The Gourmondo Team

Fun Facts about Gourmondo

Starting from Scratch:

  • The original location of Gourmondo was a tiny space next to Madame Lazonga's Tattoo parlor in the back of the Pike Place market. Madame Lazonga was our best customer, and sometimes our only customer.
  • We first opened on August 2nd, 1996 with daily sales totaling $36.00 - which was not awesome.
  • We bought a little secondhand stove for our kitchen, but quickly learned the limitations of residential equipment when it blew up after a few months.
  • The three original founders flipped a coin daily to see who would do the dishes and who would take out the deliveries.
  • Today, Gourmondo is 100% owned by one of the founding partners, Alissa Leinonen. Duties are no longer dictated by coin tosses, but we do have fun working as a team and helping one another out.


  • In the early days, all orders were delivered in a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere or Uncle Bud's old Suburban- a car that sat in his front yard for two years prior to being "gifted" under the condition that we could tow it off his property.
  • We believe that fresh local food tastes best. Every day our talented team of chefs make our dressings, sauces and marinades. All pastries, desserts and cookies are prepared by our incredible bakers. And our spice rubs are custom blended by World Spice merchants in the Pike Place market where our story first began.
  • When the Pandemic hit Seattle hard in march of 2020, we shifted our focus and resources to those who needed help most. From feeding homeless women and youth, low income elderly, school children facing food insecurity, to the frontline workers across the Pacific NW. in partnership with local non-profits, we were able to provide over 750,000 meals to those most vulnerable in our community.

Treating People Like Family

Gourmondo was founded in1996 on the belief that gourmet and high quality food should be accessible and approachable to everyone. After over 27 years of operation, from humble beginnings in Pike Place Market to a roster of award-winning chefs and expert-level staff, our conviction continues to shape everything we do.

Best Food Forward

With food, quality comes with care. This is why we source the highest-quality local ingredients, blend our own seasonings, import custom olive oils from Italy, and have our own in-house bakery. It’s why we plate every buffet and box lunch with the same attention, and why we hire talented, award-winning chefs who infuse their passion into every refreshing sip and delicious bite.

person plating

Above and Beyond

We believe customer care is part of quality, and whether it’s a driver delivering ready-to-eat meals or an on-site chef preparing a gourmet spread, Gourmondo believes in going the extra mile for our customers. Have a special need or concern? Talk to us.

Beyond the Lunch Box

We pride ourselves on our innovations; from our Party in a Box, to Lunch Entrees, to Vegan Desserts, we’re constantly experimenting with new ways to delight hungry folks. We encourage not just our chefs, but everyone on staff to contribute ideas to make our meals better.

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