DICED

Check out our Q + A with Tinsley Meloy, founder of DICED gluten-free meal delivery service. Tinsley will be taking over our #MeatlessMonday coverage for the entire month of February.

Check out her recipe for Vegan Eggplant Polenta Bake and check out the DICED website for gluten-free meals, delivered straight to your door!

Did we mention by CHLOE. fans get a 30% discount? Type in DICED<3CHLOE before checking out to unlock your deal!

Read on for our interview…

 

by CHLOE: tell us a little bit about yourself.

Tinsley Meloy: I’m Tinsley Meloy, and in 2008 I found out that I had celiac disease. After discovering this, everything changed, and I wanted to make the gluten-free world an easier-to-navigate and tastier place. A few months after my diagnosis I began working as a gluten-free consultant to some of New York’s greatest restaurants. But I realized that consulting wasn’t my passion, cooking was, so I decided to take the leap and go to culinary school. I graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education in 2014 where I learned the fundamentals and techniques of cooking, but also how to make my gluten-free food replicate that of my gluten-full classmates. I graduated at the top of my class and interned with Chefs Mario Batali and Michael Symon after culinary school. I’m now the founder of DICED - a completely gluten-free meal kit program where pre-prepped, fresh, and healthy meals show up at your door ready to cook! I am also an active member of The New York Junior League and a cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University. I grew up in Tampa, Florida. My favorite color is purple!

 

bC: How did you come up with the idea for DICED?

TM: I was always that weird kid who loved to throw parties – be it cocktail, dinner, or otherwise. I starting asking for serving pieces for my birthday when I was in high school (weirdo). I just LOVE to entertain. But I’m not talking a pizza and solo cups with wine (not that there is anything wrong with that…) – I wanted to have passed horderves, a make your own pizza station, and plated desserts. And everything cooked by yours truly! I felt the happiest when I was cooking for people I loved in my own home. So, flash forward. I find out I have celiac & my food foundation has completely changed. What will I cook for people, let alone for myself? I would spend HOURS reading recipes, looking though blogs, calling manufacturers to see if their products were gluten-free, and grocery shopping. By the time I did all that I was too exhausted to cook, so I typically had a bowl of gluten-free cereal and called it a day. SO, why not change all of that? If I’m doing it for myself then certainly other people have the same wants, right? So I made a product that was exactly what I wanted! A 100% gluten-free meal kit that not only gave me the recipe to cook, but also all of the ingredients I needed and the option to get just one serving. Because, guess what, sometimes people are single and only cook for one!

 

bC: What was it like starting your own business?

TM: Not for the faint of heart. Hard. But at the same time awesome, amazing, and unbelievable. I know very few people who can say they are doing exactly what they have dreamed of doing. And I can say that! I’ve never been a crier before, but the amount of happy tears that have been shed starting this business have been numerous. It is just a magical feeling to see my DICED boxes packed for customers and leaving the kitchen at the end of the day – nothing can describe that feeling!

 

bC: What were some of the biggest challenges to starting a food delivery service?

TM: The biggest challenge to starting a food delivery service would be that you are starting with a concept that you are so familiar with (cooking) and taking it to a commercial level. There are so many moving parts in this business from finding suppliers, a 100% gluten-free kitchen, and a delivery partner (among many others.) Oh, and writing awesome recipes that can be easily duplicated at home! I think the long and short of it is that you are taking something so easy – throwing it into this crazy food processor called the “business world” – and then having it come out accessible on the other side!

 

bC: So, how exactly does DICED work?

TM: Ordering with DICED is super easy – I’ve broken it down into 4 simple steps for you!

1. Look at our menu and choose from our delicious core meals (which change seasonally) or our yummy weekly specials. The core meals are super quick and very well balanced. The weekly specials can take a little bit longer to cook and you’ll find that some of them splurge on the calories a bit. But, YOU pick what meals you want and nothing you don’t!

2. Add the meal to your cart – or should we say meals – because we know you’ll want more than one!

3. When you’re ready to checkout just hit the checkout button and fill out your shipping and payment information.

4. Receive your meals next day. Yep, you heard right. Next. Day. Do a happy dance, and enjoy!

 

bC: Do you have any plans to expand your menu in the future? Desserts?

