I founded BChef2Me in 2015 on the belief that being healthy starts with eating healthy.

To connect talented Chefs with food enthusiasts around, enabling them to share their culinary expertise while supporting a sustainable food ecosystem and earning a living doing what they love.

Simultaneously, BChef2Me would have provided food lovers with a unique opportunity to access a wide range of high-quality, homemade meals.

BChef2Me was an innovative platform introducing a better ecosystem for food lovers. By facilitating connections between Chefs and local communities, we bring the concept of homemade meals to a whole new level.

Through our platform, users can enjoy delicious, healthy meals prepared by passionate Chefs, right in the comfort of their own homes.

BChef2Me stands out from traditional food delivery services by emphasizing the authenticity and quality of homemade meals. 

We empower talented Chefs in your neighborhood to showcase their skills, ensuring you receive a diverse range of healthy, and carefully crafted dishes.

BChef2Me fosters a sense of community by connecting neighbors through their shared love for food. We promote a sustainable food culture by supporting local Chefs and their culinary ventures.

I thoroughly studied the food market in the US between 2015 and 2017, benchmarked industry standards, and analyzed relevant regulations. 

This research served as the foundation for defining the platform's perimeter, privacy policy, and terms of service.

Through this study, I identified the demand for healthier and homemade food options, highlighting the need for a platform that connects Chefs and food enthusiasts uniquely and conveniently.

Compliance with food regulations is of utmost importance to BChef2Me. I researched and analyzed the relevant food regulations to ensure the Chefs adhere to the highest standards of safety, hygiene, and legality.

I wrote comprehensive privacy policy and service terms.

Creating a solid and memorable brand identity is essential for any venture, and I embarked on this journey by carefully crafting BChef2Me's logo, graphic chart, and content.

Significant effort was invested in developing a unique visual identity.

The logo served as the visual representation of the platform, capturing its essence and communicating its core message. The design of the logo was carefully considered to evoke a sense of homemade food and connectivity.

The graphic chart provided guidelines for typography, color palette, and general design principles. The Dancing Script font, with its warm and inviting feel, paired with the Braun color (#7d6958) evoked a sense of home, comfort, and tradition.

The Chewy font, in a vibrant red color (#da1f00), added a touch of playfulness and excitement to the brand's visual identity.

Although the project was discontinued in 2019, I created a Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn presence with dedicated pages and profiles to reach and connect with users.

The Facebook page was: https://www.facebook.com/bchef2me/

The Instagram page was: https://instagram.com/bchef2me

The LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bchef2me/

Various images and content were created to promote BChef2Me on social media platforms. These materials aimed to showcase the platform's unique offers and engage with the target audience.

To bring my vision of BChef2Me to life, I employed the powerful tools of Adobe Creative Suite (CS).

I utilized various applications within the suite, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, to design and edit images, create graphics, and develop visually stunning materials for BChef2Me:

I also created multiple demonstration videos (Tutorials). Using Adobe Premiere, I seamlessly blended visuals, graphics, and screenshots to showcase the platform's features, benefits, and user experience.

The user-friendly platform makes browsing, ordering, and connecting with talented Chefs in the neighborhood easy. 

With convenient delivery or pick-up options, BChef2Me ensures that enjoying homemade meals is a hassle-free and enjoyable experience.

For the Chef:

1. Education and Skill Improvement.

2. Promotion and Connection.

3. Meal Labeling and Reengineering.

Etc.

For the Consumer:

1. Search and Filter.

2. Ordering Process.

3. Checkout and Payment.

4. Order Confirmation.

BChef2Me's multi-vendor platform was built on Joomla CMS, utilizing key extensions such as HikaShop Business (version 3.5.1) and HikaMarket Multivendor (version 2.1.1).

These extensions provided the foundation for the platform's e-commerce capabilities and multi-vendor functionality.

Read more about: 

HikaShop: https://extensions.joomla.org/extension/hikashop/

HikaMarket: https://extensions.joomla.org/extension/hikamarket/

To enhance the user experience and facilitate product discovery, I incorporated the My Maps Location extension with HikaShop.

This integration allowed products to be displayed on Google Maps, providing a visual representation of the available culinary offerings in various locations.

I also had to create an account and manage different options through the Google Developers Console and IAM & Admin on Google APIs.

Learn more about My Maps Location: https://extensions.joomla.org/extension/my-maps-location/.

I requested support from the HikaShop team to adapt the solution to my needs:

This collaboration ensured that the HikaShop solution was adapted and optimized to meet the requirements.

SourceCoast's JFBConnect extensions were employed to manage social network integration within BChef2Me. This allowed users to seamlessly connect their social media accounts, facilitating social login and sharing functionalities.

Find out more about SourceCoast and JFBConnect at https://www.sourcecoast.com/.

To enhance specific features, I invested personally and managed two freelancers to develop custom implementations.

BChef2Me aimed to cater to a global audience, and as such, a thorough evaluation of payment systems and currencies was undertaken to ensure seamless transactions.

I compared multiple payment system options, including Paypal (Adaptive Payments), MangoPay, Braintree, and Stripe Connect.

The objective was to assess the compatibility with different economic areas, API capabilities for marketplaces, and compliance requirements.

BChef2Me was available in the United States, Canada, and Europe. To accommodate users in these regions, three different currencies were supported: USD (United States Dollar), CAD (Canadian Dollar), and EUR (Euro).

The ability to edit and select the preferred currency was provided in the Chef profile, ensuring transparency and convenience for both Chefs and buyers.

I identified and saved technical + UI/UX improvements. Although I decided to put this project on hold, I am available to restart it again.

Taking on the whole BChef2Me project from 2015 to 2019, a B2B2C platform, was an incredible experience.

As a side project while working full-time as a Marketing and Digital Solutions Manager in the US, I invested more than $3000 personally, covering expenses such as domain name, hosting, and custom development.

As an entrepreneur, I often thought about the metaphorical iceberg image, representing the illusion of success. The surface-level presentation on this page only scratches the surface of the countless hours, efforts, and complexities involved in running BChef2Me. Behind the scenes, the unseen challenges were vast and profound.

A critical realization from this project is the recognition that undertaking such ventures alone is not sustainable.

The BChef2Me project provided me a rich and transformative experience. While the project may have come to a close, the knowledge gained and the skills honed through BChef2Me will undoubtedly shape future endeavors, setting the stage for new and exciting opportunities.