The Growth Recipe
Section Editor: Anna El-Eini
Checking in with founders as they scale
Building a food business is a dream that many of us share. Maybe we started by giving away our spiced fig jam or sesame brittle to family and friends, and now we find ourselves sketching the arty label or clever packaging we’d use to sell them, but we’re not sure what to do next. Here in the DMV, the path to food entrepreneurship is more accessible than ever. Programs like Union Kitchen and Frontier Kitchen offer tools, space, and support for turning treasured recipes into shelf-ready realities. It’s a model that opens the door to diverse talent, fresh thinking, and bold new flavors.
At Edible DC, we celebrate the makers who are living the dream by building their businesses from the ground up, and leading the way for others like them to bring their products to market. We spent time with a few of these entrepreneurs—chefs, makers, pioneers—who are shaping what’s next in our local food scene. We hope that their journeys inspire you to consider your own food adventure!
A Fresh Pour
By Kelechi Anyaugo
A Sisterhood Brewed Boldly, Sans Booze
When you sit down with Lexx and Livv Mills, it quickly becomes clear that Stursi, their just-launched line of delicious, non-alcoholic botanical beverages, is something rare in the fast-moving beverage world—a patiently crafted product that’s redefining the way we drink. Stursi hits the market this summer after an odyssey traced through personal health shifts, professional reinvention, and the steady rhythm of sisterhood. Developed and produced in Maryland, Stursi is the Mills sisters’ contribution to a cultural moment that feels both urgent and overdue: the rise of nonalcoholic beverages.
In 2023, Livv, Stursi’s creative lead—a graphic designer and certified specialist in spirits—began noticing a shift in her relationship with alcohol. Years spent designing high-end cocktails left her fluent in flavor but less at home in her body. A short break from drinking brought clarity: She felt better, stronger. Realizing that she “didn’t want to stop celebrating, just wanted to feel good after drinking,” she tapped into her creative side to harness the power of that realization. The idea for Stursi beverages—a playful rearranging of “sisters”—began to take shape. Meanwhile Lexx applied her MBA from University of Michigan and passion for working with Livv to setting up the systems that would turn the idea into a sustainable company.
Stursi has already won awards for innovation for its trio of distinct, botanically complex canned blends. Each of their three offerings have refreshingly layered flavors that can accompany a variety of foods on a dry evening, or can easily transform vodka, tequila, or dark rum into impressive cocktails. Revvl, the original blend, layers berries and ginger for a tart, spicy profile. Reign opens with bright citrus and ends on a subtle fennel note. And Debauchery, true to its name, carries a warming, chili-cardamom heat.
But Stursi is not simply about what’s in the can. The design—hand-illustrated by Livv—features a woman poised in quiet power. There’s symbolism here, but also intention: a call to gather and celebrate, in your own way. “We’re not here to replace alcohol,” Lexx says, “we’re offering something different. Something with its own place at the table.”
Stursi is available for both wholesale purchase and direct-to-consumer through a presale campaign offered on their website. Early partnerships are in place with hospitality groups across the mid-Atlantic, and the sisters are exploring regional collaborations with makers who share their values: quality, community, and celebration.
Sticky Business
By James Whitman
A Plant Based Path to Success
For 25 years, Chef Doron Petersan, known affectionately as “Sticky,” has been quietly reimagining comfort food. Long before “plant based” became part of the everyday culinary lexicon, she was baking cinnamon buns that made vegans and omnivores alike line up outside her bakery, Sticky Fingers. Her early mission was clear: show people that decadent, crave-worthy baked goods didn’t have to rely on animal products. It was never about what was missing—it was always about what was possible.
