The Meal Ecosystem

What if dinner was already figured out?

Liana Banyan’s meal ecosystem transforms how families eat through three integrated initiatives:

• Let’s Make Dinner — The marketplace and coordination hub
• The Family Table — Group cooking and potluck networks
• Let’s Get Groceries — Cost+20% ingredient sourcing

The Core Innovation: Grocery Boxes

Refrigerator Shelf-Compatible Design

Every Grocery Box is engineered to:

1. Fit standard refrigerator shelves — No reorganizing required
2. Contain pre-cut, pre-measured ingredients — Ready for cooking
3. Include meal chain suggestions — Leftovers from Meal A become ingredients for Meal B
4. Support multiple use modes — Cook yourself, join a group session, or hire a chef

Box Sizes

The Meal Chain Concept

Instead of isolated recipes, Grocery Boxes are designed for meal chains:

Sunday: Roast chicken with vegetables
   ↓ (leftover chicken)
Monday: Chicken sandwiches with fresh greens
   ↓ (chicken bones + vegetable scraps)
Tuesday: Chicken soup with fresh bread

This approach:

• Reduces food waste to near-zero
• Maximizes ingredient utilization
• Creates variety without complexity
• Lowers per-meal costs

Three Ways to Eat

1. DIY Cold Box

You cook, your schedule.

• Ingredients arrive pre-cut and measured
• Recipe cards included
• Typical prep time: 20-30 minutes
• Best for: Home cooks who enjoy cooking but hate planning

2. Group Cook Session

Share the work, share the food.

• Join a scheduled session at a certified community kitchen
• Bring your box, cook alongside neighbors
• Take home multiple meals
• Best for: Social cooks, busy families, learning new cuisines

3. Chef Prepared

Hot meal delivered, ready to eat.

• Hire a member chef to prepare your box
• Delivered hot or ready-to-reheat
• Premium convenience option
• Best for: Time-crunched families, special occasions, those unable to cook

The Economics

Cost Comparison (Per Meal, Family of 4)

Why It’s Cheaper

1. Bulk purchasing — Let’s Get Groceries sources at scale
2. Zero waste — Pre-measured ingredients, meal chains
3. Shared labor — Group cooking distributes prep time
4. Cost+20% pricing — No hidden markups, ever

The Potluck Network

“I always wondered what it would be like to have potluck for every dinner.”

The Potluck Network makes this real:

How It Works

1. Neighbors form a pod (4-8 households)
2. Each household cooks 1-2 nights per week
3. Meals are shared across the pod
4. Everyone eats variety without cooking daily

Benefits

• Variety: 7 different cuisines per week instead of the same 3 recipes
• Time: Cook once, eat many times
• Community: Know your neighbors through food
• Support: Built-in meal train for illness, new babies, emergencies

The Math

Community Kitchen Model

Certified Facilities

Group cook sessions happen at certified community kitchens:

• Church kitchens — Often underutilized weekdays
• Community centers — Built for group activities
• School cafeterias — Available evenings/weekends
• Member home kitchens — Certified for small groups

Compliance Built-In

Every facility in the network:

• Meets health department requirements
• Has liability coverage through Liana Banyan
• Follows standardized safety protocols
• Maintains equipment to commercial standards

Equipment Sharing

Through Household Concierge, members can access:

• Commercial-grade mixers and processors
• Vacuum sealers for meal prep
• Large-batch cookware
• Specialized tools (pasta makers, dehydrators, etc.)

Member Chef Program

Become a Certified Meal Prepper

Any member can become a certified chef:

1. Complete food safety certification (we cover the cost)
2. Pass kitchen inspection (your home or community facility)
3. Build your portfolio (start with friends and family)
4. List on the marketplace (set your own prices, keep 83.3%)

The Business Model

A member chef working 2-3 days per week can:

• Prep 20-40 meals per session
• Serve 5-10 regular households
• Earn $500-2,000/week (depending on volume and pricing)
• Build a sustainable micro-business

Quality Assurance

• Ratings and reviews build reputation
• Repeat customers indicate quality
• Dispute resolution through platform
• Insurance coverage included

Initiative Connections

Let’s Make Dinner

The marketplace and coordination hub:

• Browse and order Grocery Boxes
• Find group cook sessions near you
• Hire member chefs
• Manage meal subscriptions
• Rate and review

The Family Table

The social and community layer:

• Group cooking coordination
• Potluck network management
• Family meal planning tools
• Cultural recipe sharing
• Emergency meal support

Let’s Get Groceries

The supply chain:

• Bulk ingredient sourcing at Cost+20%
• Delivery coordination
• Seasonal and local optimization
• Specialty ingredient access

Household Concierge

The logistics layer:

• Delivery scheduling
• Kitchen equipment rental
• Facility booking
• Chef scheduling

Getting Started

As a Consumer

1. Browse Grocery Boxes on Let’s Make Dinner
2. Choose your mode: DIY, Group Cook, or Chef Prepared
3. Select delivery or pickup
4. Enjoy your meals

As a Producer

1. Get certified as a meal prepper
2. Choose your facility (home or community kitchen)
3. Set your schedule (2-3 days/week recommended)
4. Build your customer base

As a Community

1. Register your facility as a certified kitchen
2. Host group cook sessions
3. Form a potluck pod with neighbors
4. Share the abundance

The Vision

Perpetual potluck — where everyone eats better than they could alone, at costs lower than cooking solo, with variety that no single household could achieve.

This isn’t a meal kit service. It’s a food network — neighbors feeding neighbors, communities cooking together, and everyone keeping 83.3% of the value they create.

Part of the Sweet Sixteen Initiatives Crown: Maneet Chauhan (Let’s Make Dinner)