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Assistant Managing Editor Longmeadow native Matt Landon is part of a new business venture based from his home in Wellfleet, on Cape Cod. Landon and Eric Jansen, co-owner and chef at The Wicked Oyster in Wellfleet, have produced DinnerDudes.com, a web site that features a subscription recipe service designed to help make home-cooking easier for people who are intimidated by, unfamiliar with, or just too busy for everyday cooking. Landon himself admits to almost single-handedly supporting his local take-out vendors in the various cities where he has resided, and to toting around a brand new, unopened box of Calphalon cookware for the last 10 years. The cookware was a gift from his mother, and Landon said his work on DinnerDudes.com has finally prompted him to pull out the pans and use them. A tasty idea Landon said he moved to Wellfleet after spending many summer vacations there in his family's summer cottage. He said his brother, Tom, also settled there with his family. It was a familiar place where he decided to start his own investment consulting business, Wellfleet Advisors. Landon said he started thinking about the web site when he began eating at Jansen's restaurant, which opened in 2004. "They opened in Wellfleet and I started frequenting [the restaurant]," Landon explained. "I got to know Eric ...and when he noticed I was eating so often in there, he said 'Do you ever cook at home?'" From that conversation, they both thought they could help people like Landon, who were at a loss as to what to buy, what to cook, and how to incorporate fresh, healthy ingredients into their daily lives. Landon said Jansen started researching recipes, which were subsequently accepted for the subscription service if two novice cooks, Landon and Jansen's wife, Eliza, could prepare them successfully. Months of imagining, researching, testing and photographing recipes culminated in the November 2005 launch of DinnerDudes.com. Getting people into the kitchen Landon and Jansen charge $5.95 a month for their weekly e-newsletter, which arrives Wednesdays and features six recipes and recipe-coded shopping lists. The newsletter includes photographs of the finished dishes, and suggestions for side dishes. Nutrition information is also included. Where appropriate, Landon added, he and Jansen include cooking tips and facts, like the difference between chopping and mincing, or vegetarian alternatives, or options for turning up or toning down the spices. Most recipes take about 30 minutes to complete. So far, Landon said about 200 people have signed up for the service, and the response has been positive. "The feedback has been fantastic," he said. When he spoke with The Reminder for a phone interview last week, Landon said the most popular recipes were the Chicken and White Bean Chili, Crispy Baked Cod Fingers and Kid Favorite Tortilla Pie. Landon said he and Jansen have not set solid goals for the web site, but they would like to see a thousand subscribers within a year. "We're trying to have some fun, and add more information where possible," he said. He added that their business model is pretty simple. "We're not looking to grow this business into a corporate conglomerate -- our expenses include the web site, promotional expenses, and the grocery bill --we're happy so far." If it's something they can make a living doing and help people along the way, Landon said it will be a success. Visit the web site for more information about DinnerDudes.com and their recipe subscription service. | ||||||
