Women in Food: 10 Questions with Maddy Hasulak from Love Grown Foods (Cereal from Beans!)

Beans. For. Breakfast. Take every concept you have about cereal and throw it out the window. Since 2016 is the international year of pulses (that includes beans), this interview is a perfect fit! Today's women in food interview is with Maddy Hasulak, the founder and 'chief love officer' of Love Grown Foods.  I first met Maddy at Expo East, a trade show in Baltimore, in 2015 and fell in LOVE with their power-O's cereal (especially chocolate. My favorite late night snack is chocolate power-o's and vanilla almond milk). I've loved seeing the product pop up in retailers, including Target and Wegmans, and I loved it even more when my friend Heather suggested Maddy for a Women in Food Interview. And while this is, obviously, a women in food interview, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Alex, Maddy's business parter and life partner (they married in 2015). As someone who is also in business with their significant other, I love seeing businesses, as Maddy puts it on their website, "inspired by love and powered by nutrition". Oh, and let's just put another cherry on top of their accomplishments, please wish them a huge congratulations for making the Forbes 30 under 30 list for food and beverages! 

Maddy Hasulak: Love Grown Foods : Twitter: Facebook: Instagram

1. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS.

I am the founder and Chief Love Officer of Love Grown. We are revolutionizing natural foods starting with breakfast with our delicious and innovative products. Our cereals are made out of beans, instead of wheat and corn, and our hot cereals aren’t just oatmeal but super grains that can also be made into a protein-packed muffin or pancake by just adding an egg. Our mission is to empower, inspire, and love. We are empowering kids and families to make healthier decisions through our education program and teaching kids about importance of eating healthy. We inspire through innovation and ensuring that every ingredient has a purpose. And it all comes down to Love: the most important ingredient.

2. IF YOU COULD DEFINE YOUR FOOD PHILOSOPHY IN ONE SENTENCE IT WOULD BE….

Be able to read and pronounce every ingredient.

3. WHAT ARE YOUR 3 MUST HAVE FOODS IN YOUR KITCHEN?

Fresh fruits and veggies. Eggs. Love Gown.

4. IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY. WHAT ARE YOU EATING?

Sushi.

5. SIGNATURE COCKTAIL?

Sauvignon blanc or sake.

6. FOOD YOU CAN’T LIKE NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY?

This is a tough one…I really am a total foodie. I guess greasy fast food?!

7. WHAT ARE YOUR GO TO RESOURCES FOR ALL THINGS FOOD (WEBSITES/MAGAZINES/GROCERIES ETC)?

I love Cooking Light and Nutrition Action—my mom is a huge inspiration behind my passion for nutrition and love for cooking and she has been subscribing to these publications my entire life. I also always love the recipes in Sunset Magazine. Some of my favorite foodie instagrammers are: @food52 @edibleash @cottercrunch @rachlmansfield. I turn to Pinterest to find good recipes. My go-to grocery store is King Soopers, but I also love shopping at Natural Grocers…they carry amazing, unique, healthy, cool products.

8. FOOD FAD YOU WISH WOULD DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH?

Vegetarian meat alternatives. Often these packaged foods have so many weird ingredients added to them to make them taste like meat, that I believe our bodies aren’t able to process them properly. There are such amazing vegetarian sources of protein and mimicking meat seems a bit counterintuitive to me.

9. MUST HAVE KITCHEN TOOL:

Mini spatula…I use it all the time to get every last drop! I also am in love with my electric tea kettle to heat water.

10. WHAT’S THE ONE THING YOU LEARNED THIS YEAR THAT CHANGED THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT FOOD?

The food revolution is happening. As Kraft and General Mills remove the artificial colors and flavors from their products, it is a sign of the times that consumers want real food with clean, simple, ingredients and it is up to small companies like Love Grown to continue to push the big companies to make this change.