The team behind The Moxie Food Co. is bringing the fun back to family dinner.
At the end of a long day, cooking dinner for yourself or your family is sometimes the last thing you want to think about. When you open the fridge, raw chicken breasts and vegetables stare back at you—and when you’re not feeling particularly creative, takeout starts to sound like a good option.
Orange County entrepreneurs Stacey Hawkins and Sarah LaVallee know how you feel. That’s why last year, the pair launched The Moxie Food Co., a line of proprietary spice blends that aims to make cooking easier, quicker, and more joyful.
Hawkins has been a chef for two decades. This is her second career (her first was in business management), sparked by a few classes she took at the Culinary Institute of America. “I wanted to learn how to cook better and faster, take care of my family, and potentially lose some weight. I learned that herbs and spices are the key to all of that.” Since then, she has built a following by developing healthy recipes and seasonings and sharing her kitchen know-how with other home cooks through her website and YouTube videos.
Hawkins wanted to take this to the next level, and through a mutual friend, was introduced to LaVallee, a self-described food enthusiast who has a history of championing up-and-coming brands (she’s currently the COO of Base Beauty Creative Agency, a marketing firm). Per LaVallee, “I know how to grow a brand online, and I wanted to do it for myself.”
The two found their perfect match in each other. “Between our love of food and our shared connection as busy women who know what it means to try and get a dinner on the table every night, we felt so connected and empowered to take this idea and bring it to everyone,” says Hawkins.
When developing The Moxie Food Co., the duo had a goal: they wanted their spice blends to be an easy addition to meal prep in flavors that everyone would enjoy. While LaVallee analyzed industry trends and sales data, Hawkins drew on her own experience in the kitchen, considering what she loves to eat and cook herself. This led to the creation of eight flagship spice blends: Cajun, garlic and chive, hickory-smoked sea salt, Mediterranean, smoky maple BBQ, taco, tangy sriracha sea salt, and flavor bomb (garlic, onion, pepper, parsley, and sea salt).
The seasonings come in eye-catching, colorful jars with whimsical tag lines. “Our packaging was really intentional. We wanted to have an energetic design to get people as excited as they can be about cooking,” says Hawkins. “And what’s inside is just as cool as the jar itself,” LaVallee adds.
While the blends can be easily added to whatever ingredients you have on hand, you can also look to the back of each bottle for inspiration. A QR code will take you to Moxie’s website, which is packed with dozens of quick recipes developed by Hawkins to spice up your regular dinner rotation.
Related: Recipe: Bean, Beet, Orange & Goat Cheese Salad With Chipotle Aioli Dressing
