Plant-based eating has been on the rise for the past few years. If, like me, you are plant-curious and keen to join the revolution – but you also happen to be a tragic cook who doesn’t have any imagination when it comes to whipping up a tasty nutritious dish – a solution can be delivered to your door.
Vood is a Canberra plant-based meal delivery company making eating locally, healthily, and sustainably as easy as shopping online.
The business is the vision of locals Greg Lally and Frank Iannelli. The duo crafted the idea for Vood after noticing a shift in social attitudes but finding it difficult to access reliable information on plant-based eating and the availability of quality plant-based meals.
Greg has a background in finance and commercial strategy and is co-founder of iconic local restaurants XO and ILY.
Frank is a third-generation fruit and vegetable merchant and co-owner of Canberra’s largest omni food wholesaler, Alpha Fresh Foods.
With experience and networks in the hospitality, produce and distribution industries, Lally and Iannelli combined forces to create Vood.
“Vood is your go-to plant-based meal delivery service. We connect primary producers with local chefs to produce restaurant quality, ready-to-craft meals that are delivered fresh to your door,” says Lally.
“We did the research and found that now, more than ever, people are looking to reduce their meat intake and add more plant-based meals to their diet. In parallel, the industry has evolved rapidly to service growing demand for meal delivery and meal kits, but there are really limited options available for people who are interested in eating more plant-based meals and understand the provenance of what they are eating.”
For Vood, it is all about local. Meals are developed by a team of local chefs, using local produce that is sourced directly from a close network of local suppliers.
The menu changes weekly with new dishes influenced by the availability of seasonal produce and the team’s exclusive access to some of the region’s top producers.
“We keep our menu flexible and are constantly adding new meals to the rotation as we come up with new ideas based on seasonality of produce and inspiration drawn from travel (or memories thereof recently), local producers, and local chefs,” Lally says.
“The core philosophy of Vood is that we want to show people that plant-oriented eating provides more opportunities for creative, varied, and tasty eating, not less.
“We have found that plant-based cooking has enabled us to explore different styles of cooking and marrying flavours from all over the world. It’s an exciting way of enjoying food, which just happens to be good for you and good for the planet.”
Current menu items include eggplant biryani, pad thai and mushroom tacos along with Lally’s current favourite dish, lasagna.
“There has always been controversy among our families as to who makes the best lasagna. Frank, an Italian-Australian, has always held some very staunch opinions about lasagna architecture,” Lally says.
“One of our first objectives when shifting toward a ‘plant-oriented’ way of eating was to create a plant-based lasagna that could pass the ‘nonna test’. Genuinely, months of R&D went into getting the sugo right, the mushrooms cooked to perfection, and the cashew-based bechamel up to scratch to achieve the perfect ratio with each forkful.
“I am proud to say we nailed the brief, and it is a meal that puts a smile on my face whenever I have it.”
To find out more and place an order, visit the website eatvood.com.au