Our Food Values

We hate the term “food philosophy” (it sounds so stuffy!) but we do have some strong opinions and habits about buying, cooking and enjoying food.

We never make allowances on great taste in order to generate a better-looking nutritional label or marketing story
We choose ingredients that delight taste buds and nourish bodies
We personally eat and enjoy every one of our recipes. If we don’t love something, we don’t expect you to!

We shop for and cook fresh ingredients several times a week in order to deliver the freshest possible finished products
We prioritize freshness. We will choose a locally grown, recently picked, in-season vegetable over a certified organic version shipped from around the world
We don’t shy away from extra work to maximize freshness. Most of our recipes contain recipes within the recipe: we pickle our own vegan kimchee, fire-roast fresh poblano chiles over open flame and simmer our own shiitake mushroom broth with freshly grated ginger
We are unapologetic about the fact that our products should be eaten in a matter of days, not weeks or months
We accept and celebrate the fact that fresh ingredients don't always taste the exact same way. Case in point: most poblano chiles are mild, but once in awhile you get a zinger!
We don’t resort to any scientific shenanigans or ingredient wizardry to fight the fact that good food goes bad

We use simple, recognizable ingredients that can be found in well-stocked home kitchens and pantries
We favor the least processed, most nutrient-dense and best-tasting version of every ingredient (this is how we landed on our specially milled brown rice over traditional white or brown rice)
Of course we avoid transfats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. (They’re not delicious, anyway)

Common sense trumps labels. We are intentional about seeking out but don’t blindly choose Organic, Non-GMO and local ingredients:

Rice: we buy rice grown and milled in Northern California by a fourth-generation family farm known for sustainable farming practices
Animal products: we only buy certified organic chicken and eggs
Produce: we only buy organic “Dirty Dozen” thin-skinned produce (potatoes, berries, stone fruit, grapes/raisins) and non-GMO, sustainably-grown corn, edamame and soy sauce
All other ingredient selections are based on availability, quality and affordability. (If it says “Organic” on our back label, it’s 100% always organic. If an ingredient is not listed as organic, it means we sometimes use organic and sometimes use conventional depending on the availability, quality and affordability.)
We prioritize freshness and will choose fresh/locally grown food over certified organic/non-GMO versions shipped from far away