Founded in 2014
Chef Leslie Woodward, CEO/Creator of Edenesque, has been passionate about clean eating, local and seasonal foods for over 20 years. Her belief is that most diseases are connected and caused by the foods we eat or do not eat. As a student of Holistic Nutrition, Leslie worked with individuals to support their healing using food and training those clients to use proper cooking techniques. Leslie wanted to understand nutritional diseases in communities of color and begin to unpack the common arguments that are claimed to be the causes for such high diagnosis of nutrient deficient diseases within said communities.
Then, while going to the grocery store, Leslie recognized that the products that filled our grocery shelves were filled with ‘stuff’ – fillers, additives, preservatives…stuff that is not nutritionally supportive for our bodies. Meanwhile, people are suffering and dying from nutrition related diseases and having to rely on prescription drugs for sustained wellness. One could argue, that due to the lack of clean and wholesome foods in many areas of our country, notwithstanding, food deserts, public health in our country is at crisis.
Leslie’s dream was a bit idealistic and altruistic but she wanted to figure out a way to holistically serve her community by using her culinary talent. Guided by these main principals – first, create clean food and produce food items that will strengthen and support our bodies. Next, create a company that will be supportive and provide opportunities to those that are institutionally underserved in our community. With these guiding principles, Edenesque was created.
Our Mission and Values
Mission + Philosophy
The compass that will be guiding Edenesque and its platform will be based on the following values and mission. Edenesque is a socially conscious artisanal food creator committed to the actualization of clean, whole, nutritious, and delicious foods.
Our Values
Transparency/Authenticity – To use only whole, clean and simple foods while being honest and transparent about our production processes, procurement strategies, and business initiatives.
Accessibility – To bringing clean, whole, and nutritious foods to consumers and undeserved communities.
Functional Deliciousness – To using only those ingredients that support the human body to be well, while being delicious.
Community – To being supportive to our local farmers and artisanal food producers. To have a positive impact on our community by uplifting and bringing people together. To employ, educate, and build within the community where we establish.
Our Guidelines
- Meet the needs of our customers by providing high quality, hyperlocal food items, and non-food items, along with enriching wellness services, while delivering these products and services for a fair value.
- Purchasing from like-minded vendors who are organically sustainable and those who made the commitment through their methods of production to the environment and community.
- Extending itself in making efforts to help make communities well.
- The promotion and education of complete wellness by providing services and products for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of its customers.
- Contributing to the promotion and education of social justice and issues that are embedded within food and food production.
- Being an active voice in the promotion and education of health and wellness.
The conscious vigor behind the business practice will be to become a destination that provides high quality functional food products and services that encircle and consider the complete person and the community. We aim to provide functional foods that are not only nutritious, but also delicious.
Edenesque purchasing practices will include the following:
- Purchasing food items within a 200 mile radius of the Hudson Valley.
- Purchasing products that are grown, raised or processed according to organic, humane and sustainable methods. This includes composting, crop rotation, soil building, humanely raised animals without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones, access to pasture or are cage free and fed items that do not include grain sourced from GMO seeds.
- Certified Organic or Certified Biodynamic.
- Certified Fair Trade Products.
Edenesque general theories will be:
- Non-irradiated products.
- Products that are minimally packaged or in recyclable or returnable containers.
- Products that do not use animals for testing.
- Products that do not contain GMOs.
- Whole or minimally processed foods.
- Products that do not contain artificial colorings or flavorings, high fructose corn syrup, synthetic sweeteners or chemicals, nitrates or nitrites, hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils sulfites, or trans fats.
- No pesticides, irradiation and 100% organic.
- No chlorine bleach, phosphates and environmentally safe nonfood household products