Most months here are about one ingredient. This one is about a person. Every so often I meet someone whose relationship with food makes me rethink my own, and when that happens I want to share them with you. This is one of those times.
Sarela Herrada grew up in Peru, in a family where food was how people connected. Knowing where something came from mattered as much as how it tasted. Today she runs SIMPLi with her husband, Matt Cohen, sourcing pantry staples like quinoa, lentils, and beans directly from the farmers who grow them. She spends a lot of her time in those farmers’ fields and at their kitchen tables. She’s also raising three kids under four in Philadelphia. So on any given night, she’s dealing with the same question I am: how do you feed your family something good when there’s no time and everyone is tired?
The first time I met Sarela, I was eight months pregnant and cooking a Simpli dinner at Frank’s House. The room was full of incredible women, and every dish centered on a Simpli product. Sarela was warm and so kind, and she embraced me with a big bear hug as soon as I saw her.
We talked about the traditions she brought with her from Peru and the ones she’s had to let go of, what dinner really looks like on a Tuesday, what she’s stopped feeling guilty about, and the soup she asks her mom for when she’s sick. Her answers were more honest than I expected, and I think a lot of you will see yourselves in them.
This feature was created in partnership with SIMPLi.
You grew up in Peru and now you’re raising your kids in Philadelphia. What food traditions from home have you held onto, and which ones have you had to let go of or reinvent?
Food was such a big part of family life for me growing up in Peru. It wasn’t just what was on the table, it was knowing where ingredients came from, sitting down together, and having food be part of how you connected with people. That’s probably the tradition I’ve held onto most with my own kids: food is meant to be shared, and meals don’t have to be complicated to feel meaningful.
With three kids under four and a company to run, I’m definitely not recreating the meals of my childhood from scratch every night. A lot of our dinners are simplified versions of the foods and flavors I grew up with: a grain, beans or lentils, vegetables and really good olive oil.
We’re not crushing Peruvian peppers from scratch, but we’ll use peppers from a jar or Peruvian salt to bring those flavors into an otherwise really convenient meal. Lentils have also become a huge part of our diet because they cook so quickly, and our kids love them!
What does dinner look like in your house on a Tuesday night? (The real version and the ideal version)
The real version? Controlled chaos. We have three kids under four, Matt and I are both running SIMPLi, so dinner is usually some combination of getting food on the table quickly and hoping everyone actually eats something.
There are also a lot of negotiations with our three-year-old. If she finishes her meal, she gets to watch The Magic School Bus (we’re ’90s kids!) or have a sweet snack afterward, usually Lil Bucks bites. I’m a big believer that eating well on a weeknight shouldn’t require making an elaborate meal. I try to think about the basics, like making sure we’re getting protein and fiber, usually with SIMPLi lentils or quinoa, and then build around whatever else we have. And chicken nuggets definitely come in handy!
The ideal version honestly isn’t that different food-wise. Everyone just sits down at the same time, nobody is rushing anywhere, we get to enjoy the food while it’s still hot, and there’s a little less bargaining.
How did becoming a mother change the way you think about food, both for your family and for SIMPLi?
When I started SIMPLi, a huge part of my “why” was protecting Mother Nature. I’ve always loved the outdoors and wanted to build a company that could help create a better relationship between agriculture and the planet.
Becoming a mom evolved that “why.” Now I’m thinking just as much about what I’m putting in front of my kids and making sure every bite counts. I want the ingredients we bring into our home to be truly nourishing for us as humans and for the planet. Motherhood also made me much more realistic about convenience. I want good food to be easy. You shouldn’t need hours to cook or have to become an expert in agriculture to feel confident about what you’re putting on the table.
And having three kids has made me much more comfortable with imperfection. Some nights, getting everyone fed is the win.
Your kids have grown up around a food company. Do they know where their quinoa comes from? What have they taught you about how people actually eat?
They’re 3, 2 and 1, so I’m not sure they fully understand where their quinoa comes from just yet! But our oldest, Valentina, recently visited a farm and really started to understand the concept of farming. She brought corn back from the fields, and now every time we eat corn she remembers where it came from and is so proud of it.
Whenever Matt and I leave for work and she asks where we’re going, we tell her we’re working to change the food system. Now she repeats it back to us, which is pretty incredible to hear from a three-year-old.
Having young kids has also reinforced how practical food has to be. You can care deeply about where something comes from and how it was grown, but when you’re feeding three little kids, it also has to be simple, taste good and actually get eaten. That’s been a good reminder for me as we build SIMPLi. We can care enormously about regenerative agriculture and sourcing, but ultimately we’re making food for real families and real life.
Running a company and raising a family is a lot. What’s one thing you’ve stopped feeling guilty about, and one thing you’re still working on?
