Our Story
Let’s do dinner. Together.
Pre-marinated. Pre-chopped. Pre-prepared.
Melanie Mityas and Josh Jones – co-founders of Madison & Rayne – both share a passion for good food but from different perspectives. Josh is a professional chef and the former chef de cuisine of Bucktown’s Spring restaurant. Melanie enjoys playing a chef at home. They both believe that cooking is the fun and rewarding part of making a meal. Shopping and chopping are the time-consuming steps that prevent many people from getting in the kitchen and making home-cooked meals.
“As a busy mom, dinner was not a time of day I looked forward to. I found it stressful to cook on weeknights and often was not happy with what I was serving my family. There were some weeks when I totally had my act together – found healthy recipes, prepared a grocery list, went to the store and bought everything I needed – but then I would get home late from work and did not have enough time to prepare the meal. Or I would forget to marinate the meat the night before.
I often watched cooking shows and it looked so easy. Wouldn’t it be nice to have all of my ingredients prepared in tiny dishes so that I could just do the cooking part and skip the prep (and the clean-up)? My frustration sparked an idea. Madison and Rayne are the middle names of my two daughters who inspired me to find a way to enjoy cooking dinner again.” – Melanie
“The Chicago food scene is very vibrant. People in this city are accustomed to having access to a range of restaurants serving high-quality food prepared with fresh local ingredients. Why shouldn’t they enjoy this same experience in the comfort of their own home – whether they are cooking for themselves, their spouse and kids, or a dinner party of friends?
Not lukewarm takeout or prepared food made a day or two ago, but a fresh meal that they can easily prepare. My hope is that Madison & Rayne helps people rediscover (or discover for the first time) how fun and rewarding it can be to cook a really great meal.” – Josh
Member Love
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You guys are AWESOME!!!! You have changed the way I do dinner. I used to order-in almost every night. Now I am cooking at least 2 nights a week, sometimes three. I am spending less money, and I am sure I am eating healthier. Dinner for me has become an entirely different experience.
Andy K. – Wrigleyville
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Madison and Rayne is without peer in meal services. The menus are incredibly innovative (but approachable); the ingredients are fresh and beautifully prepped and measured; instructions are literally fail-safe. I’ve used the service for years for everything from weeknight meals for my family to Thanksgiving dinner (twice) to dinner parties. I’ve never had a dish I didn’t love (and my food bar is HIGH!). Chef Josh is an incredible talent.
Cathy C. – Gold Coast