Want a fresh take on eating clean? We chatted with Sun Basket’s Executive Chef and Co-Founder Justine Kelly to get the dish on where to start. Check out the interview for Kelly’s recipe inspo, thoughts on sustainable farming, the future of Sun Basket, and more. Healthy living is a piece of cake.
Credit: Sun Basket
Rue La La: How did you get your start as a chef? What drew you to cooking?
Justine Kelly: I started the old-school way, working my way up through the ranks in restaurants in San Francisco. I did not go to school for it – I worked under my favorite chefs and learned from them. I wanted to cook since kindergarten. My father was the cook in my house growing up, and he was always very creative. Cooking together was our way of bonding.
RLL: Sun Basket is so unique among other meal kits. How did it get started? Did you see a need for something and decide to address it?
JK: Sun Basket was born out of a desire – from me and my co-founders – to create a healthy but still delicious answer to the meal-kit space, one that really works for many [dietary needs], meets people where they are, and gives them more choice.
RLL: What do you think sets Sun Basket apart from other meal prep–delivery kits?
JK: We are truly focused on healthy, clean eating – what we call, “your kind of healthy.” We are building a fully personalized healthy-eating platform, moving well beyond just the meal-kit offering.
Credit: Sun Basket
RLL: Your recipes are so diverse! Where do you get your inspiration?
JK: I have always been drawn to food from around the globe. I love immersing myself in cultures through food. I read a lot, eat a lot, and cook a lot at home for friends and family. I also rely on my small team of dedicated, talented chefs to collaborate and bring our shared experiences to all of our recipes. It takes a village.
RLL: What do you find challenging about your role as executive chef? What do you love the most?
JK: I think running a team is always a challenge (that I fully embrace!). Balancing all the “asks” from different teams and still staying completely true to our vision [is a challenge]. I think the thing I love most, other than the joy of getting to do what I truly love for a living, is working with such a diverse group of extremely talented people. When you run restaurants, the diversity of talent is a bit more limited. At Sun Basket I get to work closely with all the teams – marketing, finance, operations, photography, content, nutrition, software engineering, and more. Everyone here is truly galvanized around our mission. It’s powerfully inspirational.
Credit: Sun Basket
RLL: Responsible farming and fishing, as well as eating organic produce, is more important than ever. Why is it important to you and to Sun Basket?
JK: We are a growing part of where people source their meals. I have always felt, as one of the people lucky enough to help feed others, that it is important to also take care of the people who are doing the hard work to grow and support sustainable practices on land and sea. It is important for both our bodies and our planet.
RLL: Who is another chef you admire?
JK: That is a hard question to answer, but Diana Kennedy came to mind first. I love chefs who dive into cultures. She has been a long-time inspiration for me. Her attention to detail and respect for the traditions in the food she is writing about – you feel cultures come to life through the recipes and stories in the pages of her books.
RLL: When you’re not cooking – or thinking about cooking – what else fills your days?
JK: I am a single mom to a beautiful 12-year-old girl. I really focus most of my time on her – volunteering in her school, fundraising, sitting on the board of her lacrosse league, working as her team manager. It is my top priority to raise a happy, open-minded, present, responsible young person. I also have a very high-energy Australian shepherd who gets me out on the trails around the bay and keeps me active.
Credit: Sun Basket
RLL: What would you say to someone who wants to eat more clean and organic food but doesn’t know where to start? It’s easy to get overwhelmed with choices these days.
JK: Other than ordering from Sun Basket of course! Cookbooks are a great way to get started. There are so many ingredient-driven, vegetable-forward books out there. I like ones that are organized by season. There are also so many farmers markets out there today. Take the time to know where the markets are near you, shop and connect with farmers, and get to know and understand where your food comes from. Cook as much as you can at home, with people you love!
Credit: Sun Basket
RLL: Great chefs have great people supporting them. Tell us about your support team inside and outside of Sun Basket.
JK: I like to think I have the best team in the company, but I am definitely very biased. We could not do what we do today without them. Many of the people on my team come from the restaurant world, the hardest working people around. We are all very collaborative and supportive of each other, and we have a lot of fun in the process. My right hand and dear friend, Alan Li, executive chef of R&D and former chef de cuisine at Michelin-starred Aziza, is my biggest cheerleader and runs the team like no other. Adam Zbar, my fellow co-founder and our CEO, is also a huge support – sometimes challenging, but always has my back. Outside of Sun Basket is of course my small, tight-knit, loving group of friends and my family who have been here from the beginning of Sun Basket and who help to keep me happy and sane.
RLL: What are you looking forward to in 2019? What should Sun Basket customers be excited for?
JK: I am looking forward to taking Sun Basket to the next level, expanding to new meal plans and really starting to build out a truly personalized experience for our customers. I can’t give much away on what there is to be excited about, but this is a big year for us and our customers. As a company, we are all in on this being the “year of the product.” We always have been, but this year we are laser-focused on quality and expansion of what we offer, from food to total customer experience. Big things to come!
By Emma Lifvergren, Staff Writer
