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Food.ee team! Behind the scenes at the VancouverSun photo shoot for the huge GrowLab announcement.  

After several months to be considered, Food.ee is excited to announce that we have been accepted into the GrowLab acceleration cohort! The program is incredibly exclusive, and only accepted 5 companies worldwide. 

“The quality of applications were global and really impressive.” says Mike Edwards, executive director.  ”There are definitely some exciting things happening right now and the competition was intense. It was an extremely hard decision to narrow it down to the selected five.“

Starting May 22nd, we’ll be off to the races. The GrowLab program is an intense acceleration 3 month period aimed at pushing each company to new heights. So, you can expect to see some big things coming from Food.ee in the near future! 

”The Food.ee team is super excited to work with GrowLab and their mentors. Getting insight from experienced entrepreneurs who see a lot of early stage companies is invaluable for Food.ee at this stage.” says Jon Cartwright, Food.ee CEO. 

Growlab posted the  5 companies for the Spring 2012 accelerator program include:  

BlueBat Games, innovators of BlueBox, the engine that allows game developers to easily build on social platforms

Cinecoup, disrupts how feature films have been created, financed and distributed

Food.ee, a new product from Invoke Media, the maker of HootSuite, Food.ee simplifies group ordering of delivery food for offices

Skyscrpr, makes it easy for bloggers to sell ads directly to advertisers with their user friendly interface and automated media kits

Wantering, lets you visually browse, find and buy the latest trends from fashion blogs and curation networks

Founded in 2011, the Vancouver/ San Francisco accelerator focuses on consumer internet, social gaming, mobile and cloud services. By leveraging extensive networks rooted in Vancouver, BC and San Francisco GrowLab helps companies grow quickly. It was founded by Boris Wertz (W Media Ventures), Lenonard Brody (Clarity Digital), Debbie Landa (DealMaker Media), Jason Bailey (East Side Games). Recently this team’s hired Mike Edwards (Initio Group) as Executive Director as they set out to connect entrepreneurs with funding, and focused mentorship from a global network of successful startup veterans and investors.

For the past few months, Food.ee users have had the option to order individual meals or meals for large groups. Starting May 15, 2012, Food.ee is switching from individual orders to focus solely on corporate ordering!

Do you normally order lunches of staff meals into your office? How about beers or birthday cakes? Now you and your co-workers can get “meals delivered to your office” in 5 easy steps:

1) Login to food.ee & select a date, time & restaurant

2) Browse the restaurant’s menu then click ‘order from here’

3) Add your meals to your cart

4) Fill in your contact & delivery info then place your order

5) Wait for a confirmation call

Et voila, lunch, snacks or late night meals for the entire office!

Sounds interesting right? Try it today:

Food.ee is working hard to offer the best & easiest corporate food ordering experience, so we’re offering a free product demo to all interested participants along with Food.ee paying for 50% of your order. If your team is 10 or more people, located in/around downtown and have time for a 10 minute demo give us a call or email us at corporate@food.ee

Food.ee simplifies the task of ordering meals for large groups. If you’re tired of the usual pizza or Chinese food deliveries, some of our great restaurant partners include Rasoee, Ensemble Tap, Bonchaz, Notturno Paninoteca, and Hubbub Sandwiches! Try it out now at http://food.ee/

Boosting employee morale is very important for facilitating camaraderie and team bonding within the office. Nothing beats a cohesive group who works together as a single unit. A quick and easy way to do this is through an office party/gathering. If your office parties are feeling uninspired, why not build a theme around a cuisine?

Japanese cuisine is inexpensive, healthy and delicious. Food.ee has many great Japanese restaurant options for delivery & take out. Take it to the next level by serving the food on wooden platters or boats and make sure there’s plenty of green tea flowing. Nothing screams camaraderie like watching your colleagues ingest copious amounts of wasabi.

Food.ee recommendations:

Tentatsu Sushi - 2430 East Hastings St.

A couple of party trays and your office is good to go

Take out only:

Shota Sushi - 5688 Yew St.

Try their specialty rolls such as the Canucks, Kerrisdale, Stanley Park, Yew st. or maple roll

Ki Isu - 1275 Pacific Boulevard

No party trays but various affordable lunch specials

Everybody loves sandwiches: Food.ee loves sandwiches, foxee loves sandwiches and we bet your office loves sandwiches too. From a classic sub made with ham & cheese to a more decadent panini made with exotic ingredients, there is a sandwich for everyone in your office. Here are our recommendations for restaurants who cater delicious sandwiches to keep your office happy and productive:

Bonchaz - 426 West Hastings St.

