CHICAGO, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --By all accounts, the pandemic-driven surge in home cooking is here to stay, which inspired  Home Chef®, one of the nation's largest meal kit delivery brands and Skinnytaste®, the popular recipe and cookbook franchise founded by chef Gina Homolka, to join forces in making fresh, simple, delicious home cooked meals even more accessible.

In fact, both brands have seen their customers and communities grow exponentially over the past year, and with it a demand for a wider variety of lighter, more balanced meal choices.

"Home Chef has always wanted to collaborate with a partner who shared our values and ideas when it comes to cooking," said Shira Schwarz, Senior Director of Marketing, Home Chef. "We chose Skinnytaste because Gina's culinary creativity, commitment to integrity, quality and simplicity aligned with our values. We are proud of the recipes we developed together and know customers will be delighted by their flavorful tastes."

Similarly, Homolka says the Skinnytaste community she's built through her many cookbooks and social media channels were asking for easier, more convenient ways to make her healthy, delicious recipes.

The team co-created eight recipes, all under 550 calories, including options that cater to different needs such as sodium sensible, carb conscious and protein packed. Home Chef customers  can select a number of different recipes over the next eight weeks: Sheet Pan Balsamic Herb Chicken and Vegetables, Chicken with Mushrooms and Shallots, Parmesan Salmon, Turkey Cheeseburger Soup, Shrimp Scampi with Broccoli Orzo, Baked Chicken Parmesan, Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice with Corn Salsa and Fish Florentine.

"I love inspiring people to eat fresh, delicious foods through my cookbooks, and since my followers wanted simpler ways to cook my recipes it was a no-brainer to approach Home Chef to make that happen," says Gina. "I worked closely with their culinary team to co-create no-mess, no-fuss versions of my meals that could simply be delivered to the doorstep, and I'm so excited about the final menu."

Every week a Skinnytaste recipe will be featured on Home Chef's weekly rotating menu beginning on April 23 after Noon CT and will continue for eight weeks until June 18. To learn more about the Home Chef and Skinnytaste menu visitwww.HomeChef.com.

About Home Chef
Home Chef is one of the largest meal kit delivery services in the U.S., with over 3.5 million meals delivered each month. Founded in 2013, Home Chef offers fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy to follow recipes delivered weekly and is designed for anyone to be able to cook and everyone to enjoy. The Chicago-based company delivers nationwide. Home Chef has been rated #1 in customer satisfaction among leading meal kit companies since 2018, according to Market Force Information U.S. Grocery Benchmark Study. Home Chef is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). Find out more and get cooking at  www.homechef.com. Follow us onTwitter, Instagramand Facebookfor updates and inspiration.

About Skinnytaste
Skinnytaste began in 2008 when Gina Homolka, author and recipe developer, wanted to slim down some of her favorite recipes. The result was "skinny" and "tasty" creations made with real food. Gina's meals quickly turned into a blog reaching over 17 Million people and then a healthy food empire with numerous best-selling cookbooks, and becoming both a Iacp Award Finalist and James Beard Award Finalist.

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SOURCE Home Chef