We Try Home Cooked Meals on the Cookin App

Last August we were invited to the Cookin app launch tasting party to see what it was all about. The Cookin app concept, which originated in Toronto and was founded by Morley Ivers and Michael Baruch, brings home-cooked meals (literally cooked in a home kitchen) right to your doorstep.

When we recently tested the waters of the ordering experience, we found Gary Irvin with Rescue Markets and a menu with some Cajun flair and casseroles, which are Irvin’s specialty. A 15-layer lasagna with from-scratch Bolognese and marinara sauce, Texas poutine casserole and Cajun-baked chicken spaghetti casserole were a few of the options.
Irvin, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate who spent a couple of decades in the food industry working for Fortune 500 companies like Marriott, draws his early culinary inspiration from his grandmother.

“I’ve always loved to cook, but my grandmother inspired me," Irvin says. "She was a from-scratch cook before it was trendy. She even created and canned her own spices."

But what is perhaps most interesting is what Irvin is doing beyond the kitchen. Irvin has long volunteered with Wednesday’s Angels, a nonprofit that delivers supplies at homeless camps in Dallas every Wednesday and helps pet owners struggling to provide proper care to their animals due to less-than-optimal financial situations.
We ordered from Irvin using the Cookin app and went with his gumbo casserole ($10), made with smoked deer and elk sausage and Cajun-braised chicken. We get giddy seeing game dishes like venison on any menu because it’s such a rarity. The gumbo, which is served with rice, was excellent. Irvin also has a Comanche buffalo tamale pie ($10) made with fresh ground bison. This meaty, savory pie is topped with Masarepa cornmeal and layered with melted cheeses and pan-sauteed veggies.

Proceeds from orders through Irvin go to Wednesday’s Angels and Pet Sitters Care, a nonprofit that helps animal rescues and provides food to those struggling with homelessness and their pets.

If you’re interested in ordering from Irvin, you can find him through the Cookin app, rescuemarkets.com and petsitters-care.org.