Moritz Brandt, an 18-year-old German coder, is sparking new possibilities in the service industry by merging artificial intelligence (AI) with one of its most people-centric domains: culinary services. As the co-founder and chief technology officer of Eat Cook Joy (ECJ), Brandt leads a team developing an AI-powered back-office solution designed specifically for personal chefs and small-scale caterers.
Brandt has no formal coding background, but he taught himself the ropes through online resources, starting with fundamental Node.js scripts and gradually advancing to complex AI implementations. His passion for technology grew during high school, where he began exploring how AI could simplify everyday tasks. "What started as a way to make my homework easier turned into a journey of discovery with AI," Brandt says. His curiosity evolved into a full-scale AI platform that automates the back-end operations for chefs and kitchen staff, securing multi-million dollar funding months after launch.
Addressing Gaps in the Culinary Workforce
According to a 2024 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the turnover rate in the food services industry is among the highest across all sectors, with chefs and kitchen staff leaving at rates of nearly 4% annually. Low wages, long hours, and limited professional autonomy are the main factors driving this churn. Through research and interviews with chefs, Brandt recognized this issue firsthand, noticing how few tools existed to help these professionals manage their own businesses efficiently.
ECJ's AI platform offers personal chefs an integrated back-office system that handles everything from scheduling and meal planning to budgeting and shopping lists. The solution is designed to cut costs for families looking to hire a chef while supporting the chefs themselves by automating time-intensive tasks. By reducing operational overhead, the platform allows chefs to increase their earnings while providing services at more accessible prices. Brandt notes, "Most professions have tools that help them do their job more efficiently. We believe personal chefs deserve the same kind of support."
Automating Up to 90% of Back-Office Tasks
The AI behind ECJ automates up to 90% of the manual tasks that typically occupy a chef's time outside the kitchen. This includes everything from customized menu planning that aligns with a client's dietary preferences to generating detailed shopping lists that minimize waste and control costs. For instance, the platform's grocery management feature optimizes shopping by ensuring precise quantities and avoiding unnecessary purchases, helping to cut grocery costs by as much as 30%.
This level of automation not only boosts efficiency for the chefs but also benefits clients by making services more affordable and accessible. For instance, families using ECJ can now access a personal chef at around $165 per session, a significantly lower price point than traditional personal chef services, which often range from $350 to more. "We're trying to give families more options," Brandt explains. "It's about making it practical for people who want cooking help but haven't seen it as affordable."
Impacting Culinary Entrepreneurship
can update their preferences anytime and integrate with smart home devices to streamline cooking and food storage management. The expansion phase is supported by a diverse team of engineers and industry experts based in Silicon Valley, ensuring that ECJ's technology stays at the leading edge in AI applications for food service.
Brandt remains pragmatic about AI's potential, noting that while it would not replace the human elements of cooking, it can address many logistical and operational challenges that burden chefs. "AI can't replicate a chef's creative instincts," he says, "but it can handle the tasks that keep them from doing what they love." As the food service sector confronts its unique challenges in the digital age, Brandt and his team bring fresh solutions that suggest a more accessible future for both chefs and clients alike.
