SupperBell Launches New Chef-Inspired Dinner Delivery Service

You've got the first two meals of the day covered: breakfast is a cup of Greek yogurt and a coffee and lunch is being catered by your office. But between the bad weather, the overtime you've been working and all of the kids' school activities, dinner somehow got lost in the shuffle. You could stop for pizza or burritos, but you want healthy ingredients and home-style cooking, not dinner from a box or a bag. Now a brand-new dinner-delivery service has you covered: SupperBell launched its online menu and ordering system today in several Denver zip codes, with plans to expand — eventually to the entire state. 

With a kitchen headed by chef Ace Speidel, who has spent time at TAG, the Kitchen and the Kitchen Next Door, SupperBell offers Colorado meat and produce whenever possible, with an emphasis on organic, sustainable and eco-friendly food and packaging. Among the company's founding partners is James Iacino, who is also the president of the Seattle Fish Company, so an emphasis on fresh seafood is also part of SupperBell's model.

Partner Travis Plakke (who recently also launched AO: Bar, a liquor inventory-management app) says SupperBell isn't so much a delivery service as it is a professional kitchen creating fresh food daily. "A lot of things are hard to do at home — stocks, seafood," Plakke notes. "With SupperBell, you know your food was prepared and cooked today."

As for seafood, it's "trickier," Plakke adds. "We're working on a salmon dish and we already have a shrimp jambalaya with Colorado sausage. Chef Speidel is very passionate about local products — we want to support other local businesses."

Every Sunday, SupperBell will post a weekly menu of entrees, sides, salads, desserts and kids' meals. Customers can order any time before 3 p.m. for dinner delivery that day or after 6 p.m. for dinner delivery the next day (ordering is closed between 3 and 6 p.m.). Options include healthy fare like butternut squash enchiladas, roasted chicken with quinoa and kale, or chicken and asparagus stirfry, or comfort-food favorites like short-rib grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup or meatloaf with sweet pea macaroni and cheese. Each dish comes with online instructions for oven or microwave heating. 

Entree prices are in the $10 range (although SupperBell has a half-price special running for orders placed before 3 p.m. for dinner today or after 6 p.m. for dinner tomorrow), and there's also a $2.95 delivery charge for each order. Delivery service runs from Monday through Friday and orders can be placed at supperbell.com. The company has partnered with Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters Colorado, so a portion of sales will go toward helping end childhood hunger. 

Customers start by entering their zip codes to determine if they're within the delivery zone — right now there are nine zip codes served in the central Denver area, but more are being added. The website is laid out with photos of most of the available dishes along with prices, descriptions, instructions and availability (sold-out items are clearly marked). Once dishes are chosen, a delivery time can be selected in one-hour increments from 4:15 and 7:15 p.m. (and even earlier if you live in Stapleton). Orders are prepared and flash-chilled before delivery.

Other partners in the startup include technology pro Kyle Roche, venture capitalist Tom Balderson and Dave Fantz.

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