A new food company, Render, Sonoma, Calif., launched its inaugural collaboration with James Beard Foundation Award-winning Chefs, Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, owners of the Michelin- starred restaurants State Bird Provisions and The Progress in San Francisco. The first product to hit shelves is the whimsically named State Bird Seed, a crunchy mix of puffed quinoa, seeds, herbs, and spices that can be enjoyed on its own as a snack or crumbled as a topping on everything from oatmeal and yogurt to salads and meat.
State Bird Seed is based on a dish Brioza and Krasinski make at their restaurants. Their restaurant staff find the mix so addictive that they often end up snacking by the handful. Organic, vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO, State Bird Seed is currently available in three flavors: Almond Rosemary, Sea Salt, and Furikake. The 3.5-ounce resealable bags are $4.99 each. State Bird Seed is available in independent natural and specialty foods stores in Los Angeles including Bristol Farms, Erewhon, Jimbo's, and Rainbow Acres, and on Render's online store.
Established in 2017, Render is helmed by the industry's top culinary minds: chief executive officer Dana Peck, chief science officer and Dr. Ali Bouzari, chief innovation officer and former Momofuku R&D chef Dan Felder, as well as SingleThread chef/owner Kyle Connaughton. Their primary goal is to collaborate with award-winning chefs to bottle, wrap, bag, and box brilliant restaurant ideas, moving them from chef to shelf.
Render's next collaboration is with James Beard award- winning authors, chefs and fermentation experts Nick Balla and Cortney Burns of Duna (formerly of Bar Tartine) on a line of beverages expected to launch this spring.
Peck looks forward to bringing a wealth of distinctive new products to the marketplace. "We don't specialize in any one type of food. We specialize in good food, period," she says. "The more complex or off-the-wall, the better. We like putting our creative muscles to work. To maintain the soul of a chef's product but transform it so it can get into a wider audience is incredibly rewarding."
