What led you and Lindsay to start your mushroom chocolate brand, Alice?
The desire to make a functional mushroom product that is delicious, effective, and enjoyable to take. It started in my business partner, Lindsay Goodstein’s, kitchen. She was leaving a career in pharmaceuticals and looking for holistic ways to address her own struggles with sleep and focus. Mushrooms became the answer, but there was nothing on the market that was fun to consume (read: tasted good), ready-to-eat, and fast acting. So she started formulating in her kitchen with a homeopathic doctor and eventually brought on a team of biochemists, doctors, and professional formulations. The two of us met around this time (over the phone! She’s in LA, I’m in NYC), immediately hit it off, and worked on the brand for another year until we came to market in October 2022.
Which chocolate is your favorite: Brainstorm or Nightcap?
Oohhhhh don’t make me pick a favorite child!!! I am a nighttime chocolate fiend so getting to swap my regular dark chocolate for a square that makes me sleep like a baby is a real treat. But Brainstorm packs a huge punch and is my secret weapon for workdays, social events, and exercising. I am copping out on this answer because I need both to function like a human being.
What’s your favorite part about the New York creative community?
I just got back from a 6-week stint in LA and am seeing the sheer density of the New York creative scene with fresh eyes. It’s one thing to live in a sprawling metropolis with a lot of creative people, but to live on/around a 13x2 mile island (thank u, google) surrounded by millions of the most fascinating people in the world is almost unbelievable. It’s truly impossible to leave my apartment without seeing multiple works of art, interesting people, and something that inspires me. You can’t get that anywhere else.
What’s your favorite place in NYC?
VERA YOGA, hands down. I started practicing at this studio when I moved here 7 years ago and haven’t looked back. I did my Yoga Teacher Training there (highly recommend) and have gotten to see the studio expand from one location in TriBeCa to a second in Boerum Hill and a brand new one in Williamsburg. Check it out!!! It’s hot, the music is loud in the good way, and the people are lovely.
What’s inspiring you right now?
My cats… I missed them dearly while I was gone and have a renewed appreciation for how little they do. Naps, staring into the distance, purring, and eating — that’s…everything. I’m trying to take a few pages out of their book this summer.
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@alice.mushrooms
www.alicemushrooms.com