It's 5pm. Everyone's hungry. Dinner is still a question mark.
That moment is what led Tori to build Squeeze - Fraîche Table's newest feature, and your new answer to "what's for dinner." Think Tinder, but for dinner. Swipe, choose, done. A true mealtime matchmaker.
For those who know Tori, you know this idea has been living in her head for a while. So we went straight to the source.
From concept to creation - the making of Squeeze.
Tori graciously accepts our questions from her cozy living room - fireplace burning, tea on the side table. Founder of Fraîche Table and busy mom of two boys, she's spent years helping women take back dinnertime.
1) Were you always the creative one?
Yes, I was. Ever since I was a little kid. I love creating things.
2) Where were you when the idea for Squeeze first hit you?
I was at the kitchen island in the office, scratching my head, thinking: there has to be a better way to decide dinner. I knew we were missing the solution for so many people who just aren't planners.
I wasn't on Tinder - just so we're clear - but I was familiar with the concept. And I thought, what if? My favourite question is "what if." What if you could find dinner the way you'd find a match on Tinder? It felt fun and cheeky, and that's where it started.
3) What problem were you trying to solve - truly?
I wanted to make deciding dinner fun. And easy. I'm a little obsessed with taking the friction out of getting healthy meals on the table - so that people can actually enjoy eating home cooked food … together. And realistically, not everyone's a planner.
I think we solved the problem really well for the people who love to plan everything in advance with Fraîche Table. But the mere mortals who don't - or just haven't been able to - we didn't have a solution for them. So Squeeze is that solution.
4) How long has Squeeze been living rent-free in your head?
Two years. A little pipe dream, come true.
5) Did you actually use Tinder? Or was it purely research?
Purely research - and very cringey. [laughs] I had a lot of explaining to do to my husband. And I genuinely felt bad swiping left on people. I kept thinking, I'm so sorry, Mark - it's not you, it's me. Literally.
6) Who's the first person you showed Squeeze to, and what was their reaction?
The first person I talked to about Squeeze was Victoria, our Operations Manager. I'm the ideas girl - she's the one who actually makes them happen. And I knew it was a good idea when every single person I mentioned it to, the moment I said "it's like Tinder for dinner," they said "oh my god, I would use that." Every time.
7) Why the name Squeeze?
There were many names tossed around before Squeeze came up - I kept the list to reflect on one day. I love the idea of it tying into the lemon - the fruit that's become the icon for our business. It's short. It's a verb - it feels actionable. And there's actually a bit of psychology to a name: a short word with a hard syllable tends to stick.
And just truly, the metaphor felt so right. As women, we're constantly squeezed. There's always too much on our plates and too little time. And of course - all the cheeky layers. At its core, the whole idea is that you're squeezing your options down to one answer: a dinner decision.
8) What's the most chaotic "what's for dinner" moment that convinced you this needed to exist?
Listen, I have a very busy house, and there were plenty of nights, even as a dietitian and cookbook author, I just got caught with no answer. It felt defeating. Anxiety-provoking. I've got this beautiful family I'm trying to feed, and by the time I dial Skip the Dishes it's going to be cold and take just as long as cooking something would anyway (if I only had the ingredients on hand).
The weeks I didn't meal plan were always hard. Because if you have everything in the house and the decision's already been made? No problem. But if you skip that process, you're caught chasing your own tail at dinnertime. And it's not the cooking that's the problem. It's everything that comes before it.
9) How do you even begin building something like Squeeze?
We have developers, and the first challenge is really just getting it out of my head and onto paper - articulating the idea, which isn't always easy. It's a very iterative process. I actually used AI to help me visualize the basic concepts, so I could take what I was envisioning and turn it into something our developers could actually see. And then it's just a lot of back and forth. Thinking through every single customer interaction - what if they do this, what if they do that.
10) What's one thing people will never see that went into creating Squeeze?
The attention to detail. How incredibly particular we are - and how much those details matter. Because we know that people are trusting us with their mealtimes, and I take that seriously.
