Meal kits are a great idea with a bad habit of promising far more than they deliver.

Enter Yannick Bigourdan, Adam Teolis and Mike Angeloni from The Carbon Bar, with a scheme to prove that quality can indeed coexist with convenience. His recently launched ChefDrop offers delivery of an array of kits conceptualized by leading restaurant chefs. Fancy a spot of pizza or some veal parmigia- na or canestri alla vodka? Why not finish off a kit from Piano Piano’s Victor Barry? Expecting a cold night at the cottage (or just trying hard to put on weight)? How about soupe à l’oignon followed by boeuf bourguignon and gratin dauphinois from the esteemed, long-time Four Seasons chef and Maître Cuisinier de France, Thomas Bellec. Colibrí’s Elia Herrera is here also, with a splendid taco kit. Carl Heinrich (Richmond Station) and John Sinopoli (Ascari) have also signed on — and there are more to come. Some have their own restaurant kitchens prepping their kits; others hand their recipes over to the ChefDrop commissary on Church Street. All are shipped about 80 per cent finished; none requires more than 45 minutes to complete. Deliveries go out twice weekly across Southern Ontario, with frequency and reach expected to increase soon. —Staff