There are some business milestones that feel like business milestones.

And then there are the ones that take you right back to another life.

This week, the Palisadian-Post featured me in a story about bringing New Zealand baking to the U.S. The headline, “Former Rustic Canyon Resident Brings New Zealand Baking To U.S.,” made me smile because it really does feel like I'm coming home. Read the Palisadian-Post feature

I lived in Pacific Palisades for years. We had two homes there, one on Latimer Road and another on Sycamore. Thankfully, both were spared in the fires, as was much of Rustic Canyon.

But so much of the Palisades changed. My former community has been through so much.

I have found myself thinking about the neighborhood a lot since the fires, and about all those ordinary little memories that become precious when a place you know so well has been through something so extraordinary.

One of those memories is Gelson's.

It was my go-to grocery store because it was the closest one to us. I can still picture myself shopping there with Lila sitting in the cart seat.

And I remember seeing Jennifer Garner there all the time.

I had no idea then that years later I would be running a food company of my own and thinking about the things we had in common. Jennifer is a co-founder of Once Upon a Farm, a company built around organic, nutritious food for children. Their products focus on simple, high-quality ingredients and better food choices for families.

I love that memory now.

There was something so wonderfully normal about seeing another mom pushing a shopping cart around the same grocery store, completely unaware of where either of us would end up. One famous, and the other a regular shmo.

And now Secret Kiwi Kitchen is going to be there

One of the most exciting parts of coming back to Los Angeles has been getting our products into Gelson's.

I am genuinely grateful to Gelson's for giving Secret Kiwi Kitchen our big break in the U.S.

It is a wonderful market, and the support we've received from the category manager has meant so much to me. Getting a buyer to take a chance on a small New Zealand food company is one thing. Having someone who is genuinely enthusiastic and supportive about helping you grow is something else entirely.

And now, after opening our Southern California warehouse, we're getting ready to bring Secret Kiwi Kitchen into Gelson's stores across Los Angeles.

That still feels a little surreal. I used to push my daughter around that store in a shopping cart. Now my products are going to be on its shelves.

From New Zealand, back to Los Angeles

Secret Kiwi Kitchen began in New Zealand during the pandemic. What started as a small idea became a real business, and over the past few years we've built a brand that is now sold throughout New Zealand.

The next chapter is the United States.

And I couldn't think of a better place to begin than Los Angeles.

Not just because it's a huge food city, or because Southern California is such an important market for us. But because it was home.

There is something very satisfying about taking something you built on the other side of the world and bringing it back to the place where so much of your own story belongs.

The Palisadian-Post story brought all of that together for me.

Read the full Palisadian-Post feature:

Former Rustic Canyon Resident Brings New Zealand Baking To U.S.