You may already be familiar with our friends at ‘2 Guys with Knives’ and not even know it! Their delivery vans can be seen all over the city providing gluten free “Healthy Nutrition On-The-Go!” Their mouth- watering menu changes every single week to ensure your taste buds are always tantalized. Each menu item is a balance of lean protein, low glycemic carbohydrates and tasty veggie combinations that are entirely gluten free, customizable to suit a variety of dietary parameters and allergies and designed around the highest of fitness nutrition guidelines.
Founders, Patrick Carr - Athlete Extraordinaire & Sergio Pereira – Master Chef, saw a need in the market for gluten free nutrition which was affordable, convenient and adaptable to suit each person’s unique dietary needs. With this vision, ‘2 Guys with Knives’ was born!
So who are these guys?
Sergio Pereira embarked on his adventure to Canada 12 years ago, a fresh graduate from the culinary institute of Brazil with passion in his blood and only a few words of English in his back pocket. His original intention was to stay for 6 months to study English but fate would change that as he quickly grew from dishwasher, to chef, to sponsored Canadian citizen at a local Vancouver restaurant. Since his achievement of Canadian citizenship he has grown from a leader within corporate culinary to a master of nutritional decadence, pairing his fantastic knowledge of world cuisine with Patrick’s healthful twists of fitness nutrition.
Patrick Carr is an athlete with a passion for travel. As a competitor, sport has taken Patrick adventure chasing through Europe, Australia and the Canadian Rockies. It was on one of these trips that Patrick’s health took an unexpected turn, landing him in Vancouver to recover and rebuild his immune and digestive systems. Vancouver quickly became his home and inspiration. He certified with CANFIT-PRO as a personal training specialist, metabolic nutritionist, and obstacle course race guru where he built a strong repore within the local industry. Patrick’s functional approach towards movement and body awareness balances sound nutritional components with Sergio’s flavourful twists to meet the needs of all levels of activity.
When Patrick and Sergio met, their complimentary skill sets organically intertwined. As requests amongst Patrick’s clients and Sergio’s colleagues for meal planning grew, it was only a matter of time before they found themselves at the beginning of what ‘2 Guys with Knives’ is today.
In the early days everything operated through social media, fulfilling orders via Facebook, text and email. Exposure snowballed and the demand required a professional website and a much larger space to cook!
As they battled the restrictive usage availability of shared commercial kitchens in Richmond and Surrey they began their search for a space that was all their own. In July of 2016 they found it, an open warehouse in south Vancouver full of potential. They sold their Yaletown home and poured everything they had into building their beautiful 3500 square foot commercial production kitchen and office which is now home to their booming business.
Looking back on their journey, they admit, it was certainly not easy. For the first two years they both worked full-time jobs while getting the business up and running. Finding a kitchen for their growing needs, staffing with the right personalities and developing the logistics for their operation to run efficiently were all challenges that they had to overcome.
One of their most exciting moments is when they received news from their TD Small Business Manager that they had been put forward and won a nationwide competition to be a part of the ‘TD Big Dreams Campaign.’ They were featured on multiple radio stations, interviewed for TD small business magazine and highlighted throughout a social media campaign. This success equalled a 40% rise in their business in only 6 weeks. They could not have been more pleased!
Today they are full of smiles with a passionate team of more than 25 employees, 4 delivery trucks and service operating throughout the entire lower mainland. They have cultivated not only fantastic consumer direct service but have also collaborated with numerous crossfit facilities, gyms and local retailers. Being a part of their community is something they care deeply about with appreciation and support being at the core of their motto. Partnering with local athletes and organizations such as CCA, Positive Living and others continues to inspire them to do more.
The guys want everyone to love what they do and have translated that by creating a workplace environment that supports work life balance for all of their employees. They encourage education with strong onboarding training and empower their team to pursue their passions.
What’s next for the 2 Guys with Knives?
The future is full of opportunity! They plan to grow into a full lifestyle brand, offering an interactive online platform providing not only their delicious meal service but also extend on Patrick’s background in film and athletics with on demand fitness videos, tutorials and cooking classes. Expansion to other major
Canadian cities is also on their radar.
