By Annette Pinder

I am always humbled by the stories we share about the people on our cover, and Sharon Cryan is no exception. The CEO and Founder of FoodNerd, Sharon is redefining what kids eat. A single mom to her nearly 3-year-old son Kaleb, Sharon is passionate about helping busy working moms provide their toddlers with whole foods as nature intended. After winning $1 million from 43 North, Sharon is making that vision a reality.

“My five siblings and I were raised by a single disabled mom in Buffalo’s Seneca-Babcock community. Mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 33, prior to my birth. We grew up on welfare and food stamps, eating mostly highly processed foods.”

Sharon was seven when she decided to become a lawyer after learning from her mom that lawyers help people. Her passion for learning and determination to fulfill that dream led her to run away from home at age 13 to live with her grandmother and aunt in East Aurora which offered better education opportunities. Not wanting to be a burden to them, she bussed tables, cleaned houses after school, bought a car when she was 16, and was the first in her family to graduate from high school.

During college, Sharon would pack healthy meals for school. Despite calling her a food nerd, her classmates started asking if she could prepare meals for them. Food preparation became a side business she sustained through college, law school, and even as an attorney.

Sharon’s life-changing experience occurred after studying Japanese and living with a host family in Japan. “People in Japan had a different relationship with food. They focused on health and longevity, rather than eating for taste and pleasure. They consumed smaller portions, ate more fresh foods and less processed foods, and had a deep appreciation for nature. We’d cut up one piece of fruit for dessert to share. Growing up as I did, I never took fresh food for granted, and neither did they.”

“During law school, I read about many lawsuits filed against food manufacturers for the harmful ingredients they were targeting to children. I learned about the food and regulatory system, realizing I had wrongly assumed that food sold in America must be safe. I trusted the FDA, but learned it was the job of manufacturers to ensure food safety. I also learned that 10,000 chemical food additives are in the U.S. supply chain, in contrast to 400 in Europe, and that 50% of the food we buy is wasted, while 47.4 million people lack access to healthy food. My determination grew to find a way to make food more accessible, nutritious, and shelf stable.”

While Sharon worked at law firms during the day, she continued to prep food at night for her side business, which became the first iteration of FoodNerd. “It was an aha moment. I was a food nerd, and proud of it!”

These days, Sharon is proud of her team. “We’re on a mission to redefine what kids eat today, tomorrow, and in the future, and especially during the first 1,000 days of their lives. Beneath the deliciousness of our tasty foods, we’re setting new standards for nutrient density. We believe parents should never have to compromise their children’s well-being due to busy schedules or a lack of great pre-packaged options. We’re creating nibbles that are positively brimming with the goodness of nature’s best ingredients.”

Sharon says, “Nutritious food helped me heal and love myself. My mom didn’t have the knowledge, income, or education to better manage our family’s food choices. I watched her constantly trip and fall due to her disease. She is in a wheelchair now, but I am thankful she is alive. She makes the best of her life, but I often wonder if better nutrition would have helped her. Now, at age 33, the age at which my mom was diagnosed, I want to do the best I can to stay healthy.”

FoodNerd is continuing to grow a shopping experience that includes in-store, mobile, and online access. Their healthy snacks are available online and at Lexington Co-op, at eight boutique retailers in New York and Illinois. FoodNerd’s new 30,000 square foot manufacturing facility, which will be fully operational next month, will bring more jobs to the community and the potential to produce over 300,000 packs a month. Meanwhile, FoodNerd’s A.G.E.s Foundation is studying the harmful effects of poor nutrition.

Learn more about FoodNerd at www.foodnerdinc.com, where you can also order their products.