She's Empowered Spotlight: Emma of Stellar Eats
Tell us a little about you!
My name is Emma and I’m the co-founder of Stellar Eats, as well as the recipe developer & content creator behind Kula’s Kitchen! I grew up in Toronto, Canada but made a long-awaited move to sunny Los Angeles last year. I work primarily on the marketing & product sides at Stellar Eats and I love being able to bring our story, brand & products to life through creative execution and storytelling.
What was the inspiration for Stellar Eats? Tell us about your professional journey.
Stellar Eats was started by myself and my two co-founders, Stella and Michelle. I’ve known Stella since high school and I actually joined their team back in 2019 when they were running a local meal delivery service together in Toronto (Stella is a holistic nutritionist and Michelle, her cousin, was a new mom looking for healthy meals). We were experimenting with healthy cooking and gluten free baking and spending a lot of time feeling frustrated with both the quality & taste of gluten free products on the market (spoiler: it was bleak) and the way that health & wellness brands were marketed to us. Stella and I both struggled with eating disorders in our teens and felt like there was so much negative and restrictive language surrounding food that impacted us. We decided to pivot the business in 2020 and launch a line of baking mixes made entirely with 8 or less real food ingredients like almond flour, coconut/date sugars and coconut flour. Our mission was not only to create products that actually taste great and contain the highest quality ingredients, but also to be a health food brand that speaks to consumers in a positive way and changes the narrative around healthy eating to make it enjoyable and empowering.
How do you stay motivated?
Building a business has a lot of tough moments, but knowing that I get to work with incredible women to build something that is making people’s lives easier and bringing them joy and nourishment is really what keeps me going. When we get messages from customers saying how much they love our products, how our mixes have helped to feed their families or how they resonate with our story and our mission, that is enough motivation to keep going.
Do you have any advice for someone who is interested in starting a business/blog?
Don’t feel like you need to “know everything” or have a perfect plan before you start. Be open to learning and pivoting a LOT along the way, and know that starting is the hardest part. Also, keep your main goal at the forefront and don’t lose sight of it through all the ups and downs.
What are your favorite ways to #spreadgood in your community?
Food is such a big part of my life and my favorite way to spread joy, so cooking or baking for people is my love language - whether it’s baking our treats to bring to community events/bake sales, cooking for those in need or making food for friends, family and loved ones.
Who is one person who inspires you and why?
Honestly, I’m always inspired by the many female founders who have managed to build incredible businesses from the ground up and create products that help people - there are so many (which we love to see!)
How do you work to stay centered and practice self-care in your busy day-to-day reality?
It can be easy to stay glued to your desk all day so no matter what, I always try to go for a long walk or hike after work to decompress and reflect on my day. Getting outside really helps me to clear my mind and recharge. I also try to remind myself that I only have so many hours in a day and I can use them to get what I need to get done, while also making time for myself to exercise, relax and take breaks when necessary.
What do you like to do for fun, when you aren't working?
I love being in the kitchen, cooking and developing new recipes! I’ve also recently taken up running which has been really fun and motivating. Other activities include hiking, going to the farmer’s market, trying new restaurants and exploring my city, dinners with friends and watching a really great movie. I also have music or a podcast on at all waking hours of the day :)
What are some of your favorite recipes with Ground Up?
Ooooh, so many! I love making a healthy treat or dessert with nut butter - adding a nut butter swirl to our Fudge Brownies, using cashew butter to make my homemade Twix caramel bars or spreading Cinnamon Snickerdoodle on our Carrot Cake. I’m also a huge fan of a savory nut butter sauce - I make noodles with veggies, chicken or tofu and a spicy peanut or almond butter sauce on a weekly basis.
