MVP Moms Archives

Amazing Women: For the Founder of Undercover Snacks, It’s a Family Affair

Chocolate is one of the most beloved foods in the world. But did you know that while unsweetened chocolate is naturally gluten-free, processed chocolate contains gluten? So, when two of Diana Levy’s daughters were diagnosed in 2016 with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder brought about by eating foods containing gluten, Mom set out on a mission to find a way that they could enjoy the tasty confection without suffering any consequences.

Fortunately for the Levy girls — Arielle, 25, and Jenna, 21 (Diana also has a third daughter, Jenna’s twin sister Elena, who does not have celiac) — their mother was as qualified as anyone to come up with a solution to their problem: Diana had a small side business making custom chocolates for events.

“As a self-appointed chocolate expert, I started to experiment with ways to make chocolate different, and gluten-free,” she says.

If at first you don’t succeed…

Diana quickly got busy in her kitchen, trying and testing various combinations of chocolate and myriad ingredients. After many attempts, she landed on one that not only was gluten-free but, as far as chocolate goes, made a healthier snack. Undercover was born.

Undercover Snacks founder standing at a table with bags of Undercover Snacks.

Diana spent about five months working on recipes. Every day when her kids went to school, she would write recipes. Then she started narrowing them down, trying to get within certain calorie and nutritional parameters.

“I literally purchased every ingredient under the sun, and I was getting close to giving up — and then suddenly I hit upon these chocolate quinoa crisps and was pretty sure I had found a winner. Once I had the basic idea, I was able to figure out flavors and ultimately packaging and branding.”

So, how did she come up with the name for her newfound snack company?

“We chose Undercover because the snack has ‘healthy ingredients in disguise,’ and we got that motto trademarked,” Diana recalls. Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and provides protein and fiber, as well as iron.

At that point, Diana began pitching the crisps to snack buyers, and getting the product on store shelves, a process that took a little less than two years. The new snack was easy to make, and was gaining traction with buyers — so much so that her husband, Mike, decided to quit his job in finance to help with the business.

“When I started the business, I made sure to have it Women Owned Small Business certified. The program is all about helping working women, promoting women, and assisting them in achieving their goals.”
Diana Levy

It soon became clear that Diana had the “it” factor when she went out to sell the product to retailers.

“Believe it or not, I only recall one time that I was rejected early on. Every place I walked into pretty much put them on the shelves,” she says proudly. “I had a whole big story I was prepared to tell — and then each time the manager just opened up a bag, tried one, and agreed to take them.”

Undercover snacks are sold throughout the country, in such markets as Whole Foods, Kroger, Costco, and Wegman’s, and also found in Harry & David gift baskets.

Selling them was the easy part. Getting them to these outlets was another story. “I realized pretty early on that our biggest challenge was actually going to be making them on a big scale.”

If you build it…

At first, Diana and her small team of Mike and a few friends made the crisps themselves in her kitchen. Then, in 2017, they found a manufacturing site close to where she lives in southern New Jersey, and by the following year, they had their own production facility.

“That all might sound easy, right? But it was anything but,” Diana says with a laugh. “There were many days that my husband and I worked around the clock, and were literally covered with chocolate from head to toe. Just as I was experimenting in my kitchen, we had to experiment with the best way to correctly and safely make the product, and you couldn’t do that without becoming chocolate covered yourself.”

undercover snacks founder family photo. — All in the family: Diana, along with her husband and daughters.

Getting the site up and running was hard. “Neither one of us ever ran a manufacturing facility, so learning all the intricacies was the biggest challenge, and the most important one,” Diana says.

For Diana, it was also important that her company be recognized as woman owned. “When I started the business, I made sure to have it Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certified. The program is all about helping working women, promoting women, and assisting them in achieving their goals.”

All in the family

The business employs around 50 people, including three young women important to Diana. “My oldest daughter joined the business, and my two younger daughters in college are brand ambassadors, so, along with my husband, we truly are a family company.”

Diana suggests that for a woman to be successful with starting a business, she must be persistent and take chances. “There’s an enormous amount of risk taking involved,” she points out. “And there’s so many unexpected issues that pop up that require you to be nimble and adjust quickly. Just running the business in general is a massive amount of work, and you have to be prepared for that.”

