Courtesy To the Table
A possible mystery meal courtesy of To the Table
Colleen Durfee and her fiancé were looking for a way to shake up their quarantine-induced takeout routine when she had an idea: Why not start a mystery meal delivery service featuring Black- and immigrant-owned restaurants that would generate more business for them and expand the culinary horizons of diners?
That idea, To the Table, launches September 30 for diners in the city and adjacent ZIP codes. A “trust-fall meal,” as Durfee describes it, the service strives to bring a sense of adventure to people who might be in a food rut while supporting businesses that are going through difficult times during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photography by Colleen Durfee
An example of mystery offerings from On the Table
“This is a good way to highlight restaurants that are feeling the squeeze during the pandemic,” Durfee says. “I figured it would be cool to do it in St. Louis because we have a ton of Black- and immigrant-owned restaurants that might enjoy having a night of business when they normally wouldn’t get a lot of orders. Plus, it will expand the takeout repertoire of the people in St. Louis.”
To the Table was inspired by a similar culinary adventure business, Columbus Food Adventures, in Columbus, Ohio, which Durfee came across when she was quarantining there with her family and fiancé. The husband-and-wife team transitioned from food tours to delivery when the pandemic hit; after researching the business and looking at their Instagram, Durfee reached out to them to chat about what she might expect if she brought a similar program to St. Louis. Confident that she was on to something, she decided to go for it.
Courtesy To the Table
A pork bouquet, another possible offering
Durfee’s plan for To the Table is designed to be straightforward and simple. Prospective diners sign up to participate in the week’s “mystery meal” online; the cost, $40 for dinner for two, including delivery (but not tax and gratuity). Durfee handles all of the logistics with the week’s partner restaurant, resulting in a fresh, delicious meal delivered to her clients’ doorsteps on Wednesday evening.
“I’ve been reaching out to restaurants and have several weeks of places I can pull from,” says Durfee. “At the end of the day, for them, it’s just a large carryout order in a certain format. I’m working with them to see what menu items they want to highlight and how to keep it in a budget. We’re figuring it out and seeing what works best.”
Durfee describes To the Table as a labor of love. An urban planning professional by trade, she just began a new job with an urban planning and landscape design firm where she works full-time. However, as she explains, she sees her culinary side project as having a connection to the space in which she operates by day.
“I love to dedicate my extra time to social justice and racial justice causes and have always had a passion for entrepreneurship and minority-owned businesses,” Durfee says. “There are all kinds of equity issues regarding access to capital and other things with Black- and minority-owned businesses that are even more apparent now. The ones going under due to the pandemic are disproportionately Black- and minority-owned.”
Durfee hopes that To the Table can help support these businesses as they weather such a challenging time in the industry. Though she’s limiting the program to a once-per-week event, she hasn’t ruled out the idea of expanding once she sees how it goes. She also hopes to incorporate vegetarian and vegan nights and is even tossing around the idea of having a higher-end dinner at a higher price point for those who might be interested in a fine-dining experience at home.
“There are so many different types of food here in St. Louis, and I am super interested in exploring all of the new ones,” Durfee says. “I’m trying to think geographically diverse and want to let people know this is happening because I want even more restaurants to reach out to me to participate. There’s a lot of potential for expanding.”
