auntieBlog

In this age of Wal-Mart, strip malls and Big Macs, there’s real value in knowing the story behind the products you buy and who makes them.  How was the product idea born?  How it was it made?  Authenticity is more important than ever, especially when it comes to our food

A couple of years ago I was in Kitzbuhel, Austria for a corporate training seminar.  Three weeks in the Austrian alps!  How could anyone possibly concentrate on corporate finance and accounting classes?  My work buddies and I hiked the lush landscape, wandered on cobbled roads and ate more variations of cheese preparations than we thought existed (the nightlife wasn’t too shabby either).

One afternoon some colleagues and I took a field trip to Salzburg (of “Sound of Music” fame), and stumbled upon a local farmer’s market in the town square.  There were several farmers, all selling their own special variations on one product:  pumpkin seed oil.  You can only find this variant of this oil in this region of Austria, nowhere else is it such a specialty.

The best part of this experience was listening to the farmers (through a translator) tell us how their family has produced this oil in small batches for generations.  Each farmer’s bottle had a different flavor, a different story.  Instead of touristy knick-knacks that usually find their way into my suitcase, I packed a bottle of Salzburg’s finest to take home.

Back to my daily routine in the States. When I put a dash of pumpkinseed oil on my salad, the first bite always takes my mind to that sunny day, the Salzburg square, those farmers.

This is the taste of authentic.

Let’s talk about aunties, shall we?  In the past few months as our start-up idea has taken shape, we’ve talked our buddies’ ears off about “auntiePower” – only to observe blank, questioning stares.  “Aunties?  Wait, you’re starting a company for your mom’s sisters?”

True, mom has a big family, but its not THAT big.  So let’s clear up the confusion.

In our South Asian family, an “auntie” is any woman in my parents’ generation who would take care of me like her own child.  Friend’s moms are your aunties.  The woman working at the grocery store is an auntie.  That nice woman you met in the park?  Yep, she’s an auntie, too.  Aunties (and “uncles”) are everywhere.

You gotta love this system.  Okay, for one, you never have to remember lots of names (“Hi uncle, so good to see you again!”).  But more importantly, you’re automatically treated like a member of the family (“Come and stay for dinner… don’t be silly, of course we don’t mind”).  And no matter where you go, you have the support of your community.

At auntieChef, we want to instill that sense of community and belonging into the food you eat.  For us, the idea of an “auntie” isn’t about ethnicity, gender or age – it’s about neighbors treating neighbors like family.

You know that feeling you have after a long day at work?  You’re tired, cranky and VERY hungry.  You need food, and you’ve got a choice about what’s for dinner tonight.  You could try cooking up a storm, but that would take an hour at least.  Or you could just stop at the first fast food joint on the way home because you’re too exhausted to even turn on the stove.  Which will it be?

In the midst of the daily corporate grind, we tried our hardest to cook something simple and remotely nutritious (let’s be honest, its not hard to sauté some spinach).  However, we’re not going to lie, there were those nights when dinner was a Hot Pocket.  Maybe paired with a nice glass of Merlot? (But really though, you can’t class up a Hot Pocket).

We all know that greasy fast food is high on the yuck factor when it comes to being healthy (if you haven’t watched the movie “Supersize Me” yet, take some time to watch it – we promise you won’t look at an innocent chicken nugget the same way ever again). Putting countless preservatives (TBHQ? Dimethylpolysiloxane?) in your body just can’t be a good thing.  And of course, not everyone can break the bank every night to get fancy restaurant delivery.

It’s a tough dilemma, because nowadays life moves so blindingly fast.  Eating well sometimes gets shoved aside when there are looming deadlines to meet, late-night presentations to prepare, and soccer practices to get to.  We end up eating just to quell our hunger rather than nourish our bodies– not because we want to, but because there’s no good alternative.

Wouldn’t it be great to have food that’s affordable, convenient AND healthy?