Satisfying work and hunger pangs

But it’s all been worth it, Diana maintains. In addition to being featured in Harry & David gift baskets, Undercover is starting to be sold globally. “We’re in Israel, Japan, and focusing a lot on Canada, so we’re just going country by country,” Diana says. “We’re also on United Airlines in snack boxes, and soon will be handed out on flights, so all this growth means you’re just constantly busy.”

Undercover also recently announced its quinoa crisps will be sold in Publix supermarkets.

However, Diana said she’s not too busy to take a snack break. “After all these years, I still love the product. There are bags of them all over the office, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I still love to indulge in the snack.”

Gifts featuring Amazing Women

Undercover snacks in a box of other goodies. — Celebrating Women Gift Box

Undercover Snacks tapas board spread with cheese, meat and other snacks. — Mediterranean Tapas Board

Undercover Snacks with a box full of tea, honey, cookies and other tea essentials. — Time for Tea Gift Box

How Tori Foles’s Health Struggles Helped Shape Her as a Mom

Our series “MVP Moms” explores the critical role moms play at the heart of families. The story of how Tori Foles overcame a series of health issues to be the mother of two children is one of tragedy and restoration.

MVP Moms: Why Tori Foles Is the Real Star of Her Family

Former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles has scaled the highest peaks in the National Football League. But he’d also be the first to tell you his tough-as-nails wife, Tori, is the real MVP — Most Valuable Parent — of the Foles household.” to “Former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles has scaled the highest peaks in the National Football League. But he’d also be the first to tell you his tough-as-nails wife, Tori, is the real MVP — Most Valuable Parent — of the Foles family household.

“She’s never wavered, never complained,” he says. “Knowing Tori before she was a mother and seeing her motherly instincts kick in has been so special. She’s just so strong.

“But I’ll say, it’s been a journey.”

Blossoming love

Pals at the University of Arizona, the Foles blossomed into a couple after graduation, reconnecting as Nick was embarking on his career as a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

The budding star was in LA for a trading card event and called Tori to “catch up.” That’s when, he says, “God revealed our attraction for each other in a unique way that we weren’t expecting.”

Though he was in Philly and she was living in Portland, they cemented their romance with some long-distance dating and stolen weekends together.

“The foundation of who we have been and where we began was our friendship,” Nick says.

That bond proved crucial when they were forced to tackle challenges that would have sacked other couples.

First sign of trouble

While at a concert in Portland, Oregon, in 2013, Tori suddenly was overcome with feelings of weakness and nausea. “I just felt terrible…like I was going to pass out,” she says.

When the illness persisted the following day, she went to a doctor, who wrote it off as a “virus.”

The feeling just wouldn’t go away, though, so she visited a California neurologist, who diagnosed her with POTS [Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome], a little-known, debilitating neurological disease.

“I couldn’t spend more than a few minutes on my feet,” she says. “I didn’t know how I was going to do it.”

But she did know she could count on Nick to be there to help — and make things better.

Taking the next step

He flew Tori and her entire family to Arizona, where she would get treatment at the Mayo Clinic, and he would propose to her at his uncle’s home in Scottsdale in February 2014.

“Everyone came out, yelling, and jumping up and down,” he recalls. “I put the ring on, and we kissed and hugged and probably cried. It took our mind off what was going on.”

Two years later, the Foles were ready to be parents, but Tori was concerned about how her POTS would affect her ability to become a mom.

When her doctor encouraged her, they moved ahead — but Tori struggled with her pregnancy.

“I was extremely sick for the first 20 weeks,” she admits. Despite the early troubles, she gave birth to a healthy baby daughter, Lily, on June 16, 2017.

Their winning streak continued when Nick led Philly to an improbable Super Bowl win in 2017. After the season, he signed a big contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tori got pregnant again.

Near-death experience

But misfortune sacked their happiness once more. Fifteen weeks into her pregnancy, Tori came down with a sore throat, followed by a fever. Having gone to the ER but sent home to rest, she awoke later that night to her water breaking and rushed back to the hospital.

“It was the same pain as delivering at 40 weeks. It was full-on labor,” Tori says. “I had streptococcus pneumonia in my bloodstream. I was on my way to becoming septic.”

