NEW YORK — Meal delivery company CookUnity raised $15.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Fuel Venture Capital, with participation from IDC Ventures.

The Series A round brings Cook Unity’s total funding to $23 million and will enable it to expand across North America with two new kitchens in California and Texas. The company also announced Jeff Ransdell, founding partner and managing director of Fuel Venture Capital, will join its board of directors.

Launched in 2018, CookUnity’s weekly subscription platform allows consumers to choose from more than 300 chef-prepared meals tailored to different palates and dietary preferences.

 “We envision a world where chefs are no longer constrained by the capital, capacity and geographic limitations of a restaurant,” said Mateo Marietti, founder and chief executive officer of CookUnity. “The company has experienced incredible growth from 2018, and our recent funding points to the confidence and demand in the marketplace for this new category. We want to put chefs back in the center of the food universe and answer the demand for an elevated at-home dining experience. Over the next 18 months, we expect to rapidly expand our talent pool of chefs and contribute to what we see as the future of food.”

The company onboarded a dozen new chefs this year, bringing its current total to 32. It expects to add more than 100 chefs across its three kitchens by 2022.

Chefs and restaurateurs who joined CookUnity in 2020, including Esther Choi, owner of Mokbar, a New York-based Korean restaurant, have credited the company with allowing them to rehire employees during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Over the past year, the pandemic has accelerated the need for chefs to diversify and forced consumers to find new ways to access fresh and elevated meals to enjoy at home,” Ms. Choi said. “CookUnity has been integral in allowing me to hire back valuable team members and expand my reach beyond the physical constraints of our restaurant.”