Celebrity chef James Briscione is launching a blockchain-powered food matching app in Miami
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Think of Dinder, developed by Miami startup Nutrios, as the Tinder of food
By Riley Kaminer
It’s a Friday night. You’re ready to unwind from a long week. The last thing you want to do is fire up the stove and cook a meal for your family, so you log into the food delivery app of your choice. But you’re faced with a problem: an endless scroll of options that makes it nearly impossible to tell what you’re actually going to enjoy eating.
Gourmands, worry no more. There’s a new app in town, and it’s powered by the blockchain (because… Miami).
Meet Dinder, developed by Miami-based startup Nutrios. Think of it as the Tinder of food. You download the app and swipe right or left on food pictures. Dinder’s AI-powered algorithm learns users’ preferences over time. When a user finds something they like, they can order it right through the app.
Food Network star James Briscione is the culinary mind behind Dinder and Nutrios. Talking to Update Miami before dinner at his lively “destination restaurant” in Pensacola, Briscione explained that this project is a continuation of his work over the past decade exploring the intersection of food and technology.
“This idea of working with food and generative AI goes back 10 years, when we started working with Chef Watson,” he explained, referring to an IBM project that aimed to create an AI-powered chef.
“I went in with the attitude that there was no way a computer could know more about food than I did,” Briscione said. Soon, however, the chef would realize that the computer-driven ability to quantify data and flavors would enable him to be more creative as a chef.
Nutrios is the base protocol on which Dinder is built. The app, currently beta testing in the Miami market, is just the beginning. The idea is that Dinder will eventually have a very clear understanding of its users’ food preferences, including macronutrient goals, and provide exactly what they want when they want it. The team also has some interesting features in the works: for example, enabling users participating in a group exercise class or working with a trainer to find meals that fit the specific criteria of their exercise regimen.
The platform is also useful for restaurants. The company explained that when users swipe on menu items, their “likes” are written to the social graph embedded in the menu item and become part of the data owned by the restaurant. But crypto-skeptics need not worry: the Blockchain component of Dinder runs in the background, and users are not required to open a wallet.
“It’s amazing for these restaurants because we’re setting up a decentralized marketplace that gives them direct connections with their customers,” Briscione asserted. There are also some creative options for restaurants, such as allowing other restaurants to offer a signature dish from a particular restaurant – giving the original restaurant a percentage “creator’s fee” for each dish sold. “Now as a chef, I don’t even have to have a restaurant — I can be an influencer,” Briscione said.
So far, Nutrios has raised $500,000 from investors including Aptos Labs and Monoceros. Why did the core team of six choose Miami as their hub? Many reasons, according to CEO Wayne Culbreth. “Miami offers an ecosystem that is diverse, health conscious and receptive to new blockchain technologies,” he said.
Nutrios hopes to launch in other cities over the next six months, in addition to building other apps on the Nutrios protocol. Dinder is just the beginning, allowing Nutrios to begin training its AI learning models.
Dig in!
Interested in trying Dinder? If you are in Miami-Dade, click on this link and enter the code “miamiOGs” to get started.
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