Knowing Tori before she was a mother and seeing her motherly instincts kick in has been so special. She’s just so strong.

Nick Foles

NFL quarterback

Tragically, the unexpected illness caused a miscarriage, and they lost the baby. But the early labor saved Tori’s life. “I wouldn’t have gone back to the hospital again if it weren’t for miscarrying,” Tori admits. “That baby was like an angel that saved me.”

“Life has gone on, but that child will always be part of our journey,” Nick adds.

Triumph over tragedy

Happily, the Foles went on to have another child, Duke, in June 2020. Tori says his arrival brought “restoration,” for sure.

“We know how much he’s meant to be here,” Tori says. “To have everything that happened, happen, he wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

For his part, Nick is inspired by Tori’s triumphs over tragedy and her ability to use that experience to excel as a mother.

“Breastfeeding, changing diapers — she’s exhausted all the time, and with POTS it’s tenfold,” he says. “She never complains. She just cares so much for these little beings.”

Tori recognizes their path has not been an easy one, but it has led to her being the mom she is today.

“If you start comparing your journey to others, then you can easily start to feel like you’re not good enough, or your kids don’t have a great mom. But I think it’s important to know that God has you on a path that’s special to me and my kids and their lives,” she says.

“We realize it’s hard along the way, and we’ve had tough moments and we’ll break down, but we ultimately know we’ll just put one foot in front of the other.

“We just figure it out as we go, which has been a theme for us.”

For Rachel Ashwell, Mother’s Day Is About Nurturing, Being Indulged

The series “MVP Moms” explore the critical role moms play at the heart of families — and how they run the world. In this article, Rachel Ashwell dives into her experiences as a mother and how she hopes to celebrate Mother’s Day this year with advice on relationships and décor.

a photo of Rachel Ashwell with her kids — Rachel Ashwell with her daughter, Lily, and her son, Jake.

When Rachel Ashwell opened her Shabby Chic® store on Montana Avenue in Los Angeles 33 years ago, her daughter was 2, and her son was just a few weeks old. She didn’t know at the time what a mega-empire she would go on to build, or how the very idea of Shabby Chic® — an aesthetic she created that involves soft, floral upholstery fabrics, weather-worn furniture, and vintage pieces — would become not only a part of the design lexicon but of our culture.

She also wasn’t thinking about how being a divorced working mom would affect her ability to raise her children. She just wanted to open a little shop that would allow her to arrange her own schedule so she could be with her kids.

Her children are adults now — she also has a stepdaughter with whom she’s close — and her business is mature, with her original store moving up the California coast to Summerland, near Montecito. Mother’s Day can be an unexpected holiday for Ashwell since she and her kids are often scattered around the globe. “Someone’s always 6,000 miles away,” she says.

Her own mother, when she was alive, lived in England while Ashwell was in California. Today, she still gets to celebrate twice because Mother’s Day falls on a different day in the UK than in the U.S. Her son recently called to wish her a happy Mother’s Day, taking her by surprise. It was, unbeknownst to Ashwell, Mother’s Day across the pond.

We spoke with Ashwell about how she balanced raising a family while running a business, what advice she would give herself as a young mom, and how she celebrates Mother’s Day now. She also tossed in some advice for all moms on this special day.

How was it being a single working mom while building an empire?

Of course, there are things I know now I wish I knew then. But, at that time, I had my formula of how to balance everything. I wanted to be as present as possible, with my work and with my “mommy hat” on. It was very important for me to drop my kids at school and pick them up; between those hours, I compartmentalized how to get things done for work. I don’t recall being overwhelmed or stressed out — I just recall being very organized.

Do you have any advice you would give yourself as a young mom?

My children grew up seeing me work really hard. Maybe I wish I had more “fun” time. I was like, “I’ll do that then,” and a lifetime has gone by. It’s a double-edged sword because the bulk of what I do is my creative escape, and it’s lovely. But I would say — speaking to myself — do make sure to find time to do nothing. Doing nothing has its own value.

Do you have advice for other moms or for anyone balancing a creative business with life?

