General
What exactly is Kitchen Doula and what makes it different?
Kitchen Doula is not just any meal delivery service. We believe food is an essential way that we take care of ourselves and others and that, especially during the fragile moments in life, we need good nourishment to feel healthy and loved. The quality of our ingredients, wholesome simplicity of our recipes, and our dedication to caring customer service make us unique and show our commitment to helping you feel supported and loved.
Who is Kitchen Doula for?
Anyone needing nourishment can enjoy our food. That includes: new parents, those who are healing from injury or illness, cancer patients going through treatment, those who have experienced a loss, working professionals who want to have wholesome food on hand, and busy families who need some time back in their day. We've even received the seal of approval from the most notoriously tough to please customers: toddlers!
I’ve heard of the First Forty Days–is that what this is?
For those who are postpartum, you may have heard of the traditional Chinese approach to this special period called zuo yuezi or The First Forty Days (there’s a wonderful book by the same name that we highly recommend!), wherein new mothers are encouraged to spend the first weeks after birth drawing inward and staying as cozy and nourished as possible, eating only warm foods. We LOVE this idea and think we should do everything possible to help new moms feel that they can focus on rest and connecting with their new baby. If you want to follow this tradition exactly, our service can help you do that, as our menu prioritizes soups, stews, and broths which are the best thing for a postpartum mom to eat. You know your body best so our service also offers flexibility so you can follow whatever path feels most nourishing for you.
What are Kitchen Doula rewards points and how can I use mine?
Kitchen Doula rewards are like credits that you can use to buy more yummy food! 10 points are worth $1 and you can earn points for signing up for an account (50 points) and following us on Instagram (50 points) with more ways to earn points coming in the future! To redeem your points, sign in to your account, click on the Rewards bubble on the bottom left of your screen and click "redeem." You can choose how many of your points to use and the rest will stay in your account. Copy the code and input it into the discount bar in the checkout. FYI: If you are ever given a credit for a missing item, for example, it will be in your account as rewards points.
Ordering & Sending Gifts
When should I order?
It's great to plan ahead, especially if you have a baby on the way or are anticipating a surgery or the start of a course of treatment. That's why you can set up an order up to 30 days in advance. If, however, you haven't planned ahead, don't worry! Your order just needs to be received the day before and we'll most likely be able to deliver or ship it the next day. Please note that we make local deliveries on Tuesday and Wednesday (arriving same day) and send out shipments on Monday and Tuesday only (arriving in 1-2 days). PLEASE NOTE: FOR UPS orders -when you check out and are selecting a date, that is the date that your order will be shipped out and NOT the date it will arrive.
How much should I order?
One thing we know to be true–appetites vary from person to person and can be very situational. A breastfeeding mom might be eating a lot whereas someone going through chemo may only be able to eat a small amount at a time. Additionally, sometimes people show up with a lot of food when you first have a baby or are healing, and sometimes they don’t. For that reason, we don't specify exactly how many days our packages will last. We recommend ordering a few items and seeing how long it takes you to go eat it all (and anticipate that you'll be eating a lot more when you're postpartum). You will need to have some room in your freezer–each soup/stew is roughly the size of a quart jar, although our pouches can fit next to each other more easily than jars.
Do I have to subscribe?
Nope! Although we think setting up a subscription makes your life way easier and you'll get a 5% discount if you do, you will only be getting a subscription if you choose it, otherwise your order will be a one time thing. We’re not here to trick you into signing up for a recurring subscription and then making it really hard to cancel it–there’s enough companies doing that already! Even if you do sign up for a subscription, you can pause or cancel at any time.
How do I send a gift?
Kitchen Doula makes the best gift and there are lots of ways to send our food to someone you care about. If your recipient lives within 50 miles of Oakland, you can choose anything from our menu and have it delivered to them. You'll be prompted in the checkout to indicate that it's a gift and to write a gift message if you want. If your loved one lives outside the SF Bay Area but still within CA, AZ, OR, WA, NV, UT, you can choose one of our healing packages and have it shipped (if they live elsewhere, email us at hello@kitchendoula.com and we can let you know what the shipping cost will be). We have 5 soup/stew minimum for non-local orders. We can ship nationwide. Don’t worry if you’re not sure whether they fall within that radius, our system will let you know! Please do be sure that you have their correct address and that you know they will be home if you are having something shipped or delivered. If you don’t know what they want or when they want it, you can send them a gift card for a dollar amount or gift certificate for one of our packages and they can customize it and choose the delivery date.
Do gift cards expire?
They do not!
Shipping & Delivery
When will my order be delivered?
