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Okay now that we got all that fun stuff out of the way, hello! Thank you for stopping by to check out our humble little website and blog posts. This area of the website will primarily be run by me- Courtney. I thought I would kick this off by explaining a little bit about Mane Stay Market and how Alyssa and I came to formalize our little hobbies and curiosities with Memphis and the world.
It started with food, obviously. Well, food and science, which is very on brand for the two of us as I hope you will all come to know and love! We're certified foodies, it's true. I in particular love cooking, watching food related shows and Youtube channels, reading cookbooks, and generally experimenting in the kitchen. I've been known to impulse buy bags of tapioca maltodextrin and xanthan gum, frequent international markets, and have an over-abundance of jars in the fridge as "projects." It started out mostly out of my own curiosity. A girl can only watch so much NCIS after school in 2010 without wondering what else was on TV.
I was introduced to a world of Unwrapped, Chopped, and my ultimate favorite, Good Eats. I loved not just the foods that were made, but the explanations as to why flavors worked the way that they do. It became a fascination, and before long I was using my parent's kitchen and doing more whole ingredient cooking.
Moving into college and eventually my own home just further expanded my options. Not only did I have my own space to cook, but I had my own money for things too. New sharp knives, food processors, immersion blenders, and fresh ingredients from local farmer's markets quickly became necessities. I developed my own taste for things, including finding out I did actually like vegetables! Who knew if you roasted them instead of steaming them to mush they would taste so different!
With my skills expanding and curiosity ever-present, it was a no brainer that when Alyssa and I got together that I quickly started integrating the knowledge I had into our daily lives. All of a sudden I had a very good reason to stretch my brain back to those days watching Good Eats and research chemical compounds in foods that were inflammatory and should be avoided, which were anti-inflammatory, what had high levels of a certain type of antioxidant, what was naturally rich in specific B vitamins, and so on and so forth. Our goal is to go not focus on whether or not something is "clean" or not, but instead to provide options that included certain beneficial vitamins and minerals or excluded certain compounds that may flare up certain ailments.
We found out two things very quickly. One, It is a SLIPPERY SLOPE in just trying to be more mindful about what goes in your body, and getting sucked down into "skinnytok" and other harmful spaces on the internet. Two, there weren't a lot of options out there for food that wasn't necessarily clean, just candid. We aren't trying to make health food. There are plenty of other amazing people out there already doing that, and we have some pretty stellar skills and knowledge to handle that ourselves. But we don't exactly want to give up our habits. We still love our fun drinks of iced coffees, lemonades, and sodas, we just wanted some without potentially inflammatory preservatives or tons of extra sugar that can mess with a blood sugar spike. So why not give it a shot ourselves?
We're snackers, lovers of sweet treats, and always have two or more drinks on hand at all times. We aren't trying to give that up. This isn't your mom's single almond diet. We aren't trying to reinvent rice cakes or anything like that. We just want to make food that tastes good to where you know everything that's inside it and can plan accordingly. We didn't think that was too much to ask, so here we are! And we're so excited to share our creations with a city that actively shaped us both and that boasts so many amazing people that are doing other incredible projects. We're set out with them in mind and hope to make this as communal, inclusive, and cooperative as possible. So raise a glass Memphis, or a coffee mug or whatever else you like to drink out of! Mane Stay Market is rolling out, and we can't wait to take you along this journey with us. Be sure to subscribe to our email list to stay up to date on the latest information on new products releases, collaborations, events, newsletters, and more!