With Sauced: 30 Bitchin’ Bowls, Starr Edwards expands Bitchin’ Sauce beyond the tub and into the heart of the kitchen, transforming a beloved dip into a versatile, story-driven cooking experience. Inspired by community curiosity and her own 30-day recipe challenge, the book blends bold, approachable meals with personal memories, family roots, and entrepreneurial spirit. More than a cookbook, it’s an invitation to gather, experiment, and create meaningful moments — bringing people together through food, flavor, and the vibrant culture behind the brand.
Starr, congratulations on your debut cookbook Sauced: 30 Bitchin’ Bowls. What inspired you to translate the Bitchin’ Sauce brand into a full cookbook experience?
Thank you! One of the most common questions that we encounter with Bitchin’ Sauce is “How do I use it?” Honestly, most tubs once opened are fully snoshed by chips or veggies within a half hour – but we still wanted to support people on their journey to enjoy and include Bitchin’ Sauce in proper meals. Last year, I decided to do a 30 day Bitchin’ Bowl Challenge, a video diary that showcased the versatility of meal prep and cooking with Bitchin’ Sauce, making easy or sometimes extremely complicated recipes even more bitchin’ by saucing them up. The amazing team at Bitchin’ Sauce then translated all my kitchen shenanigans into decipherable recipes with the most beautiful illustrations and bowl photos. The team is truly inspiring!
The book combines bold recipes with your entrepreneurial journey. How did you approach blending storytelling with food in a way that reflects your brand?
The best food always has a story. At our heart, Bitchin’ Sauce is a family company (not Johnson & Johnson, we are purely Bitchin’). We work with family, we work for families – so that families can be free and nourished, and thrive. All of the recipes in this book are steeped in memories that have flavored my entrepreneurial journey, or are the fruit of a continued voyager spirit that we continue to stoke with our growing family. For example, the Macadamia Halibut Bowl – one of our early day roommates (and later Bitchin’ photographer) first introduced me to this concept. I was later exposed to it again during my tenure as a personal chef’s apprentice. I made the recipe my own, made it super Bitchin’, and it carries my journey with it. Other recipes, like the Chicken Adobo Bowl, are more recent additions to my repertoire and are because of a drive to understand more of the family that came before, of heritage. Exploring that with my children, who now are way better cooks than I am, is so fun.
Bitchin’ Sauce has built a strong community-driven identity. How does Sauced continue and expand that connection with your audience?
Just wait! We have some fun things brewing. Seriously.
But also seriously, as a company we have led with our actions and impact in the community. We have truly strived to give and serve at every opportunity, more than that status quo. Beyond the balance sheet. This company is composed of people with extremely generous hearts and I don’t think the general public fully realizes that. This book is meant to be personal. I wanted to prompt an understanding of the individuals that are behind these initiatives and am putting myself out there in order to help shine some light on these incredible folks that make up Bitchin’ Sauce.
You’re hosting a book signing at the Carlsbad Library. What does it mean to you to celebrate this milestone in a local, in-person setting?
Carlsbad has been so good to us. Not just Bitchin’ Sauce, but as a family, Carlsbad was a sort of dream that we worked toward. Both Luke and I had very transient upbringings, but we started dating in Carlsbad (Jimbos and the Farmer’s Market were some of our first dates), we had our wedding in Carlsbad, had babies in Carlsbad, and started and grew our business here. It is a heart-moment to be able to celebrate this next chapter and my first book at the Carlsbad library.
As your brand continues to grow beyond products and into publishing, what’s your bigger vision for how people experience Bitchin’ Sauce moving forward?
I have been humbled by how much Bitchin’ Sauce has been able to bring people together. Food, in general, unifies people. My hope is that this book presents more occasions to do just that – create human moments of joy and trust and community.
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