Local meal prep, delivery service Home Appetit celebrates 10 years while also serving the community

WYNNEFIELD HEIGHTS (WPVI) -- A meal prep and delivery service based in Philadelphia is marking its 10th year in business.

Since 2014, Home Appetit has been serving up meals to its customers while also serving the community, raising tens of thousands of dollars for local nonprofits.

"It's pretty incredible," said owner Lee Wallach. "The whole idea is to get our customers fresh meals delivered to their home, something they can just heat and serve."

Everything is prepared in a kitchen in Philadelphia's Wynnefield Heights section.

"We are a Philadelphia-based business. We deliver within a 50-mile radius but we are based in Philadelphia."

Wallach has also come up with the perfect recipe to help the community with his Chef Charity Collaboration series.

"We started the chef collaborations during the pandemic," he said. "Really as a way to sort of give back to the community to support our friends who had restaurants or other food businesses."

Collaborating on this week's menu (10/1) is James Beard nominee, Chef Nicholas Elmi of Laurel, Lark, The Landing, and The Pump House.

Chef Elmi is peeling back his secrets providing two recipes for Home Appetit's menu.

And part of the sales will go toward his charity of choice, the KB Foundation.

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"The KB Foundation is a group-based mentoring program where youth in Philadelphia County and Montgomery County are able to go to different learning experiences around the city," said Kirk Berry, CEO and founder of the KB Foundation.

"You get involved because you want to do something to give back and then once you realize what you're doing, it's like, oh, man. And then next thing you know, you're like knee deep in it and we've been doing it for eight years," said Chef Elmi.

"He is one of our biggest mentors," said Berry.

Home Appetit also provides mentorship through the KB Foundation's Lunch and Learn program.

"Where we brought about 20 youth here, and they got to pick from the garden, and they got to learn how to make a fresh meal from their hands. Really important for kids who sometimes live in a food desert," said Berry.

"I was part of the breading group. And that was actually a great experience for me because I did not know how to do that at all," said 15-year-old Quasir Manshora.

All told as part of its Chef Charity Collaboration, this year Home Appetit is also marking a milestone in its ability to feed with fundraising.

"We will easily surpass $100,000 with this collaboration," said Wallach. "So it's a great way for us to become further ingrained in the community and to really give back and feel good about what they're doing."

Home Appetit is a weekly service with no subscription which means anyone can place orders for this current collaboration.

It's live now through Friday, October 4. It costs $100 for eight dishes for one person to mix and match throughout the week and $50 for each additional person.