11) What's the mantra that's carried you through?
A couple of them, actually. I can't remember a joke to save my life, but I love a good mantra.
If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
And maybe it's not a mantra exactly, but: this is a problem worth solving. I genuinely believe I'm the right person to solve it. I see how much of an impact mealtime has on women specifically, and I'm hell-bent on solving it in a way that feels meaningful, infinitely helpful, and easy. I won't stop until I’ve delivered women the best solution possible. Like the sigh of relief all women deserve.
12) Be honest - are you a planner or a Squeeze kind of gal?
Oh, I'm both. I'm Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to dinner. Some weeks I've got it completely together. Other weeks - or on the weekend - things just look different. I'm human. I didn't get to it. And those were exactly the nights where I thought: there's a piece of the puzzle missing here.
13) If Squeeze had a personality, how would you describe her?
Calm. A little cheeky. Playful. Very helpful. She's got her act together - she's smart, she's sassy, and she's not taking herself too seriously.
14) What does a realistic weeknight dinner look like at your house - no filter?
Not fancy. There are Bounty paper towels for napkins on the table. We're usually sitting down around 5:30, and like most families, getting everyone to the table is a bit of a struggle - I won't lie. But most nights we eat together. Family-style, not pre-plated. We ask each other questions. And there's always Charlie asking for more food or “are you going to finish that” as he stares at my plate - he's just a bottomless pit. [laughs]
15) How do your kids feel about being unofficial taste testers?
They really like it. Charlie has actually gotten to the point where he can spot things now - he's developed a really good palate. He'll say "it needs this" or "its got too much of that." He's very, very good. Max too.
It's taken time - Max is still picky, but he'll outgrow it. Charlie was too, and he did. We always just say: you may not like it now, but you'll like it later. It's good for them to taste lots of different things and keep expanding their palates as they get older.
16) How do you separate Tori the mom from Tori the founder?
I don't. I take a lot of pride in both. The fact that I don't separate them is what makes me better at what I do - because I really get it. I'm always thinking about work, unapologetically so. I love what we do.
17) What's the meal your family requests on repeat?
Tacos. Smash burgers. And salad nachos - they love it. You make a big plate of nachos, load up the meat with extra hidden veggies, and then pile everything high with all the taco toppings. Lettuce, tomato, the works. Very fun, deconstructed. Boys love those things. It’s one of my ‘favourites’ inside Fraîche Table, always a hit.
18) What's a meal you'd swipe right on every single time?
Tacos. [laughs] But also - the Marry Me Chicken. Yes please. I do. So good.
And Date Night Rigatoni. Everyone needs Date Night Rigatoni in their life. So many vegetables in it, so healthy, but so tastes so indulgent. It’s a killer recipe.
19) Swipe left or right: sheet pan dinners?
Right. Every time.
20) One ingredient that makes everything better?
Sea salt. And olive oil - can I have two? A little lemon too. Oh gee, three.
21) The meal that sounds impressive but is secretly so easy?
Stuffed chicken breasts. Something simple like broccoli and cheese or spinach, cream cheese, and sundried tomatoes stuffed inside - it looks so bougie. Completely entertainment-worthy, you can prep it ahead, and it is so incredibly simple. I love that feeling of accomplishment.
22) Lemon: overrated or your whole personality at this point?
At this point it's my whole personality. I'm turning into a lemon. [laughs]
23) What do you hope people feel the first time they use Squeeze?
Relief. Joy. Accomplishment.
24) What does it feel like to watch something you built actually out in the world?
Scary - because you hope people like it. And very exciting. You just have to take it one step at a time, like anything else in life that feels overwhelming. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
25) The piece of advice you'd give your younger entrepreneurial self?
Just do it. Start somewhere. As a young person I was very caught up in perfectionism and fear - but the world keeps spinning whether you do it or you don't. So do it. See what's on the other side of that fear. It's not as scary as it seems, and that, my friends, is where the magic lives.