Check back in with yourself, especially when you have the good fortune of a lot of success. Is your life in alignment with your dream? Not the outside dream of what looks good on paper but the inside dream. Don’t put a square peg in a round hole.

For me, I had the opportunity to open 50 stores with investors, and I went along with that, enthusiastically. But, in actuality, I’m a flea market girl. It’s better for me to have Shabby Chic® in unique places on great funky streets, in Malibu, in Soho, in artisan places. So, make sure to choose your paths and opportunities in alignment with who you are.

What was the best part about your relationship with your mom?

Her gentleness and being non-judgmental about anyone or anything, even when I was 15 and I said I was leaving school. I always felt safe to share things with her. She was also ahead of her time. She exposed me to color therapy, reiki, and meditation, all in the ’80s. My parents were flea market people; I would learn at flea markets with them. That was lovely. There’s just something very simple about my mom I really treasure.

How can all we find meaning in Mother’s Day, whether we have a mother or children, or not?

It’s important not to stay in the literal classification of what a mother is. Take care of all mamas, and there are a million different ways to do that. Unless you are a complete hermit, chances are there’s an older female person you look to for their motherly qualities — see them or reach out to them. Maybe there are other children you’ve taken on a motherly role for; just kind of acknowledge it. Put a little spotlight on those relationships. I don’t underestimate the value of being a mother to pets either!

The more time we can just learn who our mothers were and are is of fantastic value. Anyone who’s got a mother out there, find a way to really find out who this wonderful person is who brought you into this world.

Rachel Ashwell

How do you celebrate Mother’s Day now?

It’s been years since my kids and I have lived in the same place, so I tend to value every second I have with them. My daughter is very good at self-care, she’ll say, “Let’s have a mani-pedi or massage that’s all about you.” And then, of course, she comes along for the ride. We tend to go for very nurturing activities I always really enjoy.

With my son, we communicate differently. He knows I love nothing more than just sitting and talking. That’s a gift unto itself. Plus, he always sends me an orchid. He knows I’m so picky about flowers, he can’t go really wrong with an orchid.

What do you do special for a Mother’s Day tablescape?

I pull out some of my little trinkets, delicate details of things I have in my world — that’s how I enhance my table. Beautiful flowers are always my anchors, and then beautiful china and beautiful napkins. If a mom is there, so is a wrapped gift. I have lots of leftover beautiful wrapping paper. I keep paper from gifts I receive and reuse it, or I use pieces of vintage wallpaper; there are lots of wonderful sources of vintage paper online. I also have a big box of fabulous vintage ribbons and another box of vintage velvet and silk flowers. It’s not like I buy horrible gifts for people, but often my gift wrapping supersedes the gift.

What gift ideas do you have for Mother’s Day? I’m sure flowers is on your list.

The whole world of flowers is a metaphor for all kinds of relationships. It reminds us whatever the season is there’s a rhythm to relationships. Flowers are beautiful, of course, but sending them on an occasion just feels like the right thing to do. Also, a lovely gift is a plant to plant in a garden, something to be nurtured and grow.

Mothers often put themselves last on their list of who to take care of, so a nurturing, self-indulgent gift, like a luxurious soap, a beautiful candle, or a really yummy throw, is a good idea. Mother’s Day is more about indulgence, not practicality. It’s nice to indulge your mother, and it’s really lovely to be indulged.

What advice would you give to someone who has a mom on Mother’s Day?

It’s a tremendously valuable relationship. The more time we can just learn who our mothers were and are is of fantastic value. Anyone who’s got a mother out there, find a way to really find out who this wonderful person is who brought you into this world.

Ali Krieger, Antonia Lofaso, and Their Moms Continue a Powerful Legacy of Love

Our series “MVP Moms” explores the critical role moms play at the heart of families. These uplifting stories for Mother’s Day show that Love Makes a Family and why there are #NoLimitsOnLove.

There are many ways to celebrate mothers, but perhaps the best one is to acknowledge and appreciate all they’ve done for us. We invited two famous moms to bring their own moms for a Mother’s Day chat and discovered that love has no limits across the generations.

