Not a Chef
Investor Due Diligence Report
by Ian Fujimoto
substackFood
I'm not a chef, I'm just a dude who likes to cook and I want to make it fun and more enjoyable for you!
Investor Due Diligence Report
by Ian Fujimoto
I'm not a chef, I'm just a dude who likes to cook and I want to make it fun and more enjoyable for you!
107K
9.1K paid
+0.5%
Insufficient data
29 of 30 days needed
Pricing
$7/mo
$70/yr annual option
$51K
9.1K paid subs
$51K/mo – $51K/mo(±0%)
0.9
45.2
0.04%
(comments + likes) / subscribers
Weekly
0.9 posts/week
64/100
Consistent (~7.7d avg)
| Newsletter | Subscribers | Weekly Growth | Price | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What To Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking | 595K | +0.4% | $7/mo | substack |
| Ottolenghi | 444K | +0.6% | $5/mo | substack |
| the smitten kitchen digest | 301K | +0.2% | Free | substack |
| Violet’s Substack | 240K | -0.2% | $6/mo | substack |
| Month | Subscribers | Est. Revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 88K | $46,523.4 | — |
| Mar 2026 | 91.5K | $48,376.55 | +4.0% |
| Apr 2026 | 94K | $49,695.45 | +2.7% |
| May 2026 | 96K | $50,752.8 | +2.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 99K | $52,338.83 | +3.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 101K | $47,775.53 |
Platform Dependency
Hosted on substack subdomain
Publishing Consistency
Variable publishing frequency
Key Person
Single-author publication — key-person dependency
Audience Concentration
Consistent engagement across posts
Subscriber threshold
107K subscribers — above the 3K category median for first paid tier
Has paid tier
Active paid subscription offering
Peer monetization
95% of 39 similar-size peers in Food have paid tiers
Pricing position
$7/mo vs $5/mo category median (424 newsletters)
| Date | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | $7 | $70 |
Disclaimer: This report is generated automatically based on publicly available data and proprietary estimation models. Estimated subscriber counts are derived from engagement patterns and should be verified through direct disclosure. Revenue estimates are based on known pricing and estimated paid subscriber counts. This report is for informational purposes only and should not be the sole basis for investment decisions.
| Component | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement Rate | 42/100 | 30% |
| Paid Subscriber Ratio | 100/100 | 25% |
| Growth Consistency | 98/100 | 15% |
| Publishing Consistency | 45/100 | 10% |
| Plant Cooking Club |
| 235K |
| +0.2% |
| $6/mo |
| substack |
| -8.7% |
| Aug 2026 | 103K | $48,721.58 | ~0% |
| Sep 2026 | 105K | $49,667.63 | ~0% |
| Oct 2026 | 107K | $50,613.68 | ~0% |
Revenue Model
Active paid subscription tier