The Story of Fire Ox

Jason and I love food. We love discovering new cuisines and recipes in our own kitchens, at restaurants, and during our travels.

We founded fire ox foods to create delicious, nourishing vegetable-based foods that are inspired by cuisines from around the world.

We decided to make our food available in a convenient format - a frozen meal that’s ready in 3-4 minutes in the microwave. Our intention is to get more people to eat more vegetables. How do we do that? We make our food easy to prepare, tasty, and accessible in stores (coming to stores in NYC and Connecticut in a few months).

Where does our name come from? Fire ox is inspired by a book my great great uncle C. Suydam Cutting wrote called, The Fire Ox and Other Years. The book is about his expeditions in the early 1900s to many countries around the world. He went on numerous quests to remote areas of South Asia, East Asia, Ethiopia, and the Galapagos. His explorations were driven by a curiosity to learn about people’s ways of life, and an admiration for the beauty of the earth and its unique plants and animals.

Curiosity and appreciation for the natural world has continued down the Cutting family tree to both me and my late mother. I took many trips with my mom & family - to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, to tour the incredible Galapagos Islands, and to bike, hike, and raft across Costa Rica. I appease my appetite for discovery by trying new foods from around the world and by taking in the beauty of the earth with all my senses - not only during my travels, but just outside my window and at the park down the street. I believe it is in these moments of appreciation that we can connect more fully with ourselves and with each other - bringing more joy and ease into our lives.

Our brand and our food is a nod to you, Suydam Cutting, and your inquisitive, persevering spirit. Jason and I love discovering uniquely delicious foods and we love sharing that good food with the world. We honor the cuisines our meals are inspired by and the soil, plants, and many hearts and hands that created our food.

Daily News Abyssinian Expedition to discover mammals and bird species. Year 1926. C. Suydam Cutting far left.(Photo courtesy of The Field Museum's Library Photo Archives)