Creating Social Value Blog / Food

Transcontinental Babson Food Constellation

“What you put in your body is everything.”  Words that resonated from LA-based food entrepreneur Kiki Heinzer to rising Babson junior Diamond Amie over a call at Food Sol HQ last week.

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The call followed a transcontinental Babson food constellation coming clearly into focus:

Diamond has been working with Food Sol this summer as she shapes and strategizes her career goals in nutrition counseling and sustainable food education. Babson professor Candy Brush e-introduced us to Kiki as her daughter Emily works at Klean— a premium meal-delivery service for weight loss, weight management in nutrition.

Kiki shared her food journey.  “I’m a first-generation Mexican American. Growing up, everything revolved around food. Tacos, burritos, chips and Texas BBQ were staples in my household – and my entire family was overweight.  My dad used to tell these jokes, which started with him squeezing his cheeks together and saying  Hi, my name is Chubby.  My mama’s chubby, my daddy’s chubby and even my dog is chubby.

“Looking back, these jokes were not funny at all. As a Latina, I was predisposed to health statistics that are staggering. Latinos in the U.S. are disproportionately predisposed to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and Type-2 diabetes…

“At the age of 10, the family pediatrician told me:  Kiki, you are fat… actually, you are clinically obese.  I hadn’t realized it because no one talked about it.  Naturally, I was traumatized…. But by 12, I had lost 30 pounds through a healthy diet and exercise and I never looked back.”

Diamond literally sparkled listening to Kiki’s story.  (In addition to mindsets, they share Texan roots.) She peppered Kiki with great questions about how Klean sources its ingredients and educates customers and future customers.  Above all, Diamond wanted to know how Kiki had settled on Klean as her path to impact in food.

“Never in a million years did I think I’d end up starting a meal-delivery business,” Kiki reflected.  “But all along the way, I kept returning to:  What are my passions? and What are my intentions? If I have any advice to give, from a little further down the road, it’s this: Think about what you love very, very often.”

My and Diamond’s fingers are crossed that we – and Babson – gets the chance to meet this extraordinary food entrepreneur in person on Babson Food Day.