Speaker 1: 0:30

Hi, my name is Alexa Hiranandani. I am the owner and chef behind Pure Roots Kitchen and I help busy families eat healthier each week through my meal prep services and wholesome desserts.

Speaker 2: 0:41

That's amazing. Tell me about the journey Like, take me back. How did you get started in all this?

Speaker 1: 0:46

Yeah, so it actually all started when I was around seven years old. My mom had to make me go gluten-free and like, like I had to cut out all processed sugars and dairy for inflammation. So we were trying to balance my body and just really get to the root cause of a lot of the allergies I had. So we had to cut all that out and she actually helped me make all the gluten-free desserts. So I was included and I didn't have to eat the processed stuff. So she really dove into that side of healthy eating and then taught me, like wow, you can really have better for you ingredients and make them taste good. So that's how it started. But having to go gluten-free really sparked that journey for me at such a young age and she wanted me to feel included with everything. So when I would go to school, like having cupcakes made with coconut sugar and maple syrup instead of like processed sugars and everything like that, or instead of dairy cashews and a cheesecake, so things like that.

Speaker 1: 1:44

I was really brought up into the world of healthy eating through that way and it kind of just sparked my passion for it and I started realizing that you could eat things that are healthy and they could taste good too, like they don't just have to be juices and smoothies and salads. So I kind of just started getting really into it myself. And then at the age of 12, that is when I really started wanting to become creative with it myself so I dove into the kitchen and really just started to make some desserts, cook for my family. I was their personal chef. So from 12 to since I graduated high school, I was cooking for them breakfast, lunch, dinner and just have this passion for it, because I just realized that other people need help with it too. So I just kind of really wanted to have a business with it. I always, since I was growing up, wanted to have my own restaurant, have a food truck, so with all the things I would make my family. So, yeah, I was really passionate from it.

Speaker 2: 2:39

From that time on, your family is lucky to have a little chef in the household growing up, but thanks mom for starting that journey right. You've said that food should be both nourishing and delicious. How does that belief guide everything you do at Pure Roots Kitchen?

Speaker 1: 2:57

Yeah, I believe with food it should be pure and whole. A lot of foods from the grocery stores restaurants that we're getting everyone's eating processed food they're eating things that are made with seed oils and gluten and so many refined ingredients that we honestly can't pronounce Artificial flavoring and all that stuff like natural flavors and colors. So I really just like to teach people about healthy eating being just whole, simple ingredients, so things that you could actually find in the grocery store. Like the outer aisles of the grocery stores I tell people to shop in because that's just where it's mainly pure and good for you. So just kind of getting away from the diet culture and making people realize that they could create healthy things with real ingredients.

Speaker 1: 3:43

I use a lot of like grass-fed meats and coconut sugar in my baked goods maple syrup instead of regular sugars. So I really just teach people about that and the importance of it in their lifestyle and incorporating that. So through my meal prep services, I really like to bring that, teach people about that and the importance of it in their lifestyle and incorporating that. So through my meal prep services, I really like to bring that to people's homes and really clean out their kitchens, because we have a lot of brands that are just not good for us and we're feeding our kids that healthy eating, because cereals and all those bars and processed snacks that we're giving our kids that might say high protein are really not what they need to nourish their bodies in the right way. So I really just stand for that with Pure Roots Kitchen and try to teach people and help them become healthier in every aspect of their life. That's beautiful.

Speaker 2: 4:32

How do you keep creativity flowing while maintaining consistency in your recipes?

Speaker 1: 4:39

That's a great question. So I have been making a bunch of different recipes since I was 12 years old, experimenting. So I basically just go off a lot of what the clients request. They send me recipes that they want and I'll kind of get myself into new things that way. But over the last I would say eight years I've been just experimenting in of get myself into new things that way, but over the last I would say eight years I've been just experimenting in the kitchen, trying new things.