Ali Krieger, Antonia Lofaso, and Moms on How Love Makes a Family

Ali Krieger is a veteran member of the U.S. women’s national soccer team and plays professional soccer for the Orlando Pride. Ali and her wife, Ashlyn Harris, adopted their baby daughter Sloane earlier this year. Ali’s mom, Debbie, joined her for our conversation.

Chef Antonia Lofaso is widely recognized for her recurring roles on Food Network’s Guys Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions, Supermarket Stakeout and, most recently, the docuseries Restaurant Hustle, as well as Bravo’s Top Chef and CNBC’s Restaurant Startup. She owns the restaurants Black Market Liquor Bar, Scopa Italian Roots, and DAMA in Los Angeles. Antonia invited her mom, Josette, along.

Host Christina Garibaldi from US Weekly jumped right in: “What’s the first word that comes to your mind when you think of your mom?”

“Strength,” said Ali, without hesitation. “I really cherish every moment of my childhood with her. She was always there to support me, she never really missed a beat. And through those big moments in my life, she’s always been there.”

Antonia needed two words to capture the essence of her mom: “Dream promoter,” she said. “She always instilled in me that dreaming wildly big, that anything was possible.” Antonia said Josette always taught her to reach for her dreams.

How Mom supported me

Christina took that idea of dreaming big and asked both women if they thought their moms’ support helped them achieve their dream careers.

“Absolutely, 100%,” Ali answered. “Since day one, she’s given me the tools to figure it out myself. She never taught or told me what to do. She just made sure I had those tools to navigate what I want to do with my life, where I wanted to go, and how hard work and determination can lead you to success.”

Antonia agreed with Ali: “There’s parents that are just like, ‘This is the road that you’re going to follow, and if you do all these things, you’ll succeed,’ instead of just letting kids be who they are, fall on their face, but just know when you fall down, this is what you do.”

Balancing with baby

Ali was happy to talk about her baby, Sloane. “I am so overjoyed and filled with love,” she said. “It’s honestly one of the toughest jobs I’ve ever had — I know I can thrive under pressure, but this is something completely different. We’re kind of living in a state of exhaustion!”

Baby Sloane has added a new dimension to Ali’s life. “Football obviously means a lot to me, but then leaving the training field and coming home, having something that’s more purposeful in my life is so exciting,” she said.

Antonia agreed wholeheartedly. “We have these incredible careers that fulfill one part of us, and to some people, it looks like it’s this huge part,” she said. “You’ve got this great amount of success personally and maybe financially, when you go home and you can share that with a family, with children it’s just next-level.”

The struggles and strength of the older moms came through as they talked. Ali mentioned that her father wasn’t always around, and Christina asked Debbie how she held it together for Ali and her brother.

“Once in a while I, you know, break down, but you’ve got to just put that aside, because the bigger picture is you have two kids staring you in the face,” Debbie said. “You take it day by day, and you put the kids first. And that’s what I tried to do. You just keep going, and it gets easier. And finally you figure it out.”

Always a warm welcome

Both Antonia and Ali shared stories that their mothers created a loving, welcoming home.

“I really started cooking because of my mom,” said Antonia. “It was almost just mandatory. I mean, it wasn’t like you have a choice, but I loved it. I truly enjoyed it.” Her friends always felt welcome and, of course, were happy to sample the food always bubbling on the stove.

When she was 11 or 12, Antonia’s parents owned a deli, and her mom taught her how to wait tables. She says Josette was “incredible” at communicating with people. Antonia and her brother, who owns a boxing gym, appreciated learning that skill. “We’re hospitality people,” she said. “And that really came from my mom showing us how to be hospitality people.”

Balancing work life and family life

Everyone agreed that balancing career and family life was one of the hardest parts of motherhood.

“I think having a job and doing what I love to do also makes me a great mom, because I’m able to be better every day for [Sloane],” Ali said. “So that’s something that’s very difficult for me — because I want to do all the things all day, every day. But I know that me playing soccer is going to inspire her to want to do what she loves to do too. So I need to kind of have a better balance. I think that’s the toughest thing.”

Antonia agreed. “I think whether you’re working or not, mom guilt is just something that happens,” she said. Her daughter Xea, who is 21, tells her “I’m so happy I have you to look up to,” which makes everything worth it. “She is so adamant about that, which makes me then go back to all of those moments where I was completely and totally distraught,” Antonia says. “I missed school events, parent-teacher conferences, plays…” Now Xea says her mom inspired her by showing that she loved to work while also caring for herself and her daughter.

