In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Caitlin Bricker sits down with Chef V (Vasisht Ramasubramanian), founder of Alchemy of Food—a sauce brand built on the principle that "real ingredients make real magic." After losing his sense of taste and smell from COVID-19 as a professional chef, Chef V took a sabbatical from the restaurant world and rediscovered his palate through clean eating. That devastating experience led to the creation of Alchemy of Food, a line of sauces made with real ingredients, no ultra-processed junk, and no ingredients you can't pronounce.
Chef V shares his journey from attending the Culinary Institute of America (which he calls "the Hogwarts of cooking schools") to opening restaurants around the world for well-known chefs, to winding down his restaurant career after COVID and launching a CPG brand. The conversation explores the moment he realized he couldn't smell cinnamon and cardamom in his rice, how honey from a local beekeeper became the foundation for his first sauces, and why he sold at five farmers markets a week in summer 2025 to validate product-market fit before scaling.
Throughout the episode, Chef V discusses the transition from buying 5 pounds of honey for a restaurant to sourcing 55,000 pounds for CPG production, why he's a trendsetter (not a trend follower) who champions local ingredients like Tennessee honey and Carolina spices over imported truffles, and how his chipotle maple sauce became a crowd favorite with its time-release mechanism (sweet first, smoky second, heat third). He also shares his experience as a Shelfie Awards finalist, getting selected for Sprouts' innovation set, and what it's like to see his products on shelves next to industry giants like Yellowbird and Momofuku.
Whether you're a chef-turned-founder navigating the science of CPG (pH levels, refractor readings, specific density), sourcing local ingredients to build a differentiated product, or building a self-funded brand while navigating the immigrant founder experience, this conversation offers honest lessons on transferring restaurant principles to CPG, staying true to your ingredient philosophy, and finding community in an industry that celebrates diverse flavors.
Listen in as they discuss:
- Chef V's background: Culinary Institute of America, opening restaurants worldwide, and the devastating moment he lost his sense of taste and smell from COVID
- What it's like to fake tasting food as a chef when you can't smell cinnamon or taste cardamom—and the fear it might never come back
- How a local Tennessee beekeeper's surplus crystallized honey became the foundation for Alchemy of Food
- Selling at five farmers markets a week in summer 2025 to validate product-market fit before scaling
- The transition from restaurant to CPG: buying 5 pounds vs. 55,000 pounds of honey, and the science of pH levels, refractor readings, and co-packer partnerships
- Why honey and maple syrup over other sweeteners: being a trendsetter (not a trend follower) with local ingredients like Tennessee honey and Carolina spices
- Chipotle maple sauce's time-release mechanism: sweet first, smoky second, heat third—and becoming a Shelfie Awards finalist
- Getting selected for Sprouts' innovation set and the distributor onboarding process that "brokered world peace and almost found the cure for cancer"
- Favorite pairings: bacon-wrapped dates with chipotle maple, hot honey on pizza and ice cream, salsa verde on everything
- Navigating the immigrant founder experience: celebrating diversity, expanding palates, and why we need more flavors from diverse backgrounds
Episode Links:
Show Links:
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- Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
- Episode music by Super Fantastics
The Startup CPG Podcast