Book a private chef for the day, get a week of meals tailored to you.

“The meals are delicious, there’s a lot of variety and they’re really easy to prepare for serving!"

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“The meals are delicious, there’s a lot of variety and they’re really easy to prepare for serving!" *

  • Choose the combination of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and desserts that you need for the week.

    When booking, you’ll fill out a brief form to tell us more about your dietary preferences, goals and needs as well as your favorite cuisines and flavors. From there, your chef will provide you with multiple options per dish personalized to you.

    *Note: We have a $550 service minimum.

  • Less time in the kitchen, more time with friends and family. Each Happy Cooking Meal is fully prepared and ready to reheat in minutes with easy-to-follow instructions. Add the finishing touches with the provided garnishes or sauce.

austin meal prep

"We have hours back each week to focus on work and fun since meal prep is handled."

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"We have hours back each week to focus on work and fun since meal prep is handled." *

“Our DoorDash bill is way down"

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"It immediately cut our food costs in half and improved the health of our diet. "

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“Our DoorDash bill is way down" * "It immediately cut our food costs in half and improved the health of our diet. " *

  • Keep your groceries out of the trash and lower your takeout consumption.

    For each meal, our chefs will shop for the freshest ingredients from the grocery store of your choice. Want all organic? You got it! No seed oils? No problem. Every item in each bite is tailored to your preferences.

    We’re well-versed in seasonality and food chain processes so you can feel good about what you’re eating.

  • Most personal chef companies require you to submit an inquiry form, hold an intake call and then go back-and-forth over emails to arrive at a menu and collect payment.

    When you book a custom meal prep service with Happy Cooking, you’ll finalize your self-serve booking within ~10 minutes.

3 spots available each week

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3 spots available each week *

build your week of meals

  • breakfast

    Breakfast

    $20 per person per breakfast

  • Lunch

    $30 per person per lunch

  • Dinner

    $30 per person per dinner

  • Snack

    $15 per person per snack

  • Dessert

    $15 per person per dessert

  • In-Home Prep Add-On

    Have your chef prep the food at your place.

    +$75 per meal

  • When you book your service, you’ll complete a quick form to tell us more about:

    • your dietary preference and restrictions

    • any foods you’re craving or love

    • your desired # of meals, snacks, desserts and # of servings for each

    • your preferred grocery store

    • and more!

    The booking process is also where you’ll pay the $550 custom meal prep fee with the option to tip. We’ll send you an invoice for your exact service fee based on your selections within 24 hours of booking.

    Note: We ask for at least 1 week of lead time to allow enough time for menu ideation/selection, grocery shopping and prep.

  • The fun part! We’ll send you fully custom menu options via email based on your booking form information within 48 hours of your booking submission. You’ll then provide your feedback and make your selections via email.

    Plan to finalize your meals at least 3-5 days prior to your service to allow for enough time for shopping and prepping.

  • We will purchase ingredients and send you a copy of the receipt for reimbursement after our chef has shopped for your service.

    Based on your menu, we’ll pick up the required groceries ~72 hours before your delivery day.

    The grocery cost will fluctuate depending on premium ingredients or additional services.

  • Please pay the remaining balance at least 1 day prior to your service to keep your booking.

    We’ll be transparent with you on pricing throughout the process.

  • If you choose delivery, we’ll deliver your fully cooked meals on your scheduled delivery date and time. We currently offer Monday and Tuesday delivery options. You’ll receive your personalized quick, easy reheating instructions via email on your delivery day.

    *Note: We charge +$2/mile after the first 15 miles from our East Austin kitchen in 78721.

    If you choose an in-home service, we’ll reach out to you within 24 hours of your booking to confirm your chef’s arrival time.

    *Note: We charge +$15/hour ($120 for 8 hours) for your chef to prep in your home.

SAMPLE MENU

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SAMPLE MENU *

CUSTOM MEAL PREP FAQS

  • Currently, our meal prep services are only available in Austin. Delivery within 15 miles of our kitchen in 78721 is included in the $550 minimum service fee.

  • Yes, the beauty of a fully custom service is that you can design a menu that best fits your dietary needs and goals. Note: Some diets may incur higher grocery fees than estimated based on the cost of ingredients and/or additional chef hours based on complexity of the menu.

  • Service Fee: After your complete the client questionnaire, we’ll send you a booking link to secure your service date. You’ll see the option pay via Stripe or PayPal. Once your payment has been received, we’ll send you your custom menu to review, provide feedback on and approve.

    Grocery Payment: ~3 days before your service, we’ll shop for your groceries. We recommend providing login information to an online account at the grocery store of your choice so that your chef can easily submit an online order without needing to request reimbursement.

    Tipping: Tipping is optional but appreciated. You’ll see the option to add a tip at the time of booking, or you can come back to the link to add a tip after your service. 100% of the tip goes to your chef.

  • Yes! You get to choose the store your chef purchases groceries from.

    Your chef will purchase the groceries about 2-3 days ahead of your service, and we’ll send you an invoice with a copy of the grocery receipt. You’ll pay the invoice through our secure payment platform.

  • We’ve found that most of our client prefer their meals be cooked offsite at our commercial kitchen and delivered to them. Delivery is free for the first 15 miles from our East Austin kitchen, and $2/mile after the first 15 miles. You can also elect to pick up your meal from our East Austin kitchen (1023 Springdale Rd Bldg 1, Ste 1) at no cost.

    If you’d like the chef to cook at your home, we’re happy to accommodate for an additional $75 per meal to account for the premium service and additional cleaning time.

  • Yes! We offer meal prep gift cards.

  • We’ve found most families prefer to begin their week with a meal prep delivery, so we currently offer Monday and Tuesday delivery slots from 3-7pm. If you prefer another delivery day or time, email us at hello@happycookingatx.com and we can advise if it’s available.

  • You’re welcome to select any combination of meals you’d like to hit the $550 minimum.

  • Your chef is happy to stay on your meal prep day to serve a dinner for an additional $120 ($60/hour x 1 hour for service + 1 hour for clean-up). Our chefs have a day rate of $550 + groceries if you’d like them to come back an additional day.

  • Yep! We’ll email you your reheating and plating directions the day of your service. The instructions are designed to be easy-to-follow and quick. Your meals will be fully cooked, so reheating should take less than 10 minutes in most cases.

  • We’ll deliver your meals family-style in disposable aluminum pans provided by Happy Cooking. These pans can be directly placed in the oven for reheating, or you can divvy out the desired portions into your own reheating or storage vessels at home.'

    We offer the option for your chefs to individually portion your meals for +$50.

  • Yes! We’re happy to book you for multiple dates if you know in advance when you’d like service. We have limited custom meal prep service slots available, so we recommend booking asap.

  • Yes! We’re happy to work with you to develop menus that hit your macros. We charge +$50 to individually portion your meals to account for the additional chef time.

  • While we’re very grateful for the overwhelming support we received for our standard meal prep offering, we learned that, to best serve our customer’s unique needs to the highest standard, we need to offer a custom service.

  • The $550 + groceries price point ensures you’re getting meals that are best for you while covering chef, packaging and kitchen costs. We recognize that may feel like an investment, especially for families of two.

    To make your weekly investment go further, we recommend to:

    • Ask your chef to include freezer-friendly options.

    • Consider splitting the service cost with a neighbor, family member or friend.

    • Provide your chef with an ideal grocery cost up front to avoid surprises