In addition to delicious baked goods, Bon Chaz also caters basic sandwiches to fuel your office meetings. Sandwiches range from $5.29-$7.45. You can select from a wide variety of sandwiches including avocado & brie, smoked salmon, turkey breast and garlic tuna.

Notturno Paninoteca - 280 Carrall Street

Notturno Paninoteca, a little panini cafe in Gastown offers delicious paninis crafted with fine meats and cheeses such as smoked proscuitto, taleggio cheese & black truffle aioli. Paninis range from $9-9.50 and come with a small order of salad on the side.

Blu rico - caramelized fig, blue cheese aoli, black olive, walnuts, wilted greens

Tartufo - prosciutto, black truffle aoli, artichoke, capers, pecorino

Calabrese - spicy capicollo, spicy sopressata, salami, goat cheese, provolone, spicy eggplant

Fumo - speck (smoked prosciutto), grappa poached pear, taleggio

Food.ee can help cater delicious sandwiches right to your doorstep.

Here at Food.ee, we understand how hectic the day is without adding the extra stress of ordering food for your corporate meetings, lunches and office gatherings. This is why Food.ee was created to help corporate office or administrative assistants (or anyone else ordering food) lessen the already jam-packed work day. A couple clicks on Food.ee is all it takes to have food delivered to your office. Bypass the busy phone line and head straight to your computer.

How it works in 5 easy steps:

1. Visit food.ee

2. Enter your postal code or skip to go straight to the food

3. Choose your cuisine 

4. Add your food choices to your cart

5. Check out 

Food.ee has something for everyone, from ethnic cuisines (Indian, Japanese, Greek, Italian, etc) to burgers, pizza, sandwiches and fresh juice. Let Food.ee help you be the superstar of your office.

Whether it is to banish the Monday morning blues or just to say thanks for all the hard work, show your staff some love by ordering a few baked goods for the entire office. We think it’s guaranteed to increase employee morale. 

Food.ee recommendation:

Bonchaz - 426 West Hastings St.

Bonchaz is a small cafe on West Hastings that offers various pastries by the dozen (brownies, muffins, cookies, scones, Bonchaz buns). Food.ee recommends trying their namesake dessert the Bonchaz — baked buns that come in banana walnut, chocolate truffle, or original butter & icing sugar. Ask them to deliver freshly-baked buns for extra deliciousness. 

Pricing:

• By the dozen - $15-37
• Bonchaz (6) - $7.50-10.50

Trees Organic - 450 Granville St

Trees Organic is a coffee & roasting house that carries various baked goods, cheesecakes and vegan desserts. Trees Organic’s list of baked goods include assorted dessert squares, cookies, muffins and scones, as well as vegan options (power cookies, power bars and scones), but they specialize in cheesecake. Order cheesecakes by size (small, medium, large) or by slice.

Pricing:

Cheesecake

• Small - $17
• Medium - $30
• Large - $42
• Single - $6
• Various baked goods - $2+

Mardi Gras week officially started Feb. 21! Although the phrase Mardi Gras may conjure up images of decorative masks and party beads, its literal translation into Fat Tuesday refers to the annual tradition of overindulgence before Lent. The spirit of Mardi Gras is meant to be celebrated by indulging in all the things that you must give up during fasting, thus is celebrated with costumes, masks, parades and eating richer, fatty foods.

If you can’t make it down to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras, you can still celebrate the spirit of Mardi Gras by indulging in rich, delicious food. Let Food.ee help.

Food.ee’s recommendation

Vera’s Burger Shack is the perfect outlet to satisfy all your indulgent needs. Vera’s has everything from the classic hamburger to turkey and double burgers. If that isn’t indulgent enough, give the following a try.

The baja burger - a single patty, salsa, guacamole, cheese and hot peppers

The frank - a single patty, sliced vera dog and cheddar

The cantor - single patty, all beef salami and fried onions

The power burger - single patty, fried egg, cheddar and fried onions

The doug special - an open-faced double patty burger with cheese, fried onions and chill.

Top the order off with a side of of onion rings and chill fries for the entire office to share. At this time Vera’s is only available for pick up at their Gastown location - 213 Carrall Street. 

Happy indulgence!

Calling all savvy marketers with a passion for food — here’s your opportunity to use your social media skills to engage in conversation with other food enthusiasts! Click here for full descriptions of the two brand new roles for Food.ee, Invoke’s most delicious creation.  

Food.ee is the easiest way for corporate offices to order take out online. We understand how busy a typical day in the office is and Food.ee lessens the workload by making group ordering quick and simple.

