Friends of Graza: Erica Gendell and Kelly Duerr
The After Noon Foods Founders on their current salad hyper fixations, dream product release, an a pantry full of all the pasta shapes!
Q: How would you describe yourself?
E: A few years ago, I would say free, curious, and introspective. Two kids later, life is requiring a different version of me: steady, flexible, and trusting.
K: Adventurous, open-minded, driven, and community-minded.
Q: Finish this sentence, cooking for me is…
E: A twofer - it’s something I genuinely enjoy AND it’s my favorite way to nourish my family. K: my creative outlet and my love language. I’m someone who gets way too excited about food and cherishes the way it brings people together.
Q: Where did the inspiration for After Noon Foods come from?
E: My mom! We ate as a family every night and she always made huge healthy dinners with homemade dressing. As an adult, I was looking for that same homemade healthy comfort but in an easier format.
K: Erica brought up the idea and it immediately felt like such a natural fit. For the past decade, at basically every dinner party I go to, I’m put on salad duty and people always ask what the secret is to the dressing. We realized how people either felt intimidated to make their own, or just didn’t have the ingredients or time!
Q: What’s your current salad hyper fixation?
E: Arugula + fresh parm + almonds + After Noon Foods’ Our House dressing
K: I’ve been all about the crunch lately. Romaine + celery + chickpeas + feta + dill + avocado + After Noon Foods’ Greek Goddess mixed with lemon juice and EVOO (obv Graza)
Q: Something we can always find in your pantry?
E: Allll the pasta shapes, materials to make chocolate chip cookies (a weekly tradition with my daughter), and of course, boxes of After Noon.
K: Tahini, pistachios, several cans of tinned fish, and an impressive vinegar selection
Q: Where do you find joy outside of work or ways to recharge?
E: I am not sure I knew what joy meant until I had kids. I had experienced freedom, indulgence, growth but true joy to me has come from watching my two year old sing twinkle twinkle. On a less serious note - ice cream, yoga, pickleball.
K: I spent most of my 20s living in the mountains, so I love to snowboard, mountain bike, hike, and really do anything outside. Now that I am a city dweller I have become a (very) amateaur triathlete.
Q: Any words of wisdom, quotes, or mottos you live by?
E: The only thing I know for certain is I know nothing at all.
K: Life’s too short not to try it.
Q: In a dream world, where no bad ideas or bad flavor combos exist, what’s a flavor or product you would release?
E: This is a fun question. The truth is that I have the biggest sweet tooth ever - I loveeee ice cream. A dream product would be like a dessert dressing starter - think chocolatey, tahini-y, salty, cinnamony drizzle.
K: If we could figure out a way to make a REAL (I’m talking anchovies! I’m talking egg yolk!) dried caesar ‘dressing starter’ that people just needed to add oil to.
Q: What’s on the horizon for you?
E: We can’t ruin the surprise too soon BUT we are really excited to launch our next flavor. We partnered with someone who has worked in some of the top kitchens in the world and he brought his culinary firepower to our better-for-you version of a cult classic.
K: ^ What she said. Next up: launching on Amazon and spreading the news about “homemade-ish” far and wide.