Speaker 1: 5:04

So if my family wants something new, I'm like, okay, I'll find a recipe for that and I'll healthify it. I call it just to make it with better ingredients. So yeah, I'm always trying to really just turn in like comfort foods into healthy foods and really just make them meet each other, because a lot of people think that comfort food can't be healthy food as well. But it can be. I make cakes with, like you know, healthy ingredients. So a lot of people are like, wow, like that's healthy. So my chocolate cake, people love it and they can't even tell that it's regular ingredients. So a lot of the creativity just comes from doing it and taking requests from my clients, my family, just making whatever they want, and I'm realizing more and more that you can really turn anything into something healthier if you just swap the ingredients out.

Speaker 2: 5:43

You need a whole like restaurant.

Speaker 1: 5:46

Yes. So that is my main goal. Ever since I was younger, I dreamed of having a restaurant. I would go to these health food restaurants and always look at the menus and say to my mom I really want to do that, I really want to have that.

Speaker 1: 5:58

And I was not your typical 12-year-old Growing up. I was very different because of my journey with healthy eating and because I was so passionate about it. That's really what made me stand out a lot, which I thought was like a weird thing at first, but then I kind of like embraced it and realized like we have so many people that are just the same. They're eating the same way, they're thinking the same, they're just being average kids. So this really like took me out of the crowd and made me different.

Speaker 1: 6:27

But I was so passionate and I had that entrepreneur mindset growing up, always making menus, and I always wanted to have a food truck. So that is where I see Pure Roots Kitchen kind of going from this. Right now it's just the meal prep services and the desserts that I'm doing, but I really want to take it into more than that, spread it all over to different states and be able to help people all over, because that's just what I want to take it into. More than that, spread it all over to different states and be able to help people all over, because that's just what I want to make it into Not just one location, but a bunch of locations, having chefs working everywhere, taking clients and doing desserts in different coffee shops and everything like that. So I really just want to spread it and make it more of a movement where I'm teaching people about healthy eating.

Speaker 2: 7:10

I'm excited for this. Yeah, it's going to be awesome. What do you think sets Pure Roots Kitchen apart from other bakeries or health food businesses?

Speaker 1: 7:18

That's a great question. So Pure Roots Kitchen is not like every other meal prep company, like a lot of people think. There's a lot of meal prep companies that do deliveries and I wanted to go that route. But I just thought that it could be a lot more personalized by going to a client's homes and cooking for them in their kitchen, because you could really just make it personalized to them. I specialize it to their dietary restrictions or preferences, so it's whatever they want.

Speaker 1: 7:44

And other meal prep companies you have to choose off of a set menu. So with this I have my clients just pick off of anything that they want. I have menus for inspiration, but they could also just send me recipes, like I mentioned before, and just really give me anything that they want. I'm like, yes, I will do it If their kids want something healthier. They love Pop-Tarts or whatever. I make it into a gluten-free version. So I have a lot of clients come to me with like restrictions if they're paleo friendly or gluten-free, grain-free, whatever. So that's really what I kind of tailor it toward, Whereas other companies they don't really focus on. They don't really make sure that your needs are, you know, getting met with everything that you're doing, with all your dietary preferences. So, yeah, that's really what makes Pure's Kitchen different and stands out from other companies, and it's not just a health food company, it's really just helping you become better in your lifestyle and your journey toward healthier eating.

Speaker 2: 8:42

Sounds like you're really creative, because that's going to take a lot of creativity to take a Pop-Tart and make it taste good without the gluten.

Speaker 1: 8:50

It is possible. It is possible. I have done it with better ingredients. If you use maple syrup, you can make it taste really good and you won't even be able to tell how do you hope that your business inspires others to embrace healthier, more balanced lifestyles?

Speaker 1: 9:05

Yeah, I want to inspire people to just really become better, become the best version of themselves, because a lot of people are cutting corners with their health. They are not eating the things that they need to eat. All the time they're feeding their kids convenient meals. So with Peer Roots Kitchen, I really want to just help people find that convenience, find the enjoyment in healthy eating, and make it just simple. So I go over and I just make their meals every week. I do the shopping, the planning, the cooking, everything and just help them have that access to it in a way where they don't have to worry about it when they come home from work. They just have it all in the fridge and just have to heat it up for their family.