Now, with the launch of Baked by Sticky, Petersan is scaling that vision beyond her beloved Washington, DC, bakeries into homes nationwide. The new line of packaged cookies, brownies, and baking mixes ships across the US, and is already finding its way onto retail shelves. Although all are still 100% vegan, you’d never know it unless someone told you. “We’re just here to prove that a cookie made without butter, eggs, or dairy can still be the best cookie on the shelf,” Petersan says. “Whether you’re vegan or have food allergies, or just want something delicious—you don’t have to compromise.”
Many entrepreneurs wondering whether to go big, can look at how Petersan’s vision has evolved from a small storefront to a growing consumer-packaged goods brand, complete with a new manufacturing facility. Petersan has mapped out her next move with striking clarity: having her products in three sections of the grocery store—fresh bakery, center-store cookies, and functional foods—offering indulgence, utility, and nutrition, all in one unified brand. It’s a pivotal moment in her entrepreneurial journey. In taking Baked by Sticky national, she’s had to master the worlds of corporate grocery sales, investor relations, and managing a professional sales team. It’s a far cry from making sticky buns at a Columbia Heights bakery, and it’s a challenge she welcomes. “It’s energizing,” she says. “I’ve spent years perfecting the product—now I’m learning how to scale it. This is a whole new craft, and I’m excited to master it.”
Petersan acknowledges that mission and product alone aren’t enough, and it hasn’t been a linear path to get to where Baked by Sticky is today. There were retail expansions and contractions, and plenty of difficult decisions made along the way. But through it all, she has stayed grounded in her values—environmental responsibility, animal welfare, and a belief that everyone deserves access to better food. And just like the smiling face on the packaging, she still can’t wait to sit down to take her first bite out of a Sticky cookie or brownie.
Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats,
314 Carroll St NW, Washington, DC 20012
bakedbysticky.com
Taking the Next Bite
Getting Energy from Healthy Snacks
By Anna El-Eini
Daniel Berg was a high school athlete who headed to the gym most mornings before school, and regularly played basketball with his parents and brothers. But one afternoon, hungry and tired after practice, he stood in front of the kitchen pantry staring at the shelves of candy, chips, and sugary cereals, and decided it was time for his family to get as serious about their nutrition as they were about fitness and exercise. He and his mom put their heads together to create a snack that they could all enjoy as part of a truly healthy lifestyle. After doing some research on how the body metabolizes sugars, proteins, fats, and fiber, they created their first “Berg Bites” in two different flavors: Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate and Almond Butter and Jelly.
Skeptical friends used to the Berg household’s abundant sugary treats were initially unsure what to make of a snack that was free of gluten, soy, dairy, and GMOs. But after a taste, they soon came on board as Berg Bites’ first big fans. Before long, Daniel was playing around with packaging designs, going to classes, and rolling Berg Bites all day and night to sell in college at George Washington University, where he built up a huge following and won an entrepreneurship award that allowed him to build his fledgling business. Then came the hard work of scaling up.
As one of the first businesses to enter the Union Kitchen space, Daniel says, “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of what came next without Union Kitchen. It’s a great community where we help each other out.” Although the thrill of seeing their products on the shelves at the grocery store often drives makers like Daniel to build quickly, he says he had been warned against turning production over to large-scale co-packers, who often cut corners on quality. He encourages would-be food entrepreneurs out there to grow slowly and steadily, building a dedicated customer base who will find their own way of enjoying your product.
Some customers share that they love the Banana Bread Bites with morning coffee, some treat the Banana Chocolate Mighty Bite like a healthy dessert, and others rely on the Sunflower Butter Bites for a slow carb release during workouts. He also learned that as much as he loves to play with ingredients—he was an early adopter of organic pea protein to replace soy—not bowing to pressure to keep generating new products means his company’s healthy products have guaranteed him healthy finances, too. “Don’t worry about your competitors,” he says, “focus on what you want to make.” The best news for those looking to emulate the success of Berg Bites? Daniel still makes time for fitness, is proud of the company he’s built and of his employees, and he never takes the chance to live his dream for granted. And yes, he still loves sharing his Berg Bites with his family and friends.