For more information on ‘2 Guys with Knives’ and to make your gluten-free life much easier and healthy too, head to www.2guyswithknives.com
Founders, Patrick Carr - Athlete Extraordinaire & Sergio Pereira – Master Chef, saw a need in the market for gluten free nutrition which was affordable, convenient and adaptable to suit each person’s unique dietary needs. With this vision, ‘2 Guys with Knives’ was born!
So who are these guys?
Sergio Pereira embarked on his adventure to Canada 12 years ago, a fresh graduate from the culinary institute of Brazil with passion in his blood and only a few words of English in his back pocket. His original intention was to stay for 6 months to study English but fate would change that as he quickly grew from dishwasher, to chef, to sponsored Canadian citizen at a local Vancouver restaurant. Since his achievement of Canadian citizenship he has grown from a leader within corporate culinary to a master of nutritional decadence, pairing his fantastic knowledge of world cuisine with Patrick’s healthful twists of fitness nutrition.
Patrick Carr is an athlete with a passion for travel. As a competitor, sport has taken Patrick adventure chasing through Europe, Australia and the Canadian Rockies. It was on one of these trips that Patrick’s health took an unexpected turn, landing him in Vancouver to recover and rebuild his immune and digestive systems. Vancouver quickly became his home and inspiration. He certified with CANFIT-PRO as a personal training specialist, metabolic nutritionist, and obstacle course race guru where he built a strong repore within the local industry. Patrick’s functional approach towards movement and body awareness balances sound nutritional components with Sergio’s flavourful twists to meet the needs of all levels of activity.
When Patrick and Sergio met, their complimentary skill sets organically intertwined. As requests amongst Patrick’s clients and Sergio’s colleagues for meal planning grew, it was only a matter of time before they found themselves at the beginning of what ‘2 Guys with Knives’ is today.
In the early days everything operated through social media, fulfilling orders via Facebook, text and email. Exposure snowballed and the demand required a professional website and a much larger space to cook!
As they battled the restrictive usage availability of shared commercial kitchens in Richmond and Surrey they began their search for a space that was all their own. In July of 2016 they found it, an open warehouse in south Vancouver full of potential. They sold their Yaletown home and poured everything they had into building their beautiful 3500 square foot commercial production kitchen and office which is now home to their booming business.
Looking back on their journey, they admit, it was certainly not easy. For the first two years they both worked full-time jobs while getting the business up and running. Finding a kitchen for their growing needs, staffing with the right personalities and developing the logistics for their operation to run efficiently were all challenges that they had to overcome.
One of their most exciting moments is when they received news from their TD Small Business Manager that they had been put forward and won a nationwide competition to be a part of the ‘TD Big Dreams Campaign.’ They were featured on multiple radio stations, interviewed for TD small business magazine and highlighted throughout a social media campaign. This success equalled a 40% rise in their business in only 6 weeks. They could not have been more pleased!
Today they are full of smiles with a passionate team of more than 25 employees, 4 delivery trucks and service operating throughout the entire lower mainland. They have cultivated not only fantastic consumer direct service but have also collaborated with numerous crossfit facilities, gyms and local retailers. Being a part of their community is something they care deeply about with appreciation and support being at the core of their motto. Partnering with local athletes and organizations such as CCA, Positive Living and others continues to inspire them to do more.
The guys want everyone to love what they do and have translated that by creating a workplace environment that supports work life balance for all of their employees. They encourage education with strong onboarding training and empower their team to pursue their passions.
What’s next for the 2 Guys with Knives?
The future is full of opportunity! They plan to grow into a full lifestyle brand, offering an interactive online platform providing not only their delicious meal service but also extend on Patrick’s background in film and athletics with on demand fitness videos, tutorials and cooking classes. Expansion to other major
Canadian cities is also on their radar.
For more information on ‘2 Guys with Knives’ and to make your gluten-free life much easier and healthy too, head to www.2guyswithknives.com
