Nutritious, delicious meals should be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford private chefs or dietitians. Yet, affordability and convenience often stand in the way of eating the way we know we should. While fast food chains make it easy to grab a meal on the go, we know they’re not created to be nutritionally balanced or support a healthy lifestyle.
For residents in the Oakland Park and Fort Lauderdale area, Chef Shashank Agtey at The Sidewalk Chef Kitchen is helping to change that.
Chef Shashank’s Unique Culinary Journey
Chef Agtey’s journey to founding Sidewalk Chef is one of perseverance and passion. As a native of Mumbai, India, he grew up intending to follow his family’s military legacy. However, astigmatism prevented him from pursuing this dream, leading him to dedicate his life and time to his true passion: cooking.
Chef Shashank Agtey came to the United States to pursue his culinary dreams, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in International Hotel and Restaurant Management from Florida International University. Through his long career, he has worked up the ranks from dishwasher at Club41 (now The Forge) in Miami up to executive chef at Cafe September, a five-star waterfront restaurant and exclusive nightclub in Fort Lauderdale. He held the position for 12 years.
In 1988, Chef Shashank was inducted into the Chaine des Rotisseurs, an elite gastronomic society, and was the recipient of its 5-Star Award. After spending decades feeding the ultra-rich and famous, he decided to pivot, using his skills to provide delicious, nutritious meals to the everyman.
Bringing Top Quality Meals to the People
Founded in 2017, Sidewalk Chef has one central mission: bringing healthy, uncomplicated food to the people. The menu items are classic comfort foods and Indian dishes without harmful additives and excess junk to make clean, nutritious eating more accessible to everyone.
“Our menu items are kept simple,” explains Barbara Smith, business manager at Sidewalk Chef Kitchen, “What Chef Agtey has done is take basic recipes and clean them up to create healthier versions of comfort food.”
From fully vegan dishes to fully carnivore offerings, the Sidewalk Chef Kitchen has something for everyone. Their signature Bison meatballs and spaghetti squash are a crowd favorite, swapping out beef for leaner bison meat and traditional pasta for less calorie and carb dense vegetable-based noodles. “Our meatballs don’t have heavy cream, plus bison has lower fat and higher protein than beef. Our spaghetti is made from spaghetti squash, so it’s a lighter version of meatballs and spaghetti.”
Other options include Angus beef chili, Asian stir fry, or a lemongrass chicken and rice bowl – all of which have 500 calories or less per serving. These meals are fresh and ready for you to grab and go during your lunch break or while running errands, so you know you’re eating well even when you don’t have time to cook yourself.
The Sidewalk Chef Kitchen also offers customizable meal prep and meal plans made easy without the subscription fees or monthly obligations of other services. You can order as much or as little as you’d like with meals that suit any lifestyle. Everyone from busy working professionals to pro-athletes looking to track their macros and calorie intake can find something they love and make meal time just a little bit easier.
Chef Shashank Agtey and Sidewalk Chef Kitchen work closely with nutrition and dietary experts like Dr. Douglas Kalman and registered dietitian Cassie Carson to develop balanced, wholesome meals to fit any client’s dietary needs. Meal planning starts at just $59.75 for five meals plus a $25 fee for a personalized plan just for you.
Not sure what you want for lunch? Stop into the Sidewalk Chef Kitchen Monday through Friday between 11 AM and 4:00 PM to see what Chef Shashank is cooking up. Their Fresh Express menu changes daily and is entirely curated based on what he wants to make for the day.
“Our menu is very eclectic,” Barbara adds, “We do everything from BBQ chicken to an Asian stir fry to jerk chicken and plantains. It really just depends on what Chef Shashank feels like and what we have on hand. Sometimes he’ll see something interesting at the grocery store like a new rub or seasoning and he just has to try it out. So you never know what you’ll get when you come in, and I think that’s exciting for people.”
Catering Options for Every Budget
With the summer here and many people planning get togethers and celebrations, the Sidewalk Chef also proudly offers catering options to fit every budget. From high end meals featuring filet mignon, to more classic everyday dishes like a cornbread bake, their catering menu offers a full range of options that can be mixed and matched to suit your event.
Catering orders do need to be placed at least 48 hours in advance and can include alcoholic drink options, servers and bartenders, and plated dinner service upon request. As always, Sidewalk Chef Kitchen is accommodating of any dietary needs for guests with food allergies or dietary restrictions.
So, whether you’re stopping in for a quick but healthy lunch, or you need to secure catering for your next party, give Sidewalk Chef Kitchen a try. You’ll be glad you did.
Sidewalk Chef Kitchen: 6500 NW 12th Ave. #101 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
