Welcome to the family

Our story begins here. It’s the story of three crazy friends, Patrick, Thomas and myself, with big plans to change the way people eat.

At the launch of Cook it, we did everything ourselves: recipes, purchasing, prep, advertising, social media, customer service, deliveries, EVERYTHING. We operated out of a small 200-square-foot space on Saint-Viateur, in Montreal, and that was enough for us.

Nine months after launching Cook it, sales began to go down, and so did my mood. One day, Paul, a finance graduate from HEC Montréal, came in for an interview in front a very pregnant and slightly demotivated girl (me). For a reason I have yet to understand, he accepted to become Cook it’s first employee, and my right-hand man and associate.

June 1st, 2014: Cook it starts recovering thanks to its appearance on Dans l’œil du dragon. The show introduces the company to over a million Quebec viewers and generates exceptional results. The team is overwhelmed, but excited.

In August 2015, baby Antoine joins our family. During his first year, he follows me everywhere: at the bank, at meetings with new suppliers, at job interviews… He’s my first intern.

During a pitch for our respective companies, I meet Elic, who’s now an associate and the chief technology officer at Cook it. I have an immediate professional crush and decide to add him to the team.

Cook it continues to grow. I meet Alexandre Caron, founder of Kuisto. The company catches our attention and becomes our first acquisition.

I’m back on TV, but this time on the English version of Dragon’s Den. I show up on set with no other intention than to make a publicity stunt, but leave with a new business partner: Arlene Dickinson. Around the same time, I get “adopted” by one of Canada’s biggest entrepreneurs, Mr. Alain Bouchard from Couche-Tard through the Adopte Inc. program. With the help of these partners, we launch our biggest awareness campaign ever.

In November 2018, the whole team and I want to revolutionize the ready-to-cook industry by launching the first eco-friendly version of meal kits—the sustainable kit— a pilot project that we’ll test for two years. We’re also launching our Pantry, an online grocery store of 100% local products.

The following year, we take on our second acquisition and purchase MissFresh, one of the five major companies of the industry operating in Quebec.

A few months after this acquisition, COVID-19 comes knocking on our door. The company goes from 200 to 500 employees in just a month and has its orders triple. Everyone jumps in to help, even the office staff and I lend a hand to the production team. The sustainable kit is put on hold.

In April, we add variety to the menu with brunches and happy hour options. Cook it becomes the first Quebec ready-to-cook company to offer these options on a weekly basis.

Cook it welcomes the Fonds de solidarité FTQ as its new financial partner with an investment of $10M. A collaboration made possible by our shared love of local producers and businesses!

In December, we proudly announce the acquisition of a top of the line facility to prepare our new ready-to-eat meals, a 10,000 square feet area with a chef’s kitchen for our R&D team. On the menu, homemade meals, that are tasty, fresh and free of chemicals–that can be warmed up in 2 minutes.

Cook it chooses Sodexo, a world leader in food production, to operate its Longueuil factory, joining forces with a company known for its socially and environmentally responsible values and for the efficiency of its processes.

Two years after the arrival of the industry’s first sustainable kit was put on hold, we’re bouncing back with a reusable cooler: a new version of the sustainable kit that addresses the issues presented by the first version and integrates seamlessly into our subscribers’ daily lives. We’re proudly launching meal kits into the future!

200 clients from the Montreal area are contacted to participate in this pilot project, which is to be fine tuned and presented to the public.

In December 2022, we become the majority shareholder of Menu Extra, a business that is cherished by Montreal foodies, whose mission is to make fine dining accessible at home. Founded in 2020 by chefs Francis Blais and Camilo Lapointe-Nascimento and sommelier and maître d’hôtel Alexis Demers, Menu Extra proposes ready-to-eat gourmet meals, food and wine pairings and complete dining experiences at home.

Menu Extra allows us to offer high-end dishes to our clients for special occasions, and supports our vision to transform everyday meals into curated experiences.

This acquisition makes us the best way to eat… for all occasions!

Cook it becomes the first meal kit company to offer recipes recognized by Aliments du Québec au menu. Cook it has been supporting local producers since its very beginning, by offering more than 50% local products in every box and a 100% local Pantry. This new recognition is in line with our values and our desire to become a reference in local sourcing. Spot recipes recognized by Aliments du Québec au menu on our menu! 

After appearing on Dans l’oeil du dragon in 2015, Judith is back on the Quebec show, Dans l’oeil du dragon, to invest in local start-ups as a guest dragon!