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Let’s order Thai peanut noodle salad and crème brûlée tonight, honey

Chefs Denise Brune, left, and Aldrich Mendiola prepare food Tuesday for Dish Republic, a Costa Mesa-based dinner delivery service.
Chefs Denise Brune, left, and Aldrich Mendiola prepare food Tuesday for Dish Republic, a Costa Mesa-based dinner delivery service.
(SCOTT SMELTZER / Daily Pilot)
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It’s said that when New Yorkers come West, they miss the pizza and bagels, which just aren’t the same as in their big city.

And when New York transplants Greg Swift and Heather Ryan moved to Costa Mesa four years ago, they too felt something was missing: food of all styles and flavors conveniently delivered to their door.

For them, Orange County’s run-of-the-mill delivery options, namely pizza and Chinese food, just weren’t cutting it.

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So in July, the husband and wife launched their own ready-to-eat food delivery service, Dish Republic — “food by the people, for the people,” as Ryan puts it.

What distinguishes Dish Republic from others, Swift and Ryan said, is its “intense” variety of options from their team of chefs, who cook in small batches to make for a constantly changing menu.

That means something new every day.

“It’s dinner handmade today without the homemade stress tonight,” Swift said.

Dish Republic’s business model combines easy online ordering and delivery with a website format that shows photos and detailed descriptions of the culinary offerings.

“Uber meets Pinterest is what we wanted,” Swift said.

Dish Republic has about 25 chefs who work as independent contractors, plus delivery drivers and kitchen support staff.

Swift and Ryan looked all over, from San Francisco to San Diego, for a place to establish Dish Republic. That place ended up being The Hood, a commercial kitchen not far from their Eastside Costa Mesa home. The company leases space at the location at 350 Clinton St., near John Wayne Airport.

On Wednesday, Dish Republic chefs were selling their takes on barbecue chicken, Cajun jambalaya and Thai peanut noodle salad, to name a few entrees. Accompanying those were salads and, for dessert, a chilled crème brûlée in a graham cracker crust.

Delivery is free for orders of $15 or more. The drivers will travel to Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Irvine and portions of Tustin, Santa Ana and Huntington Beach. Customers also can pick up their orders at The Hood.

Dish Republic delivers food — no drinks at this point — between 5 and 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, primarily in small batches, though larger orders are available. Each day’s menu is posted around 11 a.m. Orders must be placed by 8 p.m.

A dinner for four typically costs $40 to $45.

Swift said the chefs have free rein to do what they want, as long as the food meets Dish Republic’s quality standards.

“At the end of the day, this is their food, not ours,” he said.

For more information, visit dishrepublic.com.

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