CUISINE SOLUTIONS and PRET A MANGER Partner to Debut 1st Sous Vide Dark Assembly Kitchen in NYC

Cuisine Solutions, Inc. (CUSI), the global leader and largest premium food company in pioneering and perfecting sous-vide cooking techniques, will open the world's first sous-vide Dark Assembly Kitchen concept, CS DAK, in New York City, on January 7, 2021. Located within a Pret A Manger, (425 Madison Avenue, NY, NY) CS DAK will offer various direct-to-consumer cuisine concepts at launch including The Cutting Edge by CS DAK, Cocina Oscura by CS DAK, Mediterranean by CS DAK, Poultry in Motion by CS DAK and Bodega by CS DAK, all available for delivery in Manhattan on Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, and via the website, order.csdak.com.

At their launch location, CS DAK will be implemented by Pret A Manger's team and operate out of their midtown store, where they will exclusively use fully cooked, sous vide products, a minimal contact cooking process that eliminates the need for from-scratch cooking. The onsite culinary staff will only need to assemble menu items for all cuisine concepts, using Cuisine Solutions products. "Cuisine Solutions is a leader in innovative cooking methods and creative menu items, and we are excited to partner with them to debut the world's first Dark Assembly Kitchen," said Pret A Manger's Pano Christou, Chief Executive Officer. He continued, "During this unprecedented time, Pret A Manger is greatly looking forward to embracing the evolving retail environment and reacting to changing needs of New Yorkers."

"The pandemic has deeply accelerated the presence of virtual kitchen concepts and the widespread adoption of food delivery. CS DAK is revolutionary in terms of the level of safety, quality, and variety we offer. As the only kitchen assembling fully cooked sous vide products, we can prepare the items faster and more efficiently than any other kitchen in the world to create an outstanding at-home dining experience. We are greatly looking forward to partnering with Pret A Manger to offer this upgraded dining experience in New York." said Cuisine Solutions President & CEO Felipe Hasselmann.

Cuisine Solutions' menus and proprietary products feature the highest quality ingredients, developed by one of the most innovative culinary teams in the food industry. Comprised of over 55 acclaimed chefs from Cuisine Solutions' U.S.A., Asia, Europe and Middle East, they have drawn inspiration from their heritage and home, to create Cuisine Solutions' 290+ sous-vide menu items.

The ready-to-eat delivery concept of The Cutting Edge by CS DAK will present global, chef-inspired favorites such as Harissa Charred Octopus Tzatziki Mezze, Sirloin Steak Tartar, and Duck Leg Confit with Oaxacan mole. Cocina Oscura by CS DAK and Mediterranean by CS DAK will, respectively, feature Mexican and Mediterranean build-your-own custom-style bowls, salads, and wraps, as well as chef-driven dishes like herb-roasted half-chicken bathed in sherried walnut sauce, with pomegranate and herbs, and Kibbeh Nayeh. Poultry in Motion by CS DAK will offer a variety of items including their popular Sous Vide Egg Bites, originally created by Cuisine Solutions and available in two flavors: Uncured Turkey Bacon Egg Bites, and vegetarian Egg Whites, Spinach and Kale. The concept will also offer chicken prepared in a variety of ways, including southern fried, herb-roasted, five-spice Peking, and more.

The fifth concept offered is Bodega by CS DAK, which features chef-driven, high-end, and ready-made meal components prepared using sous-vide that arrive to customers fully cooked. Customers can then quickly reheat dishes in the oven, stovetop, or microwave, allowing them to stock their fridge and meal prep for the week. Dishes will include menu items such as Lamb Shank with a Portobello and Red Wine Mushroom Sauce, Grilled Salmon, White Beans with Thyme and Garlic, and Veal Osso Bucco. This concept will also offer holiday season specialties like Turkey Roulade with Cranberries and Apples, and Cuisine Solutions' signature 72-hour Beef Short Ribs, cooked in their natural juices. These time-consuming, elegant dishes only require re-heating, providing a consistently excellent, safe dining experience for families.

Consumers can expect to see Asian, Italian, and barbeque-based concepts that will all provide a wide array of seafood, poultry, meat, egg, plant-based, vegetarian and vegan options in the very near future.

Cuisine Solutions creations are fully cooked, pasteurized and vacuum-sealed. By using this method, CS DAK streamlines operations in a smaller kitchen footprint, therein reducing labor costs and minimizing food waste, while increasing operational efficiency, safety, and consistency, and allowing for multiple concepts to run out of a single kitchen.

For more than 30-years, Cuisine Solutions has built a strong foundation of partners worldwide such as Starbucks, Panera Bread, Emirates Flight Catering, ANA, Hilton, Marriott, Costco, Whole Food and more. For more information on CS DAK and its offerings, visit csdak.com.

About Cuisine Solutions

Cuisine Solutions is the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of sous-vide foods. Led by an international team of award-winning chefs, Cuisine Solutions is recognized as the authority on sous vide-the innovative slow-cooking technique that the company pioneered, perfected, and popularized decades ago. Headquartered in Sterling, Virginia, Cuisine Solutions services more than 22,000 restaurants and 6,000 retailers, as well as first and business class on the top 10 airlines in the world, and major hotels. For more information, visit https://www.cuisinesolutions.com/.

About Pret A Manger

Since day one, Pret A Manger's mission has been simple. To serve freshly made food and good organic coffee, while also trying to do the right thing. It all began in London in 1986. Fed up with all the junk and processed food on the market, Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beecham started 'Pret A Manger' (Ready to Eat) to make food they craved but couldn't find. Since then, Pret has become well known (and loved) around the world for its freshly made food and organic coffee made using sustainably sourced ingredients. In the past 30 years, Pret has grown to almost 600 shops operating in 11 countries across 3 continents. Pret's unsold food is donated at the end of every day to food rescue partners. What started out as handful of donated sandwiches, has now grown to millions of food items donated across cities around the world. For more information, visit https://www.pret.com/en-US.

Photo Credit: Cocina Oscura, Courtesy of CS DAK

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