TheTahiniGoddess on Entrepreneurship, Mom Life & Feeling GOOD!
I’m so excited to bring you this month’s special guest, Sally Schimko, formerly of MySexyVeggies and now officially TheTahiniGoddess! A rebrand I’m sooo into! I’m sure you’ve heard of Sally before, but if you haven’t, she’s a mom on a MISSION to make veggies look and taste sexy. Sally is also a female founder of TheTahiniGoddess where you can get Mediterranean products such as deliciously sexy Tahini, Bagels, Halva and so much more! Sally also recently launched her apparel line and shares delicious recipes!
Without further ado, let’s dive into this interview where you will learn what inspired Sally to found her company, how she continues to both feel and look good and so much more!
Entrepreneurship, #MomLife and Feeling Good with @TheTahiniGoddess!
Alysia: Hi! First of all, I’m so excited to have you on the blog! You’re an absolute kitchen QUEEN and you make healthy living SEXY. Can you tell everyone a bit about you and your background?
Sally: You make me blush, thank you! I was born and raised in Israel. I moved to Miami Beach 10 years ago when I was 25. I traveled and lived in many other countries in Europe & the US before I married the love of my life, Adi. You will rarely see my husband on IG because he is not a camera kind of guy, haha! We’re a perfect match and we have two delicious kids; Ethan is 9 and Arielle is 7. They are my whole world; they give me purpose & always make me smile!
Alysia: I know there is a story behind every business name. Can you tell us about the inspiration and meaning behind your original brand ‘MySexyVeggies’, now TheTahiniGoddess?
Sally: My company came along 9 years ago when I became a mom to a very picky eater. I had to step up my game and learn to cook, but most importantly I had to learn to make food that looked sexy and delicious! The one thing I knew for sure was that we all eat with our eyes first (especially picky eaters like my Ethan.) I’ve always had a love for veggies and saw them in a different way, sexy lol! I love eating veggies so much and that slowly became my mission. Mom on a mission, making your kitchen look simple, easy, and delicious! Creating recipes and ideas surrounding real food that don’t only look sexy, but make you feel SEXY too!
Alysia: Something that I love about your brand is that you know everything is the absolute best quality and from the source. Did you decide to first start making these products because you felt it was missing in the market?
Sally: Thank you so much! I was always on a mission to find tahini since I moved to the US. Especially a tahini that tastes good. I wasn’t even aware of the process behind it until I decided to make my own. I wanted to make it as pure & clean as possible with all the amazing benefits of the sesame seeds. Our tahini is made the old fashion way, millstone grounded. It starts with sourcing the best whole sesame seeds from the origin. I made sure we removed all of the sesame peels for easier digestion, better texture and most important I made sure that we roasted the sesame seeds on a very low temperature to keep all the nutritional benefits!
Alysia: As a female entrepreneur, can you share what has been the biggest challenge for you in your business, as well as the most positive aspect?
Sally: I think the hardest part was the very beginning, creating a new balance between being a full time mom, wife & working around the clock! it was so overwhelming. In the beginning, my biggest fear was that I hoped the US crowd would like my Mediterranean taste & products. Mediterranean food has a lot of flavor. Before I started, so many of my followers had never heard of tahini or halva. I was so excited to bring them something new and different, but it was scary too! The most positive is by far the love & support I’ve received from the community. Every time I see one of my recipes in someone’s kitchen and see them earn to eat & enjoy their veggies it makes me so happy, it is a dream come true!
Alysia: It’s no secret that your bod is sexy, and you have 2 kids!! Tell us a bit about your approach to nutrition, as I know you say that abs are made in the kitchen!
Sally: Thank you so much, the first time I struggled with my weight was during the Israeli army at 18 years old. Food in big quantities never sounded appealing to me! I couldn’t eat any of the food they served so I would only eat bread & super processed packaged snacks.
Long story short, once I realized that wasn’t make me feel good, I had to find ways to bring healthy options with me and go back to eating the fresh real food my body was always used too. It wasn’t easy but I did it!
On the kids front, it’s funny to say I struggled more during breastfeeding than the actual pregnancy! Breastfeeding was so hard on my body and I was starving no matter what I ate. Growing up Mediterranean, food is one of the biggest pleasures in life.
I think eating real, fresh food mainly is the key to it all! I think we should eat what makes us FEEL good verses what make us “LOOK GOOD” I am a true believer if you feel good you’ll look good.
Alysia: Amen to that! Speaking of the kitchen, you always share the most delicious, yet simple, recipes using your products. Can you share a few of your favorites?
Sally: I am a sweets lover! So definitely the no bake vegan tahini brownies! I also love my homemade lazy hummus & my sexy burekas. All of my recipes can be found on my website here!
Wrapping Up!
That was AMAZING, I hope that you loved learning about Sally’s story just as much as I did. I always love supporting other women, especially who are dedicated to making other women feel amazing! Catch up with Sally below:
Hope you enjoyed loves! And a big thank you to Sally for sharing all of this info with us! If you liked this interview, check out this one with my girl Sloane from @SloaneElizabeth, all about Food Freedom!
xoxo
Alysia (Purely) Pope
