services AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency overseeing Medicaid Waiver and Title III programs through which Chef for Hire provides compliant meal services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Open Hand Atlanta: Atlanta-based nonprofit providing home-delivered medically tailored meals and nutrition services to individuals with chronic illness. Comparable in mission, MTM delivery model, and funding mix of government/Medicaid contracts and private donations.
• Project Angel Food: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing medically tailored meals to critically ill clients including those with cancer, HIV, and heart disease. Closely parallels Chef for Hire's clinical/medically-tailored meal model and reliance on contracted healthcare funding.
• Moveable Feast: Maryland-based nonprofit providing home-delivered, medically tailored meals to people with HIV, cancer, and other chronic illnesses. Mirrors Chef for Hire's combination of bulk kitchen production and home delivery of condition-specific meals.
• Chefs for Seniors: In-home meal preparation service for seniors that sends culinary professionals to client homes. Mirrors Chef for Hire's in-home nutrition support positioning for the senior and at-risk population, though delivered via personal chef visits rather than home-delivered prepared meals.
• God's Love We Deliver: NYC-based nonprofit that cooks and home-delivers medically tailored meals for people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses. Operates the same combination of chef-prepared, condition-specific meals delivered to clients' homes.
• Mom's Meals: The largest U.S. provider of home-delivered, refrigerated, medically tailored meals to seniors and managed-care plan members. Competes directly with Chef for Hire for Medicaid waiver, Medicare Advantage, and dual-eligible meal benefits across overlapping geographies.
• Silver Cuisine by BistroMD: Direct-to-consumer, chef-prepared meal subscription service designed specifically for seniors, with condition-specific menus (diabetic, heart-healthy, gluten-free, etc.). Overlaps directly with Chef for Hire's private-pay DTC subscription business and medically tailored menu structure.
• MANNA: Philadelphia-based nonprofit producing and home-delivering medically tailored meals to clients with chronic illness. Comparable in mission, medically tailored menu breadth, and contract relationships with healthcare payers and government agencies.

Emerging players

• Nutrition for Longevity: Healthcare- and payer-focused MTM provider producing medically tailored meals for managed care and Medicare Advantage contracts. Overlaps with Chef for Hire's growing healthcare channel (IU Health) and serves as a newer competitor chasing the same MTM contracting opportunity.
• Top Box Foods: Chicago-based nonprofit/social enterprise providing affordable, chef-prepared meals and meal kits to underserved communities. Shares the combination of community-focused program delivery and the chef-prepared, nutrition-forward positioning Chef for Hire uses with NGOs and Medicaid populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChefforHire72
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/104871261
• Instagraminstagram.com/chefforhiremeals

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Chef For Hire Inc