Shmeal

This is a very intriguing idea:
http://www.chicagomag.com/dining-drinking/September-2017/Shmeal-Neighbor-Cook-Me-Dinner/

My first thought about this is 'how is it possibly legal?'. I spent a little time looking into state law (to see how my wife could sell homemade pies), and I thought it was clear that if you don't cook in a commercial kitchen, your only route for selling food was via farmer's markets.

Anyway, I'm not in Chicago-proper, so I can't participate as a cook yet, but if anyone does, your impressions would be appreciated!

"Waivers" aside, I suspect that a homeowner's insurance policy would not cover any claims arising from this and you could potentially open yourself up to significant liability. A nice idea but difficult to implement.

I've seen similar concepts come ad go over the past several years - just too difficult to sustain. (And I also had an acquaintance who set up a semi-commercial operation preparing meals for neighborhood families with two working parents - was shut down pretty quickly by authorities).

Also, I think the price point is too low to offer much more than stews, soups and simple sandwiches or salads. That wouldn't excite me much on an ongoing basis.

I wonder if they're somehow able to argue that the app is simply facilitating "meal sharing", and that the $6 goes toward that "facilitation", and isn't for food. Hmm...

Well, I think it would be pretty fascinating to see what happens if it doesn't get shut down. If I lived in a neighborhood where I knew one cook made lasagna on Mondays, another cook made chicken adobo on Wednesdays, etc, etc, it seems like a lot of interesting communities and commerce could spring up from that.