Here’s how you can help Food.ee with its goal:

Food.ee community manager

Food.ee’s community manager will be responsible for communicating with Food.ee’s community by engaging with Food.ee customers and suppliers to support sales. The community manager will also lead online marketing initiatives, leverage social media to promote our product, create content and share Food.ee’s story.

Individuals with strong customer service, social media and web 2.0 knowledge are encouraged to apply. This is a paid position.

Food.ee social media and marketing intern

What could be better than gaining relevant marketing experience in the industry while promoting food? The Food.ee social media and marketing intern will assist in the promotion of Food.ee and it’s suppliers through relationship cultivation and maintenance through HootSuite. This position also provides an opportunity for you to develop your analytics skills by observing social media metrics. 

People with a keen interest in social media and proficiency engaging in conversations with people in person and online are encouraged to apply. This is an unpaid internship.

Please send a resume and cover letter explaining why you’d be the best person for either of these positions to jon@food.ee. 

Whether you love it or loathe it, Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. If you haven’t made reservations or are simply looking for an alternative to dining out, Foxee has compiled a top five list of delicious delivery options. From authentic Italian food to funky sushi, here are some great choices for a romantic night in.

1. Trocadero Pizza and Steak House

Foxee recommended: Baked lasagna and tiramisu — it doesn’t get more Italian than this

Trocadero has been a local Vancouver favourite for over 40 years offering delicious Italian/Greek food as well as old style pizza made with natural ingredients. For a little taste of Italy try the baked lasagna, pollo a la cacciatora or their famous Sweet 16 pizza boasting mushrooms, salami, green peppers, olives and cheddar cheese. Top the night off with tiramisu — the quintessental Italian dessert.

Create an authentic Italian ambiance at home with candles, fresh flowers and a table for two. Include a gingham table cloth and an accordion for extra authenticity. Who needs to leave home when you can bring Rome to you?

2. Khai Thai Cuisine

Foxee recommended: Tom yum, pad kee-mao, deep fried banana with ice cream — spicy and sweet

Thai cuisine is usually prepared with fresh herbs, spices and exotic vegetables. Flavourful and colourful, it is a sense-invoking food experience — a perfect choice for a romantic Valentine’s day meal. Khai Thai delivers authentic, delicious Thai dishes that won’t disappoint. Try the full-flavoured tom kha, a spicy and sour coconut milk soup with mushroom and lemongrass, vegetarian-friendly green curry with eggplant, basil and coconut milk or pad thai noodles. A deep fried banana or mango with ice cream is essential to the Thai experience.

Transform your Valentine’s night into a sense-encompassing experience. Set the mood (and the table) with earthy wicker chairs and bamboo place mats to invoke a natural earthy vibe, while fresh scents compliment the aromatic tastes of Thai cuisine.

3. Ki Isu

Foxee recommended: Ki Isu orange ginger beef tataki

If you’re tired of the same old California roll, give Ki Isu a try. The master chefs at Ki Isu are all about presentation and pleasing your taste buds. With rolls such as Buddha’s favourite roll, mango and salmon steak roll, or spicy dragon, step out of your comfort zone and treat yourself to a new sushi experience.

Who needs to go to Japan for the full Japanese experience? Build your night from the ground up — eat dinner sitting on the floor and serve it on wooden platters or even bento boxes. Keep the green tea and sake flowing all night and get cosy with a Japanese movie or anime.

4. Ramie’s Greek Restaurant

Foxee recommends: garlic prawns, roast lamb, baclava— Opa!

How would Greek god Eros celebrate Valentine’s Day? With Greek food of course! Ramie’s Greek restaurant has been serving delicious Greek cuisine for more than 20 years. Start off with garlic prawns or their 3-dip combo before moving onto roast lamb, paidakia, lemon chicken or the fail safe souvlaki. End the meal with Greek-favourite baclava — walnuts in filo pastry dipped in honey — for dessert.

Get creative for your date. Don a toga and decorate the table with grape vines and splashes of white and blue. Don’t forget, a good Greek-inspired Valentine’s night would not be complete without a bottle of good wine.

5. Burnaby Palace

Foxee recommends: Lettuce wraps, honey garlic spareribs

Nothing says date night in quite like Chinese take out. Put on a good movie, cuddle up on the couch and enjoy each others company over lettuce wraps and breaded almond chicken. Burnaby Palace boasts a winning combination of big portions and small prices, win-win.

For an extra-special Valentine’s Day twist, order fortune cookies with customized fortunes to really impress your date.

It can be very stressful trying to plan the perfect night out so keep it low key and stay in! Use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to spend some quality time with someone you love, whether that is a special someone or your best friend. Let food bring you together and order at http://food.ee/