You might not taste a difference.
That’s the goal of Aaron Bullock and Ian Martin, founders of Misha’s Kind Foods, who believe their vegan cheese, made from cashew and almond milk and blended with various locally sourced fresh herbs, veggies and spices, tastes like the real thing.
If you’re a believer of reviews, they seem to have captured the perfect formula. And it’s all a far cry from where the two started.
Bullock previously worked on the business side of the music industry before he became a naturopath obsessed with leading a more healthy lifestyle. Martin, on the other hand, was a bass player who later became a trained chef in vegan foods. He spent six years perfecting his vegan cheese recipe.
The two tasted each batch until Bullock couldn’t tell the difference between that and the real thing. Misha’s officially launched in 2015 and was originally sold at farmers markets in Los Angeles (now they’re sold online). And, like so many stories in LaLa Land go, they became such a market staple that they attracted celebrity interest. They are now backed by Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners Fund and Chris Paul.
Their cheeses work, they say, because they have no vegetable oils, soy, fillers, starches or nutritional yeasts. Everything is lactose-free, gluten-free, paleo, keto, kosher pareve and 100% vegan. They also utilize the traditional artisan cheese-making method with vegan cultures. Flavors range from simple ricotta to an extra flavorful smoked Cheddar or Sari (sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic, cilantro). In total, they have eight different dairy-free creamy cheese products.
Being budget-friendly is a key part of their winning formula and they abide by the mission “kind to your body, kind to the planet and kind to your wallet.”
Furthering the aim to make healthy foods accessible to everyone, they also have a charitable organization called Misha’s Kindness Inc, where, under their Feed our Family umbrella, they give families in need of groceries a supply of farm-to-table, health-conscious products each week. Their goal is to feed 1,000,000 people by 2030.
AUTHOR
Hannah Sarraf is an NYC-based freelance food writer and avid cook. She has published articles for Spoon University while attending Baruch College. Check out her website: heartyhannahfeed.com for more food and restaurant content.
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