Meet Modern Kitchen, our animal-free cream cheese partner
Together, we can make a better future a reality: something you can see on a shelf, hold in your hands, and taste with a spoon. That’s why, in partnership with global and local brands alike, we’re making delicious, animal-free products without compromise. Our partner, Modern Kitchen, is helping create a future you can spread on a bagel, with delicious, animal-free, sustainable cream cheese. We sat down with August Vega, Chief Growth & Sustainability Officer, to talk about Modern Kitchen’s vision, ethos, chef-inspired flavors and more…
Tell us about Modern Kitchen.
We believe in good food made thoughtfully. We believe in using a modern approach to create traditional foods without compromising on taste. And because dairy is resource-intensive, we’re remaking dairy itself — without cows. It’s so exciting for us to bring the first animal-free dairy cream cheese to market.
What is Modern Kitchen’s ethos?
Enjoy delicious food without worrying about having to give up the taste and texture you love. There really are no downsides to making the switch to animal-free dairy. It is just as delicious and versatile as regular dairy but without lactose, cholesterol, or concerns about methane emissions.
Which of Modern Kitchen’s products is your favorite, and why?
I try not to play favorites, but our Spring Onion and Chive is fantastic. It’s herby, savory and the perfect smear for any bagel. It’s also delicious in so many recipes – adding this to a caramelized onion dip is unbeatable.
What is your proudest milestone?
Bagel fans everywhere will remember how Boichik Bagels broke the internet when The New York Times highlighted them in the now-famous article The Best Bagels Are in California (Sorry, New York) – The New York Times (nytimes.com). Our Modern Kitchen team knew from the get-go that we wanted to form a relationship with Emily and the entire Boichik Bagels team. We can proudly say that Boichik Bagels has all three flavors of Modern Kitchen available as a smear option and the individual containers are available to buy there as well!
What is a flavor you wish you had in your product line?
Well, that’s easy: Plain! In fact, we have some news we’ll be sharing soon about our flavor assortment, stay tuned!
What are some other ways to use Modern Kitchen animal-free cream besides putting it on bagel?
The possibilities are endless. Our go-to sweet treat is a Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart, which is perfect after enjoying some Savory Caramelized Onion Dip.
Who’s a dream chef you’d like to work with?
Claire Saffitz – I’d love to see what sort of animal-free recipes she could dream up featuring our Strawberry animal-free cream cheese.
What’s your ideal breakfast?
Sourdough toast with Harissa Pepper animal-free cream cheese and garden tomatoes, topped with fresh herbs, drizzled with olive oil and with a dash of flakey salt. It’s delicious for any meal though, honestly.
If you could give one of your products to anyone – past or present – to try, who would it be? And why?
Jamie Oliver – he has always been a huge advocate for sustainability in the food space. We’d love for him to try our selection of animal-free, planet-friendly cream cheeses!
And finally, what is your vision of a kinder, greener future?
Modern Kitchen envisions a future where we all gather around the table to enjoy foods we love more sustainably. That future starts now, with one person at a time making a more sustainable choice as they set the table.
We’d love to hear your thoughts!
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