Operator Insights w/ Jeremy Williams
About the Foodservice Operator
Jeremy Williams is the Assistant Director of Culinary at Tiny Spoon Chef, a personal chef company that has scaled a unique, in-home dining model across more than 120 U.S. cities. Tiny Spoon Chef operates with a decentralized approach, empowering chefs to build lasting relationships with clients while delivering highly personalized, health-focused meals—all without the long hours and stress of traditional restaurant work.
Tiny Spoon Chef was founded in Boston by Janice Carte. It has since expanded rapidly using a model that emphasizes flexibility for chefs while providing thoughtful, client-centered services. Williams joined the team post-COVID, having left the high-pressure restaurant world for better quality of life. His journey from being the company’s first hire outside of Boston to helping lead culinary operations illustrates how Tiny Spoon Chef nurtures both growth and stability.
The Backstory
Tiny Spoon Chef treats each client as their own "location," maintaining separate recipe templates, preferences, and allergy information per household. This highly personalized approach is powered by Galley’s Culinary Resource Planning (CRP) platform, which Jeremy describes as transformative: Chefs can now filter and search recipes by chef, cuisine, or dietary need, thus streamlining planning across a decentralized team.
Prior to setting up CRP, menu planning took place in Google Drive, resulting in scattered documentation and inefficient collaboration. Now, Tiny Spoon Chef uses Galley’s Events Page to manage and track client-specific menus and history, supporting consistency, repeat meals, and real-time feedback.
The Conversation
Ian Christopher: Your model is one of the most unique in our customer base. How are you scaling such a decentralized offering so effectively?
Jeremy Williams: Each city is essentially indoctrinated by dropping in a seasoned chef who already understands our system. We’ve opened Phoenix, Tampa, and Nashville this year using this approach. From there, that chef helps train others and ensures consistency as we grow.
IC: How does Galley support your day-to-day operations?
JW: Galley helps us manage complexity. Each client has their own allergies, likes, and dislikes—we copy from a blank template and build weekly menus. Using the Events Page, we log every meal ever made for each client, making it easy to find that salmon dish they loved or avoid ingredients due to new allergies.
IC: Have you used our AI recipe feature yet?
JW: Not yet, but I’m excited to try it. We have two holistic nutritionists testing new recipes for our Peak Service, which is more health-focused and macro-based. They’ll love the ability to input in natural language and scale recipes for clients.
IC: What’s the goal of Peal Service?
JW: We now offer Core Service–our classic meal prep service–and Peak Service–our macro-based meal prep service designed by our in-house nutritionist. Peak Service is designed for clients who want more structure and health tracking. Meals are built around specific caloric and macro targets. Chefs portion each meal individually, and we’re testing leave-behind sheets that show nutrition, ingredients, and reheating instructions.
IC: Do you ever provide recipes directly to clients?
JW: Not usually—we want clients to rely on their chef. Sometimes we’ll share a recipe by request, but our core value is providing chef-cooked meals and building a relationship over time.
IC: Finally, what’s an ideal next step for seasoned chefs seeking work-life balance?
JW: It’s kind of the reward you get after putting in your time in the industry. We offer stability, creativity, and the chance to make a real impact in people’s lives.
Culture & the Future
Tiny Spoon Chef is just as much a relationship company as it is a food company. Williams emphasizes the depth of client relationships, often built over years of weekly visits. This long-term connection leads to deep personalization and high retention.
Chefs work Monday through Friday, 9 to 5—an almost unheard-of schedule in the culinary world. The company also offers benefits, such as 401k and health insurance, creating a more sustainable career path for seasoned chefs.
Tiny Spoon Chef is balancing expansion with deepening its presence in existing markets. The team is exploring new offerings, including health-based, macro-targeted meals and leveraging AI tools to improve efficiency.
Key Takeaways
On Scaling: Use experienced team members to seed new locations and maintain consistency.
On Systems: Centralize recipe and menu management early. Galley has been key to managing complexity.
On Hiring: Jeremy encourages young chefs to build experience in restaurants, but all are welcome to apply to join Tiny Spoon Chef for stability and impact.
On Relationships: Build long-term connections with clients—this is what keeps them coming back.
