There’s been so much innovation and entrepreneurship in the production, delivery and distribution of local food since the outbreak of COVID-19; neighbors are cooking for neighbors, chefs are selling groceries, farmers are increasing their crops tenfold to meet demand. So when Julian Cohen reached out to tell us about his new venture, Bountiful, we were intrigued.

He wrote: “We are a new community-driven dinner delivery service based in Somerville. We partner with local displaced chefs, local farms and local artisans to bring a community-inspired dining experience to the family dinner table. What started out as cooking a few meals for families in the area who couldn't go shopping or cook has quickly turned into a community of around 120 families bringing our food to their dinner table on a nightly basis. We source from farms such as Three Rivers Farmers Alliance and Hutchins Farm for produce as well as Red's Best in Seaport for fresh seafood.”

I asked Julian to tell us a little more, and here is what he said: 

When you return from backpacking abroad and the professional job market looks grim, and there’s a burgeoning global pandemic (whoa), you find yourself glued to the kitchen and trapped in your cookbooks.

My whole life has revolved around the dinner table. As a kid, it was the one place my family always found a way to come together. As soon as my brother and I were old enough to stand on a chair and stir the soup pot on the stove, we began cooking. As I grew older, I found myself coaxing friends around the table with the promise of a great meal and flowing wine. The gratitude towards sharing a meal with loved ones seems to only get better with age.

For me, a plate holds more than just a meal, it holds a story: one of community, connection and comfort as it’s brought to the table. Togetherness at a table transcends all cultures. It unites us all.

While backpacking through South America and Southeast Asia earlier this year, I was inspired by the Bandeja Paisas of Colombia and the family dinners of Vietnam. No matter where I went, people took time out of their day to create and savor a meal with their loved ones. They cooked the meal together with ingredients grown and sourced locally through hard work and collaboration. When the family served the meal, they did so with pride and a deep appreciation of the bounty they created.

So as the quarantine clamped down my Porter Square community, and with all of this newly found free time on my hands, I figured it was time to pay this experience forward to my neighbors. I reached out about an idea to cook for them; I was surprised and delighted by the interest and demand, right at the outset. From people who did not feel comfortable going to the store, to those who did not want to or couldn’t cook, everyone was looking for a way to come together and find joy in a meal. The feedback was shockingly positive: Not only did they enjoy the meals, but they loved helping a neighbor find success.

Success over the long haul, on the other hand, was not so simple. I am just a home cook with no professional culinary training. So, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing as the orders started to multiply. One thing I’ve learned through this venture is that when you’re on the right track, the universe tends to help you along. As I was grasping for options for a professional chef, I was contacted by Joe Schwartz, a chef I met during a stage at Craigie On Main. After a few trial runs cooking together, it was clear that I had found a great partner. With Joe’s talent, the dishes magically transformed from my own pasta and meatballs to his homemade sweet potato gnocchi with brown butter sage sauce. And just like that, we went from making 30 meals per week to 150 per week in just a matter of two weeks.

We found a home for our new venture, now called Bountiful, in Somerville’s Foundation Kitchen, a shared culinary workspace, where we joined a new entrepreneurial culinary community. Today, we’re continuing our mission to bring community and comfort to dinner tables all over Greater Boston. Our emphasis is on the power of local ingredients, talented chefs and creative artisans. The future feels uncertain in lots of ways, but Bountiful is here to stay.

From the farm, to the chef, to the table, we are all in this together.

This story appeared as an Online Exclusive in May 2020.

JULIAN COHEN prides himself on experiencing food cultures from all over the world and bringing them into his kitchen. Before Bountiful, Julian worked in the non-profit space with a focus on experiential education and community development. Julian looks to combine his love for food with his drive for community activism and sustainability.