If you are receiving an order with local delivery, you order will arrive in the afternoon, roughly between 2pm and 7pm. You'll receive a text from our delivery partner the morning of your delivery with real time tracking. If you are waiting for a UPS shipment, you will receive a tracking number as soon as your package ships out and it will take 1-2 days to arrive. PLEASE contact us within 24 hours if your package does not arrive within the expected delivery window. Sending replacement orders will be assessed on a case by case basis and not guaranteed.
How will my order be packed?
We are committed to using as much environmentally friendly packaging as possible. Your local delivery order will be packed in a recyclable cardboard box with kraft paper insulation. If you are receiving a shipment, your cardboard box will have a recyclable insulated liner and non-toxic, drain-safe ice packs. Cut the plastic open to pour the water out from the ice packs and recycle the plastic with #4 recycling (you can often do this at grocery stores if your city doesn't offer curbside pickup of soft plastics).
How will I know my order is on the way?
For local delivery, you'll receive a text from our delivery partner. For shipments, you'll receive an email with a UPS tracking number.
Where is local delivery an option?
We deliver locally to a large portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. When you reach the checkout, you'll be prompted to enter your zip code to check if you qualify for local delivery!
Where do you ship?
We offer shipping Nationwide via UPS with a minimum order of $175. Shipping is calculated at checkout based on order weight and delivery address. We recommend including at least 5 soups and/or stews to your order to help ensure your package stays extra cold during transit! Note that we do use proper insulation and ice packs for food safety.
Storage & Reheating
How should I store my order?
Unless you know you want to eat your items within 5 days of delivery, we recommend storing them in the freezer. Items like granola, crackers, and baked cookies should be stored in a cool, dry place but keeping them in the fridge or freezer will allow you to extend their shelf life.
How long can I keep each menu item?
Every menu item comes with a “best by” date marked on it. This date is for items that are kept frozen. Soups and stews have roughly a 3 month shelf life in the freezer; biscuits, cookie dough, and frozen breakfast items about 1 month; entrees about 2 months; baked cookies, sides, and salads are about 1 week; granola and crackers are about 2 weeks. If anything in your package arrives thawed but still very cold, you can return it to the freezer and still use the best by date on the package.
How do I thaw and reheat the items in my order?
Thawing should happen overnight in the refrigerator. When reheating a soup or stew, empty the pouch into a pot and heat on the stovetop on low or into a bowl and heat in the microwave. For entrees, once thawed, remove the lid and you can put the container as is into the oven. You can bake it frozen but just be aware that it will take a really long time. For frozen breakfast items, you can thaw overnight and then heat in the oven/toaster oven or wrap the frozen item in a paper towel and microwave for one minute per item.
Packaging
How is the food packaged?
All our entrees, breakfast items and snacks are in compostable packaging (or in reusable glass jars like our tonics!). Our soups and stews are packaged in BPA-free pouches that can be recycled with soft plastics (some cities pick this up curbside, some don’t–check your local recycling rules).
How do I dispose of the shipping packaging?
We are proud to use environmentally friendly packaging materials for our shipments! The box and insulated lining can both be recycled and the gel packs can be cut open and poured down the drain. The exterior pouch of the gel pack can be recycled with #4 plastics.
Will my food arrive frozen?
Please be aware that your items may have partially defrosted during shipment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “generally considers food partially defrosted to be safe for refreezing or cooking if it still contains ice crystals or is at or below 40℉ (4.44℃).” Upon arrival, you may choose to refreeze your items, making note of the “Best By” date located on the back/bottom of each product. Alternatively, you may allow your items to defrost completely in the refrigerator, being sure to cook/consume thawed products within 5 days.
Ingredients & Dietary Questions
Can I substitute ingredients or get items made without a specific ingredient?
We make our recipes in big batches which allows us to keep the quality of our ingredients super high and our prices reasonable. Unfortunately, that means we can’t make any substitutions or alterations to our menu items.
What if I’m on a low salt diet?
For those on low salt diets, we recommend adding some of our unsalted broths to your order and using these to dilute your soups and stews to reduce the salt per serving.
What if I have allergies or dietary restrictions?
We work hard to have a menu that offers options for those who are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, soy-free and egg-free. Please consult the list of ingredients before purchasing and feel free to reach out to us if you need help identifying which menu items fit your dietary needs. Please note that we work in a shared kitchen space and cannot guarantee that there is no cross contamination of any of our items.
Do you use all organic ingredients?
We use a number of factors to decide on which ingredients to use, with organic certification being one of them. We also prioritize ingredients from small, sustainable and local farms, many of which utilize organic growing practices but do not have an organic certification. Similarly, we believe that pasture-raised meat from farms with a commitment to regenerative agriculture and animal welfare is sometimes more important than the organic label (which is often an indication that the animals are eating organic feed but doesn’t have anything to do with their living conditions). We would be more than happy to talk with you about this further if you still have questions!