By Madison Bonner, Writer
Title photo: students Mike Milesi and Tomoki Asano present their sushi to-go box for FreshEats.
It all started with a Snapchat story…
In August of 2023, students began seeing menus posted to the McKendree group Snapchat story. Flyers appeared around campus and at apartments. These advertisements promised several home-cooked meals such as salmon, chicken and rice, and sushi. But what were these menus for? And who started it all?
The menus were posted by a food delivery service called FreshEats: a brand new, completely student-run organization. It is managed by two students at McKendree, who work together to cook, advertise, and deliver the food. The idea is to give McKendree students healthy alternatives to processed food, such as fast food or instant ramen, and provide them an opportunity to instead “eat fresh.”
The idea originated over the summer. Roommates Mike Milesi and Tomoki (Tom) Asano were on vacation in Florida. While they stayed at an apartment/hotel there, Tom prepared all their meals. Mike says this is when the idea struck. He was inspired by Tom’s cooking and wanted to share his roommate’s talent with the rest of campus. His food was healthy and contained plenty of vegetables, carbs, and protein. For athletes, this is especially important.
Mike believes that Tom’s food can help athletes achieve their fitness goals. This is how he began developing the idea for FreshEats.
The founder of FreshEats, Mike Milesi, is a 21-year-old foreign exchange student from France. He is currently a sophomore majoring in Business Administration. As a business student and an aspiring entrepreneur, Mike is always trying new ideas and working to improve his career skills. FreshEats has allowed Mike to gain hands-on experience in the field. He creates menus, flyers, and other advertisements.
When FreshEats first debuted at the beginning of the school year, Mike designed and released weekly menus on Snapchat as stories for all students to view. Students could order from three different options, the availability of which depended on the day. For example, on Tuesday, salmon might be available. The next day, it was pasta. On the third day, it was sushi. Tomoki would prepare the food, and Mike would deliver it. The menus updated each week, and Mike posted them to Snapchat. This format lasted for five weeks.
On September 26, FreshEats announced a major change to their dynamic. They would be revamping their entire menu, changing it from daily specials to a single full-time menu.
After a one-week break, the new menu was revealed. Since sushi was the highest-requested item, FreshEats now focuses solely on sushi – which also happens to be Tom’s specialty. There are dozens of different flavors to choose from, including six classic flavors and eight specialty flavors. The menu also offers three new sushi burritos and a custom sushi bowl. Peers can handpick each roll and how many of each they would like. Each box comes with convenient pre-packaged soy sauce.
The menu change allows for both more variety and specialization. As Mike stated, “I think it’s a lot easier to focus on something that works.”
From the beginning, sushi was FreshEats’ most popular item. The change to one consistent menu is also more convenient for their target audience. They don’t have to check Snapchat to see what’s available that week – they can just choose whatever sounds appealing that day. Since FreshEats is now available throughout the week, they are not restricted by the daily menus either. There is now a sense of freedom to choose whatever they want, whenever they want. Mike is excited by the new direction FreshEats is taking.
With FreshEats, Mike earns valuable experience and skills for his future. He receives independence and freedom, as well as a sense of accomplishment. Mike added that he also enjoys hand-delivering the food to other students and creating a personal connection with them. It brings him joy to see the positive effect FreshEats has on his fellow students.
Food Review
The first customer for FreshEats’ new menu was Elizabeth Bocock, a junior at McKendree. For her first order, she decided to try all three flavors of the new sushi burritos.
After her order, Elizabeth gave an overwhelmingly positive review of her experience with FreshEats. Of the three flavors, she found that the Fiery Spicy Burrito was her favorite. She really enjoyed the Ocean Harvest Protein burrito and suggests trying it as well. Elizabeth also noted that though she initially expected the Garden Veggie Wrap to be bland, it was surprisingly full of flavor. Overall, Elizabeth highly recommends FreshEats. She was thoroughly impressed with the quality of both the food and the service. Mike responds quickly with updates and communicates effectively to ensure that each student has the best experience possible.
If you’re interested, you can contact Mike Milesi on Snapchat (username: leffeyy) for more information. Enjoy!
