Join us as we go beyond the label with food brands that we love at Martie. Today we catch up with Chef Kirsten Sandoval, founder of Mesa de Vida! Kirsten has been a private chef for countless athletes and celebrities, focusing on making specific dietary needs taste GREAT! Through that, she's developed a line of sauces to help make cooking delicious and easy! Now you can find Mesa de Vida sauces at Martie, up to 56% off, for a limited time only, at Martie.com!
AND, join us for a LIVE cooking show on Thursday, August 15 at 3pm PDT, where Kirsten will be making a Moroccan inspired pasta & protein skillet! An easy, and delicious meal for any night of the week. Sign up here!
We’ve been hearing about Mesa de Vida everywhere, so we are thrilled to chat with you and learn more!
Martie: What’s the mission behind Mesa de Vida?
Kirsten: Mesa de Vida is a women-owned and women-led brand that brings you elevated, innovative, inclusive, healthy, convenient chef-crafted pantry staples that connect and inspire. I believe that cooking at home can be the most powerful tool that leads to lasting health, but life is SO busy! I couldn't find healthy convenience products on the market in inclusive flavors that fit all of my, or my client’s needs. I knew there was a way we could have it all: convenient blends that work as hard as we do, globally-inspired flavors that invite everyone to the table, quality ingredients that boost flavor AND nutrition, variety, versatility, and above all GREAT taste. So, I went out and created them for her clients, and now we are sharing them with you!
Martie: How did the idea come to life for Mesa de Vida cooking sauces?
Kirsten: During a personal health journey to stop the cycle of heart disease in my family, my passion for cooking was sparked. As a chef, I spent years studying the recipes, techniques, and flavors from the vibrant cuisines around the world where many of my clients came from.
I worked hard to bring my clients the authentic dishes and flavors of their home or heritage in a healthy way. This usually meant prepping tons of ingredients, devoting hours to making a single dish, and spending a small fortune on pure spices and herbs.
My clients didn't want the same dishes over and over again, yet they wanted the familiar flavors they knew and loved. My job was also to pack as much nutrition into them as possible, which wasn't always so easy with picky eaters (many of us caretakers struggle with this, too)!
I began creating blender sauces that combined fruits, vegetables, whole spices and herbs to use as flavor bases that had no added sugar, and were low in sodium.
Each client had their own custom blend, and I could use these versatile recipe starters to bring the flavors they wanted to everything I cooked for them - from soups, stews, one-pan dishes - even meatloaf could benefit from this globally-inspired flavor!
These "fusion" recipes became some of my client's favorite meals, they were getting the nutrition boost they needed, and - this was a bonus - I was getting in and out of my client's kitchens faster with much less prep work and much less clean-up! My clients began asking me to leave some of the sauces behind so they could make some meals themselves, or for visiting family.
After a day of cooking for others, I longed for these healthy cooking sauces and flavor bases my own cupboard.
How amazing it would be to have something quick, healthy, and flavorful on hand to make dinner for myown family! It was exactly what I had been looking for, and I knew I couldn’t be the only one with this need.
And thus, Mesa de Vida was born!
We got our start with my and my kids slinging sauce at local farmer's markets, and I went door-to-door at local retailers delivering sauce for years while I continued working full-time as a professional chef.
Then one day Whole Foods Market called and picked up our sauces. (WooHoo!)
Now we are so excited to help you cook and bring life to your table!
Martie: What’s your favorite Mesa de Vida product and recipe?
Kirsten: This is my go-to recipe, Globally Inspired Protein & Rice Skillet - One Pan Meal. I typically use any ground meat I have on hand (because it’s so quick to thaw and I often don’t have time to think about what I’ll be cooking until just before dinner time), any veggies I have on hand, and any sauce. Our favorites for this are our Caribbean flavor or Latin flavor, but honestly I switch it up all the time. (Mediterranean with seafood is almost like a paella, Creole with sausage and shrimp is like jambalaya, etc.) It’s a great one-pan meal that cooks up in about 30 minutes.
If I’m not making that, I’m making the Quick Pasta Helper Skillet, because I can just simmer up some meat and veggies in the sauce as the pasta cooks, then toss it all together. Another complete meal done in about 15 minutes!
Martie: Let’s talk about glass vs plastic packaging? Why do you exclusively use glass packaging?
Kirsten: As a mom to two children with a rare genetic cancer-causing disease, I’m aware of the health impacts and potential risks of plastics in our foods, especially in acidic and hot-filled products sitting in plastic for periods of time, not to mention the environmental impacts from plastics leaching into our oceans and streams. Over the years workin with geneticists and doctors, whether with the pro-athlete clients I worked with, or my family’s health teams, I’ve repeatedly been advised to avoid plastics as much as possible. So, for those reasons, we commit to using only recyclable glass jars - please reuse and recycle!
Martie: What has been your biggest “aha” moment when building Mesa de Vida?
Kirsten: I thought because I shopped so often - the grocery bills for some clients would be over $1,000 a week - that I knew everything about the CPG business. Ha! I had no idea about the distribution systems ( and cost for that), the regulations, the amount of marketing it takes to get awareness, how buyers select what goes on their shelves, etc.
Martie: How did Mesa de Vida get so well known?
Kirsten: I think we’re still relatively unknown! I did have a great following up in the Seattle area because I started the business there, and I was a private chef for several of the Seattle Seahawks. I also did a lot of volunteer work for the American Heart Association and I represented them, and several other wholesome food brands and food commissions in Washington state in the media. I was also on Food Network! I won my episode of Guy’s Grocery Games, so I can always tell when there’s been a replay because I’ll get a bunch of new followers.
Martie: What’s in the pipeline next for Mesa de Vida?
Kirsten: I have several new flavors of our cooking sauces I’d love to launch soon! Continuing to connect more people to the flavors they grew up with, love, or just want to enjoy at home more often.
Martie: Why is working with Martie important to Mesa de Vida?
Kirsten: I started off as a Martie customer! I love discovering new products on Martie. As a brand, we had a large production run last year when we thought we were getting picked up by a large retailer, which fell through. So we have a lot of inventory we’re holding. Also, we are going through a label change to make it more bright, engaging and capture the “essence” of Mesa der Vida, so we’re trying to work through as much inventory as possible so we can clear space for the new production run. Also, I figure some Martie shoppers may be just like me and love to discover new products and brands on Martie at a lower price to try, then become regular customers!
Shop Mesa de Vida, here!
