Senior Meal Delivery in Chicago's Northwest Suburbs and Lake County
White Oak delivers fresh-cooked, low-sodium meals to older adults across Chicago's northwest suburbs, Lake County and the North Shore. You can order for a parent by phone on 847-754-0708, set a standing weekly order, and have meals left in a cooler if they are not at the door. Plans start at $74.99 a week.
Speak to someone: 847-754-0708
Or email orders@whiteoakgourmet.com. If you would rather talk it through than fill in a form, that is what the number is for.
Ordering for a parent who lives here when you don't
Most people who call us about this are not calling for themselves. They are calling because a parent in Arlington Heights or Barrington has stopped cooking properly, and they are two states away and worried about it.
Here is how that usually works. You call and tell us roughly what they like and what they cannot eat. We put together a week and you pay for it. The meals arrive on the same day each week and go in the fridge, labelled, with heating instructions on every container. Your parent does not have to order anything, remember anything, or use an app. If something is not working — too much food, wrong dishes, a week away — you call and we change it.
Two things make the difference for families in this situation. The first is that the food is real cooking rather than a tray from a freezer, which matters when someone has been eating badly and has stopped enjoying eating at all. The second is that a person answers the phone. When you are managing this from a distance, being able to say "she's in hospital until Thursday, skip this week" to someone who will actually do it is worth more than a better app.
Meals built for less salt
Sodium
Our Anti-Inflammatory Low Sodium plan runs 1,200 to 1,500 mg of sodium across a full day of meals — at or below the American Heart Association's ideal daily limit, and well under the 2,300 mg on a nutrition label. If a doctor has told your parent to cut their salt, this is the plan. Our comfort-food plan sits higher, at 1,500 to 2,000 mg a day, and is a better fit for someone with no sodium restriction who simply wants familiar food.
How the meals reheat
Every container is labelled with instructions. Most meals come in black microwave-safe containers: transfer to a plate, two to four minutes on high, rest three minutes, then three more on medium. A few dishes come in foil trays for the oven — 375°F for ten to fifteen minutes, with a splash of broth or water, and never in the microwave. Meals keep three to five days in the fridge and carry best-by dates.
If your parent finds small print difficult, ask us to include a large-print heating card with the first delivery.
What happens if they don't come to the door
Leave a cooler out and we pack the meals into it with chill bricks, so nothing sits warm waiting to be found. Tell us where it will be when you order — a side porch, inside a screen door, behind a planter.
Deliveries arrive late afternoon or early evening, so if there is a carer, a neighbour or a family member who is usually around at that time, it is worth telling us that too.
How this compares to Meals on Wheels
People ask, and the honest answer is that we do different jobs.
Meals on Wheels is a subsidised programme for older adults who need help — it is means- and needs-assessed, often free or on a donation basis, and in many areas the volunteer who delivers is also doing a welfare check. If your parent qualifies and needs that, it is a genuinely good service and you should call them. We would rather tell you that than sell you something you do not need.
We are a paid service, for families who want a particular kind of food. Our meals are cooked to order twice a week from organic and locally sourced ingredients, low in sodium, and chosen by you rather than assigned. There is no eligibility assessment and no waiting list. Plenty of families use both — a subsidised weekday programme, and a few of our dinners for the weekend.
| White Oak | Meals on Wheels | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Anyone who wants the food | Older adults assessed as needing support |
| Cost | From $74.99 a week | Free or donation-based, depending on the programme |
| Eligibility | None | Assessed; waiting lists in some areas |
| How the food is made | Cooked to order twice weekly in our kitchen | Varies by local programme |
| Who chooses the meals | You do | Menu is set by the programme |
| Welfare check | No — we deliver food | Often yes, in person |
Setting up a standing weekly order
Subscribe to any plan and it repeats automatically each week at 10% off, against the same cut-offs as everything else: Monday 10am for the Monday delivery, Thursday 10am for the Friday one. Pause it, skip a week, change the plan or stop entirely from the account or by phone. There is no notice period and no cancellation fee.
If you are setting this up for someone else, use your own email and card on the account so the reminders and receipts come to you, and put their address as the delivery address.
What it costs
| Plan | Days per week | One-time | Weekly subscription | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Day Plant Based | 3 | $74.99 | $67.49 | Lowest sodium, lightest appetite |
| 3-Day Fish & Lean Chicken | 3 | $89.99 | $80.99 | Most popular starting point |
| 4-Day Fish & Lean Chicken | 4 | $129.99 | $116.99 | Most of the week covered |
| Individual entrées | — | $10–$15 | — | Topping up, or trying it first |
Every plan covers breakfast, lunch and dinner for the days you choose. Delivery is free on orders over $50.
Where we deliver
Chicago's northwest suburbs, the North Shore and Lake County, with collection in Long Grove, Lake Zurich and Chicago's Rogers Park. See our delivery days and pickup options, or call and ask.
Questions families ask
Can I order for my mother if I don't live in Illinois?
Yes. Order by phone or online, pay with your own card, and have the meals delivered to her address. Set it to repeat weekly, and change or pause it whenever you need to.
Can she order by phone instead of online?
Yes — call 847-754-0708 and we will put an order together with you.
What if she doesn't answer the door?
Leave a cooler out and we pack the meals into it with chill bricks. Tell us where it will be when you order.
Are the meals low in sodium?
Our Anti-Inflammatory Low Sodium plan runs 1,200 to 1,500 mg across a full day — at or below the American Heart Association's ideal limit. Our comfort-food plan runs 1,500 to 2,000 mg.
How long do the meals keep, and how does she heat them?
Three to five days in the fridge, with a best-by date on every container. Most reheat in two to four minutes in the microwave; a few go in a 375°F oven for ten to fifteen minutes. We can include a large-print heating card.
Can we pause while she's away or in hospital?
Yes, any week, by phone or from the account. No notice period and no cancellation fee.
Can you accommodate a diet her doctor has prescribed?
Send us the targets — sodium, potassium, protein — and we will tell you honestly whether our plans meet them. We would rather say no than guess.
Call 847-754-0708 and we'll put a first week together with you. Or start an order online if you'd rather.
Our meals support a balanced, lower-sodium way of eating. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, and they are not a substitute for a diet prescribed by a doctor or registered dietitian.