Get Well With: Suzanne Dumaine

Meet The Founder

What are your daily wellness non-negotiables?

Lots of water, Mason Pearson hairbrush, bone broth (which is honestly so off brand for me but I drink it before anything else in the morning). 

Running your own business, especially a fresh food business, can be a 24/7 job. What are some ways that you make time for yourself? Do you have a favorite ritual or meal time?

I have two little kids at home, so time for myself has, to put it mildly…diminished. But I try to prioritize it! I always feel like I never have time for anything, but the truth is I can always find 20 minutes here or there that I would otherwise be scrolling on my phone, or texting about what I saw when scrolling on my phone. My recent favorite time for me is actually my bus commute to work in the morning (does this count?!)! 30 minutes to look out the window, respond to friend texts, and transition from morning child chaos to office. 

Tell us about your ideal breakfast.

Anything that I get to eat slowly and not standing over my kitchen counter as I run out the door! But it would likely involve Russ & Daughters smoked salmon, a very hot oat milk cappuccino, and a very fancy loaf of bread.

What are some tips you would give someone who is trying to learn their way around a kitchen?

1) Focus on learning core techniques rather than specific recipes. Once you know the foundations of cooking, layering on flavors is the easy and fun part. 2) Add olive oil, sea salt, fresh herbs, and a squeeze of lemon to almost anything and people will think you’re a culinary genius. 

What are the kitchen staples that you would suggest to others?

The truth is you need so few staples to make something great. I always have: high-quality finishing olive oils (not ones you cook with), Villa Manodori balsamic vinegar, Maldon sea salt, fresh herbs, Afeltra pasta, and Parmesan cheese. 

Stocked & The Culinary World

Stocked’s kid-friendly offerings are very similar to the adult offerings. How do you approach recipe development or menu planning for an audience of littles? Any tips for parents who are cooking for their families and don’t want to make an entirely separate meal for the kids?

I’m hyper aware that every child (just like every adult!) has very different eating preferences, and that their parents may have very different goals for feeding them. My hope is that every parent can look at our selection, and feel there’s something for the adventurous eaters, for the picky eaters, and for the in between who might eat a vegetable, but only a hidden one. For the more comforting go-to’s, we make sure it’s a healthful spin. I also have a 3 year old at home who taste tests almost everything on that menu! 

As for parents who don’t want to cook separate meals, it’s a mixed strategy of carefully choosing what to make, and setting expectations with your kids. One thing we like to solve for is that kids may eat something so similar to the adults, but only a tiny portion. For adults cooking, is there some piece of the meal your kid will eat that you can modify a bit instead of making something entirely different? Will they be encouraged to try what you’re having if they cook it with you? I also personally try to limit choices upfront so I don’t turn into a short order cook, but every family is so individual and ultimately, everyone just needs to get fed!

If you could only choose one Stocked menu item to eat every day, which would it be?

Like choosing a favorite child! I already do eat our Supergreen Oat & Banana Mini Muffins every day, but I would gladly eat our GF Eggplant Parm everyday because it’s incredible. OK and maybe the cookies….and the entire For the Littles menu?!

What’s the most gratifying feedback someone can give you about Stocked?

That it made their week better or easier, even in the tiniest way. And the bonus is if the little diners in the house felt the same! “My kids devoured the salmon cakes” is a frequent and much appreciated piece of feedback!

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