Turn Your Cooking Into Income

You make amazing food and everyone keeps telling you "you should sell this!" Here's exactly how to do that.

Start Cooking Today

What is iChef?

iChef is an app that connects home cooks with hungry people nearby. You cook what you're good at, set your own prices, and customers order directly from you.

No restaurant needed. No food truck. Just your kitchen and your skills.

Who Can Be an iChef?

Honestly? Anyone who cooks well. If people at the potluck go straight for YOUR dish, you qualify.

👨‍👩‍👧

Stay at Home Parents

With killer family recipes that everyone loves

🌍

Immigrants

Whose authentic cuisine isn't available locally

👴

Retired Folks

With decades of cooking experience to share

👨‍🍳

Culinary Students

Who want real customers and real feedback

🎉

The Party Chef

Whose friends keep asking them to cook for events

How to Get Started

1

Download the App

Get iChef from the iOS App Store. Android coming soon!

2

Sign Up as a Chef

Open the app and tap "Chef Sign In." Create your account with email or Google sign in. You'll get a verification code via text or email.

3

Complete Your Chef Profile

This is your storefront. Add a clear, friendly headshot. Write your story. Tell people why your food is special. Select your cuisine type.

4

Add Your First Dishes

For each dish, add the name (be specific!), description, price, photos, availability, and dietary tags like halal, vegan, or gluten free. Start with 3 to 5 dishes. Quality over quantity.

5

Set Your Availability

Be realistic. What days can you cook? How many orders can you handle? What's your prep time? Start small. You can always expand later.

6

Verify and Go Live

Complete the verification steps to build trust with customers. Once verified, you're ready to start receiving orders!

💰 How to Price Your Dishes

The sweet spot: $6 to $12 per serving for most dishes

How to calculate:

Example:
Your jollof rice costs around $3 in ingredients per serving.
Restaurants sell it for $15.
Your price: $8 to $9 — great value for customer, good profit for you.

Don't underprice! People associate low prices with low quality. $6 minimum for any real dish.

📸 Food Photo Tips

Your photos sell your food. Bad photos means no orders. Good photos means hungry customers.

✓ Do This

  • Use natural lighting near a window during daytime
  • Keep the background clean and simple
  • Show the food up close and make it look delicious
  • Garnish neatly before shooting
  • Take 10+ photos and pick the best one
  • Add a little drizzle, steam, or fresh herbs right before you shoot

✗ Avoid This

  • Flash photography (makes food look gross)
  • Cluttered backgrounds
  • Blurry or dark images
  • Photos with your messy kitchen visible
  • Overhead fluorescent lighting

Realistic Earnings

The key? Consistency plus quality plus responding fast to customers.

5-20
orders
First Month

As you build reviews

$200-800
per month
After 3 Months

Part time chefs

$1,500+
per month
Top Chefs

Treating it like a real side business

How You Get Paid

Payments go through Stripe, the same secure system used by major retailers.

Quick Questions

Do I need a commercial kitchen?
Cottage food laws vary by state. iChef helps you understand requirements for your area.
What if I can only cook on weekends?
Perfect! Set your availability for weekends only. Many chefs do this successfully.
What if I get too many orders?
Great problem to have! Just mark yourself as unavailable until you catch up.
How do deliveries work?
Multiple options: customer pickup, you deliver, or integrated delivery services.

Ready to Start Cooking?

Download iChef and turn your kitchen into income

Download iChef Have Questions?