Wicked Foods

Wicked Foods, operating under the brand Wicked Kitchen, is a chef-driven, plant-based food company founded in 2016 by brothers and chefs Derek and Chad Sarno, along with Chris Kerr. The founders brought extensive culinary and plant-based advocacy experience to the venture. Derek Sarno previously served as Senior Global Executive Chef for Whole Foods Market and Director of Plant-Based Innovation for UK retail giant Tesco. Chad Sarno's background includes roles as VP of Plant-Based Education at Rouxbe Online Culinary School and Global R&D and Wellness Coordinator at Whole Foods Market, in addition to launching several restaurants globally.

The company's business model centers on creating a wide variety of plant-based consumer packaged goods (CPG) that appeal to vegans, flexitarians, and meat-eaters alike. Wicked Kitchen initially launched in 2018 through a partnership with Tesco in the UK, rapidly expanding from 20 to over 150 products. This success led to a US launch in the summer of 2021, with products now available in major retailers like Kroger, Sprouts, Target, and Walmart. The company generates revenue through the sale of its products in retail stores and to the foodservice industry, including sports and entertainment venues. The business operates on a strategy of making plant-based options convenient and accessible by placing them alongside traditional meat and dairy products in stores.

Wicked Kitchen's product portfolio is extensive, spanning frozen ready meals, pizzas, breakfast items, sauces, desserts, and plant-based meats and seafood. A key differentiator is their use of mushrooms as a primary ingredient to replicate the texture and savory flavor of meat, a technique pioneered by the Sarno brothers. In a strategic move to dominate the plant-based seafood market, Wicked Kitchen acquired the plant-based seafood brand Good Catch in 2022 and Current Foods, a producer of plant-based sushi-grade tuna and salmon, in 2023. In June 2024, Wicked Kitchen itself was acquired by Ahimsa Companies, a holding company focused on consolidating the plant-based industry, with the Sarno brothers remaining as stakeholders.

Keywords: plant-based CPG, vegan food, chef-driven, retail food products, Tesco partnership, Derek Sarno, Chad Sarno, plant-based seafood, Good Catch acquisition, Current Foods acquisition, mushroom-based meat, ready meals, frozen plant-based meals, vegan desserts, plant-based innovation, food service, grocery products, sustainable food, flexitarian diet, Ahimsa Companies