Where does your passion for food come from?
My mom is of Mexican descent. She cooks real Mexican food!
Tell us about your culinary journey.
I did not set out to start a food business. My passion for healthy food grew from my education as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP). While I have always loved real food, it was learning about the connection between food and health that really got me fired up. When I started making Cashew Crème I had many clients who suffered ill effects from eating dairy, plus, my own son is very allergic to dairy. At that time, we couldn’t find any tasty AND delicious AND healthy cheese alternatives. I had always loved cooking and I was already fermenting veggies and tea, so I wondered if I could ferment creamy cashews. A quick search on the internet told me that it was indeed possible. The rest is history!
Where is your favorite place to eat?
My mom’s kitchen table 🙂
Where do you source your ingredients?
Cashews can only be grown in tropical areas, so I source mine from Viet Nam. However, some of my other ingredients, such as jalapenos, basil, and honey and oftentimes, garlic, are sourced very locally.
What will our fans find at your booth this fall?
All flavors of CHELO: Cilantro Lime, Garlic Herb, Tomato Basil, Kalamata Olive, Cranberry Orange Honey, Blueberry Honey, and Classic. Any of these flavors will serve you well at your holiday family table or festive party. You can place them out with crackers and crudités; spread on a wrap, add a little turkey and greens and slice thin for a small bite; use as a sauce for shrimp, chicken or tofu; or add to a store-bought dip to jazz it up. Oh, and nothing is better on a leftover turkey sandwich that CHELO Cranberry Orange Honey – instead of mayo!
