Kirsten Sutaria grew up in a family where food was incredibly important. Her parents owned restaurants and worked in food and wine so, early on, she developed a deep love for all things food-related. After studying Food Science at Cornell University, she began working in product development and innovation for brands such as Ben & Jerry’s and Innocent Drinks in both the US and London. For the past ten years, she has focused on exploring the wonderful world of ice cream – aka the best job ever?!
Last year, Kirsten and her husband moved to Cleveland to start Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots, a plant-based gelato company that is taking the city by storm. I was really curious about what a food scientist who spends her time concocting Banana Cinnamon Date Swirl treats eats on a regular basis. So, I asked her to document her consumption for our “What I Eat In A Day” series! I hope you enjoy – although I don’t take all the responsibility for any gelato cravings that arise while reading!
Once I am up, the first thing I do is to have a large mug of warm water with lemon, sometimes I’ll make it into a tea using an herbal tea like Pukka Elderberry & Echinacea. Most days we work from home, so I cook a lot, which I love. Cooking at home is a great way to make sure you’re getting in the nutrients you want and need.
I try to incorporate a lot of color into my diet with fruit and veg. I usually like a savory breakfast, and most days, we have a variation of the same thing. Today was a sprouted grain English muffin with The Dairy Free Co. “Schmiracle” cashew cheese with avocado and Cleveland Kraut Beet Red. It’s citrus season, and I found some Cara Cara oranges at Trader Joes, which are really tasty! Post breakfast, I always have my coffee, usually with oat or cashew milk and a dash of cinnamon. Cinnamon makes a simple cup of coffee feel a little more special and takes away the need to add sugar.
As a small business owner, I oversee everything from recipe development to operations and production and digital marketing, so I spend the morning doing emails and taking photos of products for social media. I prepped a hemp cookie dough sundae and had a few bites of that. Working from home is great, but it can be easy to spend hours sitting. Keeping active is incredibly important to me, and lately, I have been trying to get a workout in at lunch. I’ve recently discovered F45 classes at CSU, and it is a great way to get out of the house.
Post-workout, lunch was a mix of leftovers. I often try to batch cook a few things during the week to make sure we have easy meals when we’re working. This week I had some extra butternut squash, which I roasted, and I made into a big pot of soup with sautéed onion, potato, vegetable broth, and curry powder. My key to creamy vegan soups is to add a boiled potato or two. I had a bowl of the soup with leftover hummus and pita from Zaytoon Lebanese Kitchen.
We have a few events coming up, so I spent the afternoon at the kitchen making batches of gelato, which meant I had lots of little tastes and snacks. I love doing events because it allows me to experiment with new flavors. I made batches of Cinnamon Vanilla, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Mint Chocolate Chip, and I used some of the Cinnamon Vanilla to make mini ice cream sandwiches with gingersnaps.
I didn’t get done in the kitchen until almost nine and was pretty tired. I lucked out and my husband took care of cooking dinner. He’s starting to cook a little more, and we have a joke that his specialty is roasting cauliflower. He loves the recipe from Yottam Ottolenghi’s book Simple: A Cookbook. He made that along with pasta with artichoke hearts, kale, sun-dried tomato, and Calabrian chili sauce. He’s from London, and before we moved to Cleveland, we lived a short walk from Borough Market, one of the oldest running food markets. One of the stalls there sells a blend of olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, chili, fennel seeds, and oregano. After dinner, I usually have a little sweet bite, but after making and tasting so much gelato, I can’t look at anything sweet!
Living in England got me hooked on tea and, before bed, I like a cup of herbal tea, right now, my go-to is the Pukka Three Fennel tea. I have that and make a to-do list for tomorrow, then get ready for bed!
Thank you, Kirsten!
Check out Wonderlab’s Doozy Pots and treat yourself to a little something-something.
+ Cleveland’s top raw vegan chef takes us through a typical day of eating.
+ My favorite stalls at London’s Borough Market.
+ Barre3 online is a great way to workout from home.
