Is Omnipan the Only Cookware Millennials Need?

Chef Avenue, a Silicon Valley-based cookware company, started a Kickstarter on April 6 for their product, Omnipan, which has made over $200,000 in just over two weeks. In fact, they were fully funded five hours after the launch of their Kickstarter.

Omnipan allows consumers to prep, cook, bake and steam their meals in the same patent-pending technology pan. The product is food-grade, non-stick, chemical-free and made of a high-performance FDA-approved silicone material. In other words, this product disrupts the market by introducing an all-in-one cookware item.

Xtalks spoke with Seema Shenoy, the founder and CEO of Chef Avenue, about their product. She says, “You can prep, cook, eat, store, and reheat in the same container without having to transfer food over and over. And when you are done, toss it in the dishwasher to clean. Nothing like this exists on the market.”

The inspiration to create a product that is so versatile came from her son and his friends’ cooking and eating habits. It painted a perfect picture of what millennials needed and wanted. She thought of ways to use a pan that eliminated unnecessary steps in the kitchen without compromising on delicious and healthy ways to make food.

“Our target market is millennials. They are incredibly busy with little free time. They order takeout frequently because they do not have time to prep meals, cook, and clean up afterward. They are very eco-friendly and strive to reduce waste as often as possible,” Shenoy adds.

When looking at Omnipan’s design, the company advertises their ability to be used in multiple settings and spaces. The design of the pans is compact and modular to minimize the storage space necessary to fit in any sized kitchen. Omnipan comes in two sets with three sizes, each of which has a transparent lid that can be used to keep food fresh in the fridge.

Shenoy says, “We wanted to make Omnipan accessible and usable for a broad market. Many people do not have built-in, full-size ovens in their kitchens. They only have counter-top ovens. We wanted to make the large Omnipan fit inside the typical counter-top ovens, toaster ovens, and air fryers. These requirements defined the dimensions of the large Omnipan.”

“Once the large Omnipan’s dimensions were determined … we wanted to make sure the medium and small pans nestled inside the large pan. This is to help save storage space in kitchen cabinets/drawers,” she continues.

Shenoy said that one of the essential features of any cookware is browning and cooking the food evenly. In an oven, the heat moves in a certain way and the company wanted to take advantage of this heat circulation to create the optimal dimensions of the pan.

“If the walls are too tall, the heat does not reach parts of the food, and the food does not brown evenly. We also went for 3 mm thickness for the material (compared to 1 mm for other pans on the market). This thickness is to improve the heat retention at the bottom and on the sides of the pan, helping to brown the food further,” she adds.

Omnipan is a one-time purchase that promises to be the only cookware set that your kitchen needs. Keeping consumers coming back will not be a problem for Chef Avenue because their goal is to build a socially, ethically and environmentally responsible company with its products.

“Omnipan is only the beginning of our modern, accessible cookware. I have many other innovative products lined up that I hope to unveil soon,” concludes Shenoy.