About Zen of Slow Cooking

Zen of Slow Cooking was founded in 2012 by Meg Barnhart and Jane McKay who share a passion for bringing people together over the shared meal. With that intention in mind, they launched the Zen of Slow Cooking food blog. They share their passion for globally inspired cuisine and simple recipes for the slow cooker as a way to help the time-pressed cook bring a delicious, contemporary twist to scratch cooking.

Using their most popular recipes as a guide, they created a line of premium spice blends (low salt/gluten-free/preservative free) as a flavor foundation for a delicious slow cooked/home cooked meal. They debuted their first spice blends at their local farmers market in Lake Forest and sold out on their first day. They now partner with Fresh Midwest to offer a duo of meal kits, for even more convenience at home. They have brought their passion into the kitchen classroom and continue to teach people to cook.

In 2017, 6 of their spice blends became certified Non GMO. In the same year they won a coveted sofi award (from the Specialty Food Association) for their 9th spice blend - Sichuan Spice. Their blends are sold nationwide and in addition to becoming a Certified B Corp they also became a Certified Women Owned business in 2020.

What Sets Them Apart

Their mission “...we envision a world where meals bring people together, helping the aspiring home cook and creating an inclusive economy. We are a Certified B Corporation using business as a force for good in the world, and partner with a social enterprise to provide employment for adults with developmental disabilities, as well as a Certified Women Owned business.”

Chicago Food critic/writer Kevin Pang says "our blends make a restaurant quality meal in your own home."

Partnering with Fresh Midwest

“Fresh Midwest is a well established, family owned, local business with a reputation for high quality fresh goods. We were excited to be approached to become a meal kit partner in their portfolio as they venture into this new B2C channel.” - Zen of Slow Cooking