The Untold Truth Of Goldbelly

Sometimes, there's nothing that quite as glorious as being able go back to a simpler time, perhaps wading through the memories of your childhood by way of that chocolate cake your mom used to prepare for you on special occasions, making you feel like the happiest kid in the world. Food-delivery service is exactly that: a company on a mission to serve up a huge dose of nostalgia, as explained by Fast Company. One of those companies is Goldbelly, founded by entrepreneur Joe Ariel. It's a curated online platform that supplies local food to people across the US, regardless of where they're living.

For Ariel, the need to start Goldbelly stemmed from personal experience. He was living in New York and found himself craving the kind of Southern food he'd eaten during his time as a student in Nashville. He realized that he couldn't fulfill those cravings in New York and decided to do something about it: He'd get friends to send him food from his favorite eateries in a bid to relive his memories. 

"The food would arrive and it was amazing, of course. But what was kind of game changing was the emotional reaction to opening the box and smelling that smell, touching the menu and the wax paper from this place that you remember," Ariel told Fast Company. His passionate response led him to start his online marketplace, allowing others like him to enjoy the food that they love from different parts of the country.

As explained on Goldbelly's website, the brand's portal helps connect small businesses and restaurants with foodies all around the country. A description on the site reads, "We believe that food brings people together, so we've created a place that connects people with their greatest food memories, experiences and desires. We've built a platform that empowers small shops, chefs & restaurants and inspires their passion."

With that in mind, Goldbelly has partnered with several brands and shops, including (but not limited to) Momofuku, Magnolia Bakery, Carlo's Bakery, Pizzeria Bianco, Duff Goldman Cakes, Uncle Ray's Fried Turkeys, and Primanti Bros. There are several categories offered, such as bakeries, pizzerias, barbecue pit-masters, butchers, seafood stores, confectioners, and more.

As for the shipping process itself, as per the brand, all items are sent directly from the shops, which means that the delivery period and total costs change depending on locations. Customers get access to these details when they enter their address while placing an order and checking out. Here is the catch: Customers may have to wait even a few weeks to get the closest delivery date if your shop of choice has reached its order limit for those days. Phew.

Goldbelly has teamed up with distinguished names in the industry, including celebrity baker Duff Goldman. According to Bake Mag, for the collaboration, Goldman worked with Goldbelly to come up with a new line of four delectable cakes that were created over the course of a year. "The first time I met Duff, a Baltimore native, he ran over and gave me a hug for giving him the ability to order his beloved Maryland Crab Cakes & Pit Beef to his current home in Los Angeles," Ariel had said when the cakes were launched. 

He added that this made things extra special, as the brand was over the moon to be able to give cake enthusiasts all over the U.S. the same joy of being able to enjoy the products, no matter where they are. Goldbelly has also worked with another celebrity baker, Buddy Valastro (pictured above), who recently hosted an online class via Instagram in collaboration with Goldbelly to give fans a chance to learn how to decorate cakes. 

According to a Reddit user, the service has its disadvantages. "In theory, it sounds great but there's some real issues to the entire process," they wrote, explaining that it's expensive, needs a lot of time to be shipped with delays, the customer service is slow, and that there were changes made to the orders as a result of issues with the available stock.