Erica Tuggle tackles the age-old question of what’s for dinner.
As someone who loves to cook, Buckhead resident Erica Tuggle never thought she’d need—or even want—to outsource that necessary household task. Yet after she had her son and daughter, she found that coming up with a healthy and easy menu for the family was a challenge. At the time, she was a brand director for Coca-Cola.
“I grew up with fresh food. My mom was committed to making a homemade meal almost every night,” she says. “But my reality was different from that of my parents. My job was really demanding. We tried eating out, meal kits and quick-prep meals, but none gave me what I was looking for in terms of health and convenience.”
After leaving Coke, she created Livin, a company that matches people with personal chefs to shop, cook and clean for them. Launched in 2022 as Cookonnect, Livin now makes more than 1,000 meals a month for customers in Buckhead and beyond.
Atlantans can sign up for either a subscription service or a single chef visit. Chefs cook a minimum of two to four meals per session for as few as two adults. Consumers choose their own meals from a constantly updating menu, with each labeled with dietary restrictions. Meals can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer and come with reheating instructions.
“We help people find something enjoyable to eat that they feel good about,” Tuggle says.
We spoke to her to learn more.
Who comes up with the dishes?
Chef Danielle Anderson leads culinary excellence for us. We also work with Escoffier Culinary School to help source and test menu items. Customers give us ideas, too.
What are your most popular dishes?
Pan-seared Tuscan salmon with a cream sauce of spinach, cherry tomatoes, basil and garlic. It’s really flavorful. Chicken or steak fajitas are a family favorite. Those are always on the menu. Balsamic-marinated steak also does really well.
How does the subscription work?
Most of our customers are subscribers. They commit to at least once a month service. Most do weekly. You can request your chef and have access to all previous menus. You can pause, cancel or change your subscription at any time.
What’s in it for the chefs?
We have more than 50 chefs. They’re contractors. We support them with marketing and feature them on social media. We manage payments, scheduling and menu development.
How are they vetted?
After a video interview in which they answer questions about hospitality and managing budgets, we do a tasting where they prepare something from the menu. We also do background and reference checks.
What’s your role these days?
When we started, I was cooking. Now I manage the business. Some of today’s customers had me cooking for them, and I’m sure they are grateful that they now have professionally trained chefs. I love to cook, but I learned from my mother and grandmother. I’m not fast or efficient.
What are your plans for the future?
Atlanta has been incredible in giving us the space to learn and build. A new mobile-enabled website launched in January. We’re building the capability for customers to chat with their chef. We’ll also be expanding beyond Atlanta in 2025.
LIVIN
404.917.0203
chooselivin.com
@choose_livin
PHOTO: Joann Vitelli
