Graza

Q: How do you describe yourself?

T: Hi! I’m an entrepreneur, a mother, an Upstate NY native, and soon-to-be published author (that’s exciting to type!)

Q: Finish this sentence, cooking for me is….

T: The foundation of wellbeing. 

Q: How do you describe wellness and balance? What does ‘wellness’ mean to you?

T: It’s time to stop equating wellness with restriction, which is really just another side of our consumption culture. As a founder in the wellness industry, I of course love all of the powders and potions. To me, those things are like skincare — these little delights that create a ritual out of the mundane moments in life.

I also think of wellness more holistically beyond the products I’m using — it’s the little things that connect us to our humanity. Go for a walk and see the morning light. Catch up with a neighbor. Grow something out of the ground. Snuggle a baby. Say “I love you.” Those things are wellness, too. If you’re thinking about wellness as things that add joyful nourishment to your life, you don’t really have to worry about balance because you can’t get enough of those things. 

Q: What’s your hyper-fixation recipe at the moment?

T: I’ve gotten my whole family obsessed with this Greek yogurt from a local producer called Argyle Cheese Farmer. It’s so creamy and mild that it tastes like dessert. I top it with good olive oil, a drizzle of raw honey, and a pinch of flaky salt. It’s the un-recipe that makes my mornings, because it takes no time but it feels so lovely and intentional. You can do it with any Greek-style yogurt!

Q: Any tips or tricks to achieve the perfect 'golde' latte?

T: If we're talking matcha, I think the biggest thing that trips people up with matcha is making it with boiling hot water. That level of heat can actually "burn" the matcha and product a bitter tea. Lukewarm water, please! For our other lattes, I really recommend using a frother like Golde's Superwhisk. I had never used one before we launched ours, but now that we have it I truly can't live without it. 

Q: How has moving upstate changed your grocery shopping habits or approach to cooking at home?

T: The funny thing is, you actually get the best access to produce in the city. When I lived in Brooklyn, my husband Issey and I would dedicate our Saturday mornings to loading up at the Union Square or Fort Greene Greenmarkets every week. A lot of the great upstate farms bring their goods to the markets down there. The benefit of being up here, though, is that we can more easily grow our own food and trade from our neighbors gardens too. I think that my thesis around home cooking has really just continued to clarify over the years, especially now with a family. I don’t shop at big box supermarkets and prioritize seeking out my food from independent growers and producers whenever I can. These are the small, meaningful decisions we can all make as consumers to create the food economy we want to see in this world.

Q: Tell us about your proudest moment or 'pinch me' moment since founding Golde.

T: Honestly, every time a stranger tells me that they love our products, it's the best feeling in the world. We also just had our national television debut on Good Morning America. Being in front of the cameras at ABC studios was a dream come true — definitely a "pinch me" moment. 

Q: Do you have any words of wisdom, mottos, or quotes you live by?

T: So the writer Michael Pollan has a great quote in one of his earlier books, Second Nature. It's about gardening, but also it's really about life. I think about it often. 

"The gardener learns nothing when his carrots thrive, unless the success is hard won against the background of prior disappointment. Outright success is dumb, disaster frequently eloquent."

Q: Is there a recipe or culinary tradition you are particularly excited to share with your daughters?

T: We've been bringing a lot of Japanese traditions into our home cooking, from my husband's heritage. It's really special to see Ruby, our eldest, building her own connections to her roots through food. 

Q: What's on the horizon for you?

T: I'm writing a book...! This has been years in the making, and I'm so proud to finally make the announcement. My debut cookbook is a collection of mine and Issey's home recipes, infused with approachable tips on how everyday cooking can inspire us to live a softer, slower life. It's hitting bookshelves everywhere in Spring of 2026.