Josette added that mom guilt was real for her, too. “Did you do enough? Or are you enough?” were always on her mind, she said. She was happy — and relieved — that her kids have told her “You did a great job, stop beating yourself up.” And she’s impressed with how Antonia tackles motherhood and her career. “She’s an amazing mom,” Josette said. “I’m in awe of what she’s doing, because she’s juggling everything, and I never had all that to juggle.”

Host Christina asked Debbie about seeing Ali first hold her new baby. “Oh, it was heartwarming,” she said. “Everything came full circle at that point. And you realize your kids really don’t need you. And she’s moving on and she’s going to be a great mom. She’s such a warm and loving person anyway, it’s just automatic.”

Maneet Chauhan’s Recipe for Balancing It All

From supermoms to driven entrepreneurs, our series “Women Who Wow” tells the stories of inspirational women from all walks of life. Whether sharing life hacks for moms on the go or giving advice on how to run a business, each story explores the incredible experience of a #OneOfAKindWoman.

On the path to becoming a celebrity chef on the Food Network, Maneet Chauhan opened her own restaurants, wrote the cookbook Flavors of My World, and got married. She also became a mother.

“To me it was a natural evolution — I’ll have my career, I’ll do what I’m doing and meet the right person and then have children,” she says. After a long-distance relationship, Maneet tied the knot with international restaurateur Vivek Deora. The two life partners soon became business partners and welcomed daughter Shagun (which means “blessing”), now 9-years-old.

When the family came to Nashville to open Chauhan Ale & Masala House during the city’s burgeoning food scene in 2014, they intended to head back to New York, but fate had other plans. Son Karma, now 6-years-old, was born three months premature the day the restaurant opened. “We were starting a new business with a baby in the neonatal ICU,” Maneet says. “It’s a very emotional time for a parent. “The way the entire city rallied around us was heartwarming, so I think that’s the time we were like, ‘OK, we have arrived home.'”

The Nashville residents have since started three additional eateries in the city — Chaatable, The Mockingbird, and Tànsuǒ. That’s in addition to appearing on Iron Chef and The Next Iron Chef, and eventually becoming a full-time judge on the network’s hugely popular competition series Chopped.

Here the award-winning super chef discusses how she juggles her career with being a mom.

How have you balanced your career with being a mother? 

The way I balance my career and motherhood is by making sure that I’m present in the moment. When I’m with my family, I give 100% to that moment.

When I’m working at home, I’m always multi-tasking. I’ll have the TV going and be on the phone and looking at something on the iPad. But when it’s time with the kids, all my attention is on them.

What advice would you give to other moms who are trying to balance all aspects of life?

Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s OK to have a messy house and not take perfect pictures of everything. It’s OK if by the time your kids are ready to go out, they’re already messy. The biggest thing is just to give yourself a break and not worry about being perfect.

Do you cook with your children?

All the time! The kitchen is the heart of our house for all four of us. We love cooking and baking, and since the pandemic, we’ve been doing so much baking.

For work, I make lots of videos, and my daughter, who is nine but acts like she’s 16, has become the official taster and camera person.

How else do you support your kids’ happiness? 

One of biggest things I do with my kids is to try to listen to what they’re saying, and to be interested in what they are interested in.

With my daughter, we found cooking together. Of course, she finds cooking interesting when it’s translated to the camera. She likes it when we can make videos and demonstrations.

My son has made me a complete Marvel fan. Now we do Q&As all about the Marvel universe, and I know which planet Thor and Loki and Star-Lord’s dad are from. It’s a way to spend time together and pay attention to the things they like.

The kitchen is the heart of our house for all four of us.

Maneet Chauhan

Mom & Celebrity Chef

How has your relationship as a mom changed over time? 

For me, the most fun part of parenthood is getting to see their personalities develop.

When they’re very little, they’re in that “yes, mommy,” “no, mommy” stage and then as they get older, they enter that “why” stage, where they question everything with a genuine curiosity.

