The Best Vegan Meal Delivery in LA – Chef Aaron Elliott’s Meal Ticket

I love eating out, I love eating in, but there’s something really amazing about enjoying chef-prepared food in the comfort of your home (ideally in pajamas, on the couch, watching The Bear). So I was particularly excited to have had the chance to try Meal Ticket – a fully vegan, organic menu expertly crafted by Chef Aaron Elliott that easily makes for the best vegan meal delivery service you can find in LA.

I always love learning about people’s journey toward starting their own vegan business, and had the pleasure of speaking with Aaron Elliott to hear his story – one that was nonlinear, nontraditional, but led him to his life’s work of creating magic in the kitchen, nonetheless.

Aaron grew in the punk music scene in Pittsburg, and in it found a like-minded crew of animal rights kids who resolved to cut out meat from their diets. Aaron was thirteen at the time, and recognized he no longer felt good about consuming animal products.

Interestingly enough, Aaron grew up in a restaurant – so he was bussing tables and helping his family out, but didn’t have a keen interest in cooking, quite yet; at the time, he just knew that he wanted to play music.

So Aaron went on tour as a drummer, and it was during his travels that he became more focused on cooking – but more as a means of survival while he was on the road. With a meager musician’s budget and even more limited vegan options at that point in time, Aaron would make basic but nutritious meals centered on things like lentils, quinoa, and brown rice in his rice cooker while on tour. One of his bandmate’s brothers took notice of Aaron’s innate knack for healthy cooking, and was attempting to eat healthier himself; so he ultimately asked Aaron to be his private chef when the band broke up.

Aaron was hesitant, given he had no formal culinary training; but he accepted, and found that he loved spending his days dreaming up recipes and executing on them in the kitchen. Though he loved the work he did as a private chef, Aaron was later called to explore fine dining at Michelin starred restaurants – he ultimately made his way to Noma (once hailed the best restaurant in the world) as well as D.O.M. in São Paulo.

Now, he’s found his way back to where it all started: cooking delicious, healthy food on a smaller scale, for people to enjoy in the comfort of their homes. Aaron now spends most of his time as either a private chef for folks like Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian, as well as building his new food delivery company, Meal Ticket, which I was lucky enough to experience recently.

Meal Ticket’s inventive menu changes every week, and as much as it felt like I got super lucky with the particular items in my delivery, I think it’s safe to say that Aaron always delivers, week after week. The above lists the meals that I had the privilege of enjoying (and enjoy them, I did). Everything is organic, whole food plant-based, and just supremely tasty. His food makes for what is, hands down, the best vegan meal delivery service in LA.

While each item is creative and unique in its own right, Aaron also designs each weekly menu so that customers can mix and match, and ultimately play around with different pairings of the food throughout the week. Somehow, each meal I tried was better than the former, and though the menu ranged from Americana, to Asian, to Mexican, all of the items somehow complemented each other beautifully. I was so excited when this delivery arrived – as was my dog, Cookie, as you can see above 🙂

It’s hard to choose a favorite – everything was so exceptional. But I was particularly struck by the Yuba Ruben (above) and tried that first; wow, was it good (I believe I literally exclaimed ‘WOW!’ after taking the first bite). The Russian dressing was the best I’ve ever had, and the bread was unreal – it’s a sourdough rye from local bakery Bub and Grandma’s. The yuba had a perfect, chewy texture, and the caramelized onions, sauerkraut, and pickles tied it all together into a truly delectable Reuben sandwich.

The ‘fish’ tacos were also a standout – the panko crusted hearts of palm offered an incredible texture, and the creativity of pairing the fish taco and chipotle crema with a mango lemongrass slaw was a mind-bending but extraordinary combination of flavors. All of these incredible components were enveloped in soft yellow corn tortillas from Kernel of Truth Organics, another fantastic local vendor that Aaron sources from.

Everything was truly phenomenal, though. The Japanese sweet potatoes with salsa macha aioli and chimmichurri were so flavorful, the De La Funk salad was a fresh, crunchy, and herby assortment of crisp greens and deliciously textured accoutrements, the chewy noodles were superb (and I was particularly thrilled to find that the dish features my favorite Dave’s Korean tempha that I typically get at the farmer’s market), and the clam chowder (made from oyster mushrooms) was also fantastic.

I can’t say enough good things about Meal Ticket, and the wonderful chef behind it. Aaron clearly puts so much love into his food, which becomes more distinguishable with every bite taken. I can’t wait for more folks to try out his magical menus; so if you live in LA or are visiting, you must try this extraordinary vegan meal delivery service.

To confirm a spot, DM “IN” at @mealticketla on IG by Saturday at 9:00 a.m. – they accept orders on a first come, first serve basis and currently serve only 10 customers per week. The food is either sent out via courier or available for pickup in Leimert Park on Mondays by 6:30 p.m. The cost is $250 + delivery fee.

Looking for something sweet after devouring your week of Meal Ticket? Be sure to check out my lists of the best vegan ice cream and best vegan desserts in LA.