Speaker 1: 9:43

So I really think that that is what is going to help people become the better version of themselves, because with time, with our busy schedules, it always gets thrown to the side a lot of the time. So meal prepping is a big thing and I want to do that for them in that way through pre-reification and also just the desserts in general parties and everything like that. If someone needs a cake but they have allergies, then what do you do for a kid that really wants to have a birthday cake or something, so I have an option for that as well. And then, aside from that, I just really have a passion for helping people become better in their mindset too, toward healthier living and just their lifestyle in general, aside from foods. Like with your activity, with your mind and everything, your body, your soul, like everything just how to become better and live like with your activity, with your mind and everything, your body, your soul, like everything just how to become better and live in alignment with your purpose.

Speaker 2: 10:31

Yeah, that's beautiful. And then my last question, looking back what advice would you give your seven-year-old self running Alexis Kitchen as she dreamed of this moment? I?

Speaker 1: 10:40

would say keep going and don't let people's opinions of you, like, determine where you're going. Because a lot of people growing up would tell me, like, why are you different? Why don't you just be like everybody else? But you know, I had to really realize that I want to be different because everyone in society is doing the same things and taking a different path than most people and taking a different path than most people. I actually did not go to college.

Speaker 1: 11:07

A lot of people put hate on that decision a little bit because they think that you're not going to be successful if you don't have a degree or you don't take the typical route in life. But I realized that I want to just do my own way, I want to make my own path, I want to be different. So I would just tell her that the path doesn't have to be clear, but as long as you keep the mission, then you will always get there. You always get there. Somehow. You know you might have a bump in the road, you might have a different like windy route to get to the end goal, but if you just keep that purpose aligned with what you're doing every day, then you will get there.

Speaker 1: 11:41

So yeah, and a little backstory with that, but I did not go to college because I want to just learn from real experiences, real life, and I had a lot of people telling me that wasn't the right decision.

Speaker 1: 11:54

But at the end of the day I was like my version of success is different than yours, then it doesn't have to be the same. So I just took it into my own hands and started really learning business and marketing and nutrition and just learning that for myself, because I want to get the hands-on experience from mentors and people that are actually doing it. So those things really helped me with my business and really just got me to the point where I am today with Pure Roots Kitchen, because if you asked me a year ago, I had no idea I would be really doing this. I just kind of went with what felt really good and aligned with where I was called to be, and that's where I ended up with this all. So, yeah, just following your purpose, following your passions and never giving up on it and not letting what other people think of you get in the way of where you're meant to be.

Speaker 2: 12:36

Well, your mission is beautiful and I'm right alongside you with the whole. Like, college doesn't have to be for everybody, especially entrepreneurs. I totally align with that. Is there anything else you would like to add or share before we wrap it up?

Speaker 1: 12:51

Oh, I think that we covered a lot of stuff, yeah, but that was also one thing that does come to mind is not to let fear get in the way of your success, because a lot of people run from fear. They are scared, they do things that are just kind of stopping them from their potential and they run from it. But I heard something the other day like you have to just really chase your fear. I really live by that, because even being here today, just like speaking and doing things that get you out of your comfort zone, you really just have to go for it, because that is what leads to growth most, and especially with being a young entrepreneur and taking a different path.

Speaker 1: 13:29

We often keep ourselves in our comfort zones, but we just have to get out of that, because that is what leads to the growth that we need in any aspect of our life, even with our fitness and our health, with healthy eating.

Speaker 1: 13:42

We just have to get out of our comfort zones. We have to really just take it into our own hands and say, like you know, if this is something I don't feel comfortable doing waking up every morning early, going to the gym, eating healthy or just like becoming better in your mindset and how you think about yourself and your life. You have to just do it anyway. You have to do it and push past that discomfort, because that will really help you and lead you to the version of yourself that you want to be. So, yeah, that's one thing I really had to take as a mindset and just live by that every day and just stay rooted in my belief and who I am and live authentically. So I just encourage other people to do the same thing and I want to inspire others to live different, be themselves and not follow everyone else's path just because it's what everyone does all the time.

Speaker 2: 14:28

What a powerful, strong, beautiful message. Thank you so much for sharing and thank you so much for chasing the fear and being here today with us on the podcast.

Speaker 1: 14:37

Yeah, thank you so much for having me.