Luke's Local: Flowers, Pizza and Produce

TO MEET · 04/02/2013

Luke's Local: Flowers, Pizza and Produce

What’s for dinner tonight? A saucy lamb ragu and polenta cakes with a side of lightly seasoned, sautéed broccoli. There’s also a loaf of Josey Baker sourdough bread to start and an arugala salad topped with crunchy radishes.

We can’t take credit for this feast, though. And simply washing and slicing the radishes doesn’t count. Tonight, dinner is courtesy of Luke’s Local: a curated meal box that arrives on the doorsteps of San Francisco-based subscribers on a weekly basis. Started by Luke Chappell, the box is designed for busy city dwellers like ourselves who may not always have time for a trip to the farmers market or to whip up a full meal after work.

“We want to bring things back to the way they used to be,” Luke told us of the concept. For deliveries, he and his colleagues appear much like the old-fashioned milkmen, dressed in a white button down shirts and pants with bow ties and caps.

“The boxes include prepared foods and produce,” Luke explained, “They include things people want but may not have time for.” It’s an opt-in/opt-out system for ordering. Each week the menu is posted on their website listing the vegetables of the week (always what’s in abundance at local farms), fruits, bread option and prepared foods. Not a fan of asparagus or bread with raisins? Skip it for the week.

Luke works with local farms to source ingredients, visiting the Ferry Plaza Farmers market early each week to load up his truck with the latest selection. Dirty Girl Produce is a favorite stand of his—vegetables are always in near perfect condition and the farmers always make knowledgeable recommendations on what to purchase.

A bouquet of flowers on top of the box is the perfect finishing touch. Again, you can opt out of receiving them, but a bouquet of tulips on your dining room table add a nice homey feeling when you’re feasting on Luke’s salad of the week and thin crust pizza.