BeginningsMy earliest memories are not of me in the kitchen nor around a family dining table. This often surprises people since I run a culinary business and pretty much live for cooking and entertaining. Instead, my first memories are of running barefoot in my grandparents’ garden in Zimbabwe, climbing avocado and mango trees, and playing hide-and-seek with my sister, Talia. Through the thick woody bases of the banana trees, we would watch our mother and grandmother together in the garden, focused on their daily practice: planting and tending to seeds.
Growing up, I didn’t know seeds would become my destiny. I did what many good daughters do and followed the straight line from university to law school to corporate lawyer. I was lucky to live and work in some of the biggest cities around the world, from Sydney (where I was born) to New York (my current home), with several years in between spent in London, Hong Kong, and Tel Aviv. I was constantly moving, making friends, eating delicious food, discovering new ingredients, and embracing countless new food cultures.
All the while, my mother’s garden back in Australia grew, consistently and patiently, lusher and wilder. Each time I returned to her home, she would proudly take me through the different species of plants, trees, vines, native birds, beehives, arrays of fragrant flowers, fruits, and vegetables of all kinds. So many varieties, so much color—all of it originating from simple seeds.
When I eventually landed permanently (maybe) in the US in 2014, I knew it was time to plant some new seeds of my own, moving into an industry that felt more creatively fulfilling than corporate law. And so began my entrepreneurial journey of establishing a small food business in New York City’s legendary food hall, Chelsea Market, with two cofounders, Lisa Mendelson and Monica Molenaar. Specializing in tahini, a creamy condiment made of sesame seeds, and halva, its confectionary cousin, we were the country’s first shop dedicated to food made from sesame. We called it Seed + Mill, and it was a dream come true.
I’ve proudly watched Seed + Mill grow, with our products now sold in nearly two thousand retailers and restaurants across the country. A thriving business with products all born from one seed, that blossomed into so much more for me: a sense of purpose, a community, and a foretelling realized.
—Rachel
Copyright © 2025 by Rachel Simons. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