Of course, when they get older, they learn exactly how to get under your nerves, they know how to test you. And then they learn to stand on their own, and it’s just so fun to see who they become and how their personalities develop.

What’s next for you?

Last year has been weird for all of us! I feel so fortunate, however, to be back on set and doing what I love.

As far as our businesses, we’re working hard to resolidify our foundation and to continue to take care of our dedicated employees.

Vivek and I used the last year as a lesson for our kids. To show them that adversity will come your way, but it’s how you stand up to it that makes you the person that you are. It’s all a learning experience!

Antonia Lofaso Is a Mother First, a Chef Second

Our series “MVP Moms” explores the critical role moms play at the heart of families. These uplifting stories show that Love Makes a Family and why there are #NoLimitsOnLove.

Antonia Lofaso is a Mother First, Chef Second

For the past 20 years, chef and TV personality Antonia Lofaso has been making her mark on the American culinary industry.

Antonia has competed alongside top chefs and been the victor in head-to-head kitchen duels. She helped shape L.A.’s diverse dining scene as partner–owner–executive chef of a local restaurant empire, and on top of that, she authored a cookbook. You may have seen Antonia as host and judge on numerous cooking and food competition shows, too, and she even made a guest appearance on ABC’s The Bachelorette.

Yet for all her culinary accomplishments, Antonia is most proud of one far more personal: being mother, mentor, and best friend to her 21-year-old daughter, Xea Myers.

Xea was born in Los Angeles in March 2000, just a few years after Antonia had completed her studies at the famed French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Institute) in New York City.

The family was one of love, laughter, music, and, of course, food until a tragic day in November 2011 when Xea’s father collapsed outside his Beverly Hills home and died a few hours later in the hospital.

Just days shy of her 35th birthday and on the cusp of a burgeoning culinary career, Antonia suddenly found herself as a solo parent to an 11-year-old daughter. This experience forever changed their lives.

A Road Built of Sacrifice, Not “Unicorns and Rainbows”

Antonia spent her childhood in the suburbs of Long Island in a Sicilian-Italian-Jewish-American family. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a mom. “It was never a decision. It was always, ‘I’m going to be a mother,’” she states matter-of-factly.

After Xea was born, Antonia continued to work full-time. In mid-2007, when Xea was 7, Antonia was tapped to open Foxtail in West Hollywood as its executive chef. Just as this impressive career milestone was happening, the chef found herself 2,000 miles away from her young daughter to compete on Bravo’s Top Chef: Chicago.

Four years later, when tragedy struck, Antonia found herself thrust into the role of single parent, having to figure out how to be both mother and father while not losing sight of her professional goals.

“Trying to build a career while trying to raise a very young child is not always easy. It comes with balance,” Antonia says. “There wasn’t a lot of time I was able to spend with Xea as a very young girl. There were swim meets that I missed. There were teacher conferences that I missed. There were dinners over and over that I missed. And it weighed [on me].

“That road wasn’t always filled with unicorns and rainbows,” she adds. “That road was filled with a lot of anger, resentment, irritation on both our parts.”

Today, at 21, Xea is grateful for all the sacrifices her mom has made. “I know my mom had me at such a young age,” she says. “And I see this beautiful life that we live together now, all the things I’m able to have because of the hard work that she’s put into it.

“I am extremely proud of who my mom has become over the years,” Xea says, beaming. “I am beyond impressed.”

Food, Fun, and Fitness are a Family Affair

Stumble onto the Instagram accounts of chef Antonia or Xea, and you’ll be greeted with envy-inducing images of food, fun, and fitness.

You might think a culinary powerhouse like Antonia would lack the time and desire to cook when she’s home. Maybe she’d just want to relax in between filming, traveling, overseeing four L.A.-area restaurants, and creating her chef-inspired apparel brand Chefletics. But no. Making memories with her daughter comes first.

“Xea and I actually cook together all the time,” Antonia says. “Teaching her how to cook anything … those are moments that she will have forever. And honestly,” she adds, “these are the memories that I grew up with: my grandmother, my mother, my father, my uncles who own pizzerias. I remember those moments of making dough or making pasta or roasting potatoes. Creating those moments through food is a real thing.”

“We love to cook