TM: Yes! Since we offer next day delivery it opens us up to A LOT of opportunities for many different menu options. Specials for certain holidays, breakfast options, and definitely desserts! Desserts are already in the works. I am currently working on some matcha green tea slice and baked sugar cookies – gluten-free of course!

 

bC: What’s the difference between being gluten-free and having celiac?

TM: Let me open with – whatever diet makes you feel your best is the diet for you! So, I have celiac – yes it is real, although I can’t tell you how many people argue with me that it is “made up.” Celiac is an autoimmune disease where I must be completely gluten-free every day for the rest of my life. And no, I can’t have just a “little bit.” When I eat gluten my body attacks itself, I get very, very sick, and have serious damage caused to my insides (the villi in my small intestine to be exact – Google it if you want more information.) Now people who are gluten-free can be gluten-free for a multitude of reasons – some people choose to be gluten-free because it makes them feel better, gives them more energy, or increases their athletic performance. Some choose to be gluten-free because they have other conditions that show improvement from being a gluten-free diet – people with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and even individuals with bad acne. Finally, there are many people with non-celiac gluten intolerance – these are people who don’t have celiac but get sick from gluten. They may not have the same damage to their body as people with celiac, but they should avoid gluten as well. Wow, that was a lot of information!!!

 

bC: What advice would you give to some one who was newly diagnosed with celiac?

TM: I know you feel overwhelmed, and that is okay. Google will become your best friend as you will Google “is xxx gluten-free?” about a million times. Start reading gluten-free blogs, especially those who are blogging in your area. They often time will give you the scoop on local restaurants and markets, and tips on where to get the best gluten-free food around town. And don’t worry – it’s all going to be okay - the world is much more celiac friendly place than it used to be!

 

bC: What’s your favorite dish at by CHLOE.?

TM: Ummm, can you say mac & cheese with shiitake bacon?!?! I dream about this dish. If you haven’t had this dish yet stop reading this and get to by CHLOE. as fast as you can. No, I’m serious. Go. Now.

 

bC: What does “Eat well. Eat with purpose.” mean to you?

TM: “Eat well. Eat with purpose” means a lot to me, but mostly what I have learned from switching to being so sick when eating gluten, to being well and healthy on my gluten-free diet. Food is fuel. What you put into your body affects everything else you do. I want to fuel my body with food that helps me perform to the best of my ability, and keeps me healthy without medicine. It also means that I want to know where my food comes from! Going to the farmers market for an hour, shopping, and talking to the farmers there is something that blows my mind. They can tell you the whole story of the carrot you buy from them! That’s eating well and eating with purpose. And it keeps things interesting!

 

RAPID FIRE:

1. Nickname? “T” and some people call me “Queen T”

2. Sweet or savory? Savory by far

3. Favorite place on earth? Paris!

4. Go to snack? SO, don’t judge me… But I always have a happy tots meal pouch with me! They are organic and gluten-free and are packed full of fiber, omega-3s, and vitamin C. And 100 calories! If it’s good enough for a tot, it’s got to be good for me!

5. Personal mantra? “Nothing will work unless you do” – Maya Angelou

6. Social media of preference? Instagram

7. Stranded on a dessert island, what 3 things do you bring? Salt, my chef knife, a lighter

8. Top 3 instagram accounts you follow? Food related - @food52, @thefeedfeed, @nobread, Non food related - @fashiondads, @brosbeingbasic, @betches

9. Cocktail of choice? Titos, up, shaken hard, a little bit dirty with olives, no vermouth. Always.

10. Dream get away? A gluten-free food tour of Europe. If it lasted a few months I wouldn’t be mad about it.

11. Hosting a dinner party with 4 people dead or alive, who would you invite? Taylor Swift (because she is my patronus), Billy Joel, Michael Symon, and Mario Batali. Wow, that’s a party with possibility!

12. Kitchen appliance that you most identify with? Kitchen-aid Mixer – it truly mixes things up, but can really be anything you need for it to be with its many attachments.