Our Mission

The science is immense and clear: eating family-style around a table causes the release of oxytocin, the “love hormone,”, at levels similar to those released when a mother is breast feeding.  Benefits include improved physical and mental health for parents and children, deeper connection for families and friends, increased collaboration, less stress, anxiety and depression, better appetite management, better grades and mental health for children/teenagers, less risk of family separation, more equality, and many, many more.  Does this sound like some sort of miracle cure all?  It should because science is clear that it is, especially in today’s disconnected, intensely busy world.  Don’t take it from us.  Stanford Children’s Hospital (among many others) puts eating family meals together as its top recommendation for physically and mentally healthy children and families.

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But, as you probably guessed, the benefits of eating together aren’t always present just because we chew our food in the same room.  The benefits come from the human connection that exists when we collaborate and connect around our food. In fact, sharing food is one of the most important parts of human evolution. Studies show that eating family-style, where we sit at the table, cut into the casserole or turkey, and pass food is far better at helping develop bonds.  It’s a ritual that loosens us up and connects us to the people around us.  We’ve always loved the sound of someone saying “can you pass the x.”  We’re filled with warmth just thinking about it.

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Yet, so much of the commercialization of family meals led us away from the benefits of eating together.  Since WWII, food has come to focus on convenience for families with two working parents, which provides sustenance but robs us of the real benefits of cooking and eating together, or solutions designed for the parents who have enough time and energy to plan, shop for and prepare elaborate meals in the pursuit of perfection.  There is a better way that achieves the higher calling of family meal time.  In short, our food has not yet adapted to two competing realities facing many of today’s families: (1) both parents work, often intense and all consuming jobs (and the responsibility for cooking still rests massively on mom’s shoulders); and (2) we all still want and desperately need time around the table to connect over great food.

 

Our mission isn’t to help people set the perfect table and impress (read “intimidate”) others with set, setting and food.  It’s also not to create the most convenient solution.  Even if we can make heat-and-eat options, we’ll always include a component that requires you to participate as a cook because that part is important to the benefits we want you to have.  Our mission leads us to help you create food that will facilitate the many benefits of cooking and eating together, cause the release of oxytocin and lubricate conversation and connection, but in a way that is achievable in today’s busy world.  Our true mission is to help you live a better life, with as much love and connection as possible.  It’s our calling.

 

We didn’t know any of the science when we set out to test Wolfella.  We just knew that a good dinner at home with family and/or friends boosted us.  There would always be moments of reflection and appreciation for the people at the table and a feeling of love and warmth that couldn’t be recreated any other way.  We want to spread that feeling far and wide by bringing families back to the dinner table in ways that work in today’s busy world.

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