Photo: Laura Bulgrin

It seems you can get any type of meal service delivered today – diet food, gluten-free, global cuisine, you name it. Until three months ago, however, one category was lacking. If you wanted prepared locally-sourced meals, the only options were to make it yourself or eat out.

Now there’s a third option, and it’s priced competitively. Personal chef JJ Gonson and her team at the Shared Food Program offer a weekly, prepared food service out of Cambridge. Gonson, the program’s founder, says one share equals about eight individual meals — meals, that is, cooked with healthy fats, farm fresh produce and proteins. The food is then delivered in an Earth-friendly way every Tuesday by Metro Pedal Power, if desired.

The cost? Roughly the same as your standard take-out. One week of Shared Food meals, with delivery, goes for $125. Customers may instead opt for a SFP membership for $20 a month; shares in this scenario cost $100 per week. The last option is to become a monthly member (four shares per month) at $450. (Hear JJ explain the program and the price comparisons in PRK’s video, after the jump).

JJ Gonson and Christine Doherty. Photo: Laura Bulgrin

On a Saturday last month, JJ and Christine Doherty took a trip to local farms near Amherst, MA, to gather ingredients for Shared Food the following Monday. Christine is both a local food advocate and a private chef on Nantucket. She and JJ worked together to contact farmers and purchase seasonal ingredients such as spring parsnips, carrots and green garlic, all of which were whipped into a great menu – details in the video below!

Those interested in a share can sign up here or contact JJ directly: JJ@enlocale.com. For more information on the Shared Food Program, visit JJ’s website.