The Real Food Rehab Holiday Gift Guide: NoTakeOut.com

If you're like me, and you think about what you're going to make for dinner while you're eating breakfast, then you might love a free subscription to NoTakeOut.com. Because each weekday morning while I'm drinking coffee and checking emails, I get a yummy menu in my inbox with a grocery list and game plan to make a delicious dinner. The other thing that moves me about this service? There's not some huge corporate parent company behind it; it's three lovely people who live what they preach; who really care about food and bringing people back to the table. Here they are now...


WHO Three of us are stirring the pot at NoTakeOut.com - David and Kurt, two dads with day jobs and serious cooking hobbies, and Susan, an award-winning food journalist and author who lives – too good to be true — in France, where she founded and runs On Rue Tatin, a cooking school. It started with a craving, of sorts. David and Kurt, long-time friends, loved to cook but longed to expand their repertoire. And they wanted to help some of their food-loving, cook-shy friends produce a significant meal, worthy of serious table-time with friends and family. They envisioned a website to give really busy people the ideas and the tools to get organized and get cooking. So they enlisted Susan, the food expert, to help plan and structure menus to be delicious, seasonal, sophisticated and easy.

No more mediocre meals cobbled together last minute. No more trolling recipe websites to figure out what side dish might work with steamed halibut. No more shopping fiascos — like when you arrived home without eggplant for the ratatouille. NoTakeOut.com helps you plan, prep and cook an entire meal, not just one dish. We provide a complete menu, a shopping list and a game plan – basically, we help you organize to go from kitchen to table with ease.

Our menus call for seasonal, fresh ingredients, are uncomplicated and designed to be cooked in under an hour. 'Making mealtime manageable’ is kind of a mantra for us. When you say you’re busy, we get it: you’re taking care of kids, working, shopping, maybe grabbing a workout – oh yeah, and the laundry… You don’t need another hassle! Our goal is to make food, meals and dining-at-home an easy family ritual and a daily pleasure.

THE GIFT If you're looking for something really special, how about a Japanese knife? Most people are better off with one really good Chef's Knife than a whole set of "specialty" knives and nothing is as well balanced or as sharp as these beauties from Nenox/Nenohi currently on sale at Korin in New York. The people at Korin are knowledgeable, friendly and ready to help you find a truly special knife that's perfect for that special someone. They offer a full range of Japanese and Western style knives in a wide range of sizes and prices. If properly cared for, Nenox/Nenohi knives will last a lifetime and hold an edge that most knives cannot. Think of these as jewelry for cooks.


WHERE DO YOU LIVE? New York City & Paris

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? We are inspired to get people into the kitchen and help them rediscover how fun and easy it can be to make and share great food.





YOUR GO-TO DISH WHEN COOKING FOR YOURSELVES? Definitely Alio Olio (click for recipe!)