Tell us about yourself and how you started your business. 

I'm a 33-year-old Midwest girl living in a California world! I was born and raised in Chicago, lived half my life there, and the other part in San Diego. I'm Persian and Turkish, and my love for food was instilled in me by my grandmother at an early age. 

My father influenced my drive for business and I had a beautiful childhood, but life took a turn when I started a new life as a single mother with my two-year-old. It was time to rebuild and rebirth the life I wanted. I decided to ditch everything that made me unhappy, including my 15-year career in marketing. I didn't know what I was going to do next, but the creation of food and its ability to bring people together always kept me going. I never intended to sell bone broth. I was sharing different recipes on Instagram and Facebook, and it just kind of happened. I think my passion and love for quality food and ingredients attracted people.

Image: Kimberly Motos.

What are you interested in cooking and or eating lately? 

Persian food, mostly hearty stews that I make with my bone broth.

What are your essential kitchen tips, shortcuts, and tools?

Automate your meals so it doesn't become a last minute stressor. I'm a huge fan of slow cookers and Instant Pots. These shortcuts make it so you don't have to sit and babysit your cooking. You can pop in nutritious ingredients in the morning and have a delicious meal prepared by dinner without the headache or multiple dishes. Instant Pot allows you to quickly throw something together without it taking forever to cook, even when you haven’t prepped. Let's be honest, we can't always be prepared, so it's nice to have options. 

Have you had a good drink recently?

Yes!! A pineapple mezcal margarita. Wow! 

Are you enjoying seasonal ingredients or dishes? 

Absolutely, I love seasonal salads. A fall salad with roasted vegetables like butternut squash, asparagus, etc. is one of my favorites.

What do you love about San Diego's food scene? 

The diversity and variety of different types of food! We have so many amazing options to choose from.

Image: Kimberly Motos.


Where do you like to shop for food and dine out? 

I love to shop for food at farmers’ markets. I like supporting local farmers and my job as a chef is to bring out the best of their ingredients in every dish. I think the quality and how something is grown is imperative to the ingredient. I like to dine at The Pony Room at Rancho Valencia; it's one of my favorite places.

Would you like to give a shout-out to a favorite local grower farm? What do you value about their growing practices and produce? 

I love De Le Ranch. They have quality meat and eggs, and they believe in humane, pasture-raised farming. It's all about the quality of life of the animal; I believe they should be grazing on green pastures, not locked up inside. The quality of your meat and eggs is contingent on the quality of life of the animal.

What steps do you take to support a sustainable food system and why are these values important to you? 

I try to contribute to a sustainable food system by supporting local farmers with ethical and humane farming practices. The quality of food is very important because it's what I put into my body. What I put into my body affects my mood, digestive system, and my overall makeup. 

How would you like to connect to the Edible San Diego food community and why?

The Edible San Diego food community is a quality community, one that believes in the importance of quality of health, food, drinks, and people. Ossum Bone Broth is one of the highest quality bone broths in San Diego, made with quality ingredients and fresh off the kettle. I believe people have been looking for this type of broth to cook with and sip on for a while, but it just doesn't exist in the San Diego market. I've had restaurant owners approach me to use my broth in their soups and I'd love for them to know it's readily available to them.


Online ordering for Ossum Bone Broth will be available soon. In the meantime, reach out to Neda if you are interested in local delivery.

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This article was originally published September159, 2021 exclusively on Edible San Diego Weekly. Want to join the club? Support the region's only dedicated, local, and independently-owned food media company by signing up for a digital membership or subscription today.

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Neda Faraji
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