Chef Daniel Humm of three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park and food and beverage CPG veteran Mark Ramadan announced the launch of Riff, a line of chef-crafted meal kits designed to bridge the gap between convenience and scratch cooking. Priced at $6.99 per box, Riff is now available on shelves at Target locations nationwide and direct-to-consumer at www.eatriff.com.
Unlike traditional meal kits, Riff requires no delivery, no perishable produce and no advanced planning, just one pot and 20 minutes. Each Riff variety was developed across 18 months of rigorous research and development by Chef Humm and his culinary team. Ramadan’s experience as a two-time exited entrepreneur, first as the co-founder and CEO of Sir Kensington’s and then as CEO of Hu Kitchen, provided the operational roadmap to successfully bring that same real-ingredient standard to a shelf-stable format at retail scale.
Every Riff box delivers a complete, restaurant-quality dinner on its own, but it’s designed as a flexible foundation. Home cooks are encouraged to “riff”—tossing in fresh vegetables, herbs, or leftover protein from the fridge to make each meal their own, whether they’re an experienced cook clearing out the pantry or a beginner looking for a confident place to start.
The debut launch features five distinct varieties:
– Spicy Tomato Rigatoni: Organic bronze-cut, slow-dried rigatoni with a spicy, creamy tomato sauce made from real tomato, crushed red pepper, and parmesan, finished with savory crunchy toppings.
– Creamy Parmesan Cavatappi: Organic slow-dried cavatappi with a rich, cheesy sauce elevated by buttermilk, parmesan, and black pepper, finished with savory crunchy toppings.
– Garlic Lemon Rotini: Organic bronze-cut, slow-dried rotini with a light, umami sauce built on bold garlic, lemon, and diced shallot, finished with savory crunchy toppings.
– Sesame Ginger Noodles: Organic air-dried lo mein noodles with a bright, savory sauce featuring toasted sesame, real ginger, and green onion, finished with crispy onions and toasted sesame seeds.
– Coconut Curry Noodles: Organic air-dried lo mein noodles with a creamy, spicy sauce made from coconut milk and crushed red pepper, finished with crispy onions and toasted sesame seeds.
The brand thrives on the perfect balance between Chef Humm’s absolute refusal to compromise on culinary excellence and Ramadan’s deep operational expertise. The latter brings decades of experience in transforming legacy grocery categories into premium, culturally relevant brands. Together, the founders are applying their complementary skills to reinvent a center-store pantry aisle that has relied on the same processed crutches since the 1970s.
