Despite my insatiable love for gastronomy, growing up as a professional figure skater meant keeping an eye on my diet. Down to the gram, maximizing protein intake while limiting carbs was necessary, if not non-negotiable, for keeping my body nice and afloat on ice. 

Coming home after late-night practices, I’d rush past whenever I caught sight of my mother picking on her “Beondegi.” Literally silkworm pupae, the tepid soy sauce they were drenched in did little to ameliorate their appeal. 

Yet, when curiosity finally me past the “ick” factor, I was stunned.  Because who knew that beneath that odd-looking exterior was a medley of pharmacological promises—anticancer, antioxidant, and remarkably immunomodulatory?

In that moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of a potential solution to more than just a single headline-making crisis: the growing population, dwindling food security, and global warming.  With high resource efficiency requiring minimal land and water, significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and a dense amino acid profile ideal for myself and fellow athletes, insect protein seemed like the single, unifying solution to all these pressing global challenges. 

And with that, my exploration into insects began, culminating in my own brand, and created out of something I simply needed: protein to keep my performance near peak and my choices smartly sustainable.