I’ve stopped feeling guilty about not doing everything perfectly. There is no version of my life where I’m giving 100 percent to the company, 100 percent to my kids, 100 percent to my marriage and 100 percent to myself at exactly the same time.
I’ve also gotten much better about accepting help and being honest about the fact that I don’t do any of this alone. We have an au pair, I have an incredible EA, and we’re lucky to have support from family. It really does take a village, and I’ve stopped feeling like I’m supposed to somehow manage everything myself. What I’m still working on is finding time for my own routine and self-care. Running is my meditation, but it’s also a big time commitment, and right now finding even one extra hour in the day can feel impossible. I’m still working on making that time for myself without feeling like it has to come at the expense of something else.
You spend a lot of time with the farmers who grow SIMPLi’s ingredients. Is there a person, meal, or moment from those trips that stayed with you and changed how you cook at home?
There are so many, but what stays with me most is how much food and farming are intertwined with family and community. We’ve visited so many farmers in their homes, and after a day in the fields, we’re often invited in to share a meal.
Sometimes we don’t speak the same language. Sometimes there’s no translator. We may come from completely different places and backgrounds, but somehow we’re still sitting around the same table, laughing and connecting through food. That feeling is really at the heart of SIMPLi’s mission: connecting people around the world through the joy of food.
Those experiences have made me cook more simply at home. When you have an ingredient that someone has spent months growing and caring for, you don’t feel the need to do ten things to it. You appreciate the ingredient itself and the people behind it.
What’s your ultimate comfort meal: the one you make, or want someone to make for you, when you’re depleted? Who taught it to you?
Sopa Criolla, made by my mom. Every Peruvian knows this soup. It’s warm, it’s cozy, it’s home.
It’s a hearty Peruvian beef and noodle soup with a lightly spiced tomato and chili broth, thin noodles and a little evaporated milk.
When I’m really sick, I’ll actually ask my mom to tell Matt how to make it for me. There’s something about it that immediately brings me back home to Peru.
Gina Loves Pizza is built around one ingredient a month. If you had to build a whole month of cooking around a single SIMPLi staple, which one would you pick and why?
Beans, without question. I could probably do much longer than a month. They’re one of those ingredients that exist in almost every food culture but show up completely differently depending on where you are. They’re endlessly versatile, deeply nourishing, and an easy way to work more fiber and plant-based protein into everyday meals.
I’d do crispy chickpeas, black bean bowls, lentil soups, gigante beans with olive oil and herbs, lupini beans for snacking, creamy beans on toast, salads, dips. You could genuinely eat them every day without feeling like you were eating the same thing.
As a mom, I also love an ingredient that is affordable, satisfying and can become dinner without a huge amount of effort. But honestly, my biggest reason is that beans are delicious. They’re humble, incredibly versatile and still underestimated, both for how good they are for us and what they can do for the planet.
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What I’m cooking this week
I’m making a warm farro salad with, of course, Simpli farro. Roasted Brussels, dates soaked in vinegar, and a little brown butter to finish. Want to cook along? Here’s the video, and here’s the recipe:
Warm Farro Salad with Crispy Brussels, Dates, and Sage Brown Butter
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the salad
1 pack Simpli farro
2 cups bone broth (or water)
1 bay leaf
½ pound Brussels sprouts
1 bunch kale
5 dates
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Salt and pepper
For the brown butter
½ stick butter
1 shallot
A small handful of fresh sage leaves
For the dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
Salt and pepper
Optional: pumpkin seeds or any toasted nut for crunch
Directions
Roast the Brussels. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash the Brussels sprouts and cut them into quarters. Toss them on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, and the maple syrup. Roast for about 30 minutes, until golden and slightly crispy.
Cook the farro. While the Brussels roast, rinse the farro and add it to a pot with double the amount of liquid. I use bone broth, but water works too. Add the bay leaf and cook at a gentle simmer until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain any extra liquid and pull out the bay leaf.
Pickle the dates. Pit the dates, cut them in half, flatten them, and slice into thin strips. Cover with apple cider vinegar and let them soak while everything else cooks.
Prep the kale. Wash the kale, strip the leaves from the stems, and chop. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then massage with your hands for a minute until it softens. Set aside.
Make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, champagne vinegar, Dijon, pomegranate molasses, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Brown the butter. Finely chop the shallot. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat until it starts to bubble, then add the shallot and sage. Cook until the butter turns golden and smells nutty. Watch it closely, it happens fast. Pull it off the heat as soon as the color changes.
Put it all together. Add the farro, kale, and roasted Brussels to a big bowl. Drain the dates and add them in, then pour over the dressing. Spoon the brown butter on top and give everything a good toss. Finish with pumpkin seeds or anything crunchy and nutty. It only makes it better. ENJOY
You can find Sarela’s pantry staples at SIMPLi 🙂
Xx,
Gina