A New Vertical from Plant Based 🌞
I present to you: Into The Fridge
Hey, me here!
Popping in on a not-Friday with a fun announcement. The PBU (Plant Based Universe, duh) is expanding with the launch of my new series: Into The Fridge. If you instantly understood the reference, I’m digitally winking at you.
As a former journalism student and generally nosy person, I’ve pretty much always appreciated the art of the interview. Talk shows were routine in our household: Oprah has the after-school slot and CBS Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley was the closest thing our New York Jewish family had to church. I can vividly remember Barbara Walters grilling celebrities on public television and thinking, how the hell is she just asking them this?! I later learned that this is a career path called journalism, and I decided I needed to get involved.
Somewhere down the line, I stumbled upon the world of digital publications, and quickly became an avid reader, both of popular sites like Man Repeller (RIP), and more niche blogs like The Sweat Scene (if you know what this is, DM me). It wasn’t until Emily Weiss & co’s storied Into the Gloss, though, that I became full-blown obsessed. I would devour anything they published, but my favorite stories were always the profiles. It felt too good to be true that I was seeing inside of Alexa Chung’s bathroom shelves and learning about the healthified cookies Karlie Kloss eats backstage at fashion shows. The exclusive access to objectively cool people was so exciting to me, and I always wished I could be there to pick the interview subjects and ask them my burning questions. It’s called being the oldest child, apparently.
So this is my version. An homage to ITG, Into The Fridge is a new series of brief interviews with very cool people, where they’ll share self-care rituals and the underratedly intimate contents of their refrigerators. Put simply, I’m asking taste makers about their wellness habits, starting with just that — their taste. Snack sized.
Don’t worry, my reviews aren’t going anywhere (I know, you must have been panicked). This is just a fun, sporadic treat on top of my usual content that I’ll publish whenever I feel like it. My substack, my rules. Enjoy!
I couldn’t think of anyone better to feature on this inaugural edition than a mentor, a former employer, and someone I’m lucky enough to call a friend. Ladies! and! gentlemen!
Isa de Burgh
Isa is the Creative Director at Magic Mind and previously the founder of The Social Tale. She’s based in San Diego with her fiancé (!!!) and ultra-adorable pup, Leo.
What is your fridge philosophy?
Keep the apples separate.
What does grocery shopping look like in your household?
I used to be a loyal farmers market go-er, and then making a trip to the farmers market always resulted in a trip to Lazy Acres after. 2024 is my year of simplifying. Now I just I hit Sprouts every Sunday. You know, like a church routine.
Your fridge is always always always stocked with ____.
Greek yogurt, high dose fish oil, and apples.
Top 5 condiments, go.
Is grass fed butter a condiment? Grass fed butter, Primal Kitchen unsweetened ketchup and avocado oil mayo, sweet relish, Dijon mustard.
Fine, I’ll open it up to pantry too. Let’s hear your favorite snacks / pantry staples:
I am *never* out of stock of granola…. or walnuts and pecans (for toasting as a salad topper).
What F+B brand(s) are you loyal to?
Alter Eco: love their ethos, commitment to the planet & animal welfare, and their products are delicious.
Fage yogurt: I grew up eating it as a kid over summers in Greece. It came to the states way later, but it’s the real OG Greek yogurt.
Magic Mind: (my ride-or-die, daily mental enhancement).
Primal Kitchen: love that they made less-inflammatory alternatives to kitchen staples.
Give us a meal that’s on heavy rotation these days.
Ok, hear me out. It’s a recreation of my favorite salad from a local pizza spot. It’s called “The Best Salad” on the menu and it is quite literally, the best: chopped red onion, toasted walnuts, gorgonzola crumbles, sliced celery, roasted chicken breast, dried cranberries, sliced apples & mixed spring lettuce or whatever lettuce I have on hand. Homemade red wine vinaigrette. So. Good. Sometimes I’ll throw in whatever other fresh herbs I have from the garden (dill, mint, basil).
Let’s go a little deeper…
What’s the mantra you keep coming back to?
“Holding on to stress or anxiety is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; but you are the one who gets burned.”
What products / practices are part of your regular mental wellness habits?
Infrared light mask from Bon Charge (helps me wind down at the end of the day - I swear it makes me relax immediately like nothing else). Tech free walks.
And your physical?
Lifting weights. Nothing crazy heavy, but feeling strong is something that is make or break for my menty health. Plus my infrared face mask. That poor thing works overtime.
Oh and a 60 minute Swedish massage! I do this 2x per month if I can.
What do you think is the most underrated part of wellness?
Being mindfully tech free, grounding (or “earthing” as some like to call it), and practicing gratitude. Triple points for doing both at the same time, and quadruple points for doing it regularly!
And overrated…
Kale. Sea moss.
Picture this: you wake up one morning and feel like shit. What’s your next move:
Drink electrolytes. (I love LMNT. I don’t care if it’s too salty. Sue me). Go on a long walk outside if the weather permits or at the gym. If I’m really down, getting on the treadmill, walking at 3 pt speed, and putting on a Netflix show is so low effort and you always feel better after.
Give us your ride or die wellness products:
Retinol. Vitamin C serum. Heavy duty face lotion, and my infrared face mask. I truly need nothing else.
One thing you do everyday that makes you the most YOU version of yourself:
Practice gratitude. I’ll make mental notes of a few things I’m grateful for and I try to think of something new each time if I can.
Whose taste inspires you?!
Aimee France - I love her whimsical approach to food.
Vic Styles - Her video content is raw & I often catch myself looking to her for raw lifestyle photography inspiration, too.
Annabel Davidson - Playful and unique trinkets. I’ve been eyeing her taste as I’m currently revamping my accessory collection.
Big thank you to Isa for being #1! You can find her fridge favorites and more here.
Being the first of its kind, we’re still working out the kinks, so I’d truly love to know what you think. Don’t be shy — feel free to leave a comment or respond to this email with questions you want asked, people you want featured, or anything else that’s on your mind. I’ll see you with a review soon!
love this! I missed the look-into-my-fridge content I used to devour on cap beauty and pineapple collaborative's blogs. looking forward to more of these!
OMG obsessed!!! I loved ITG’s Top Shelf, but may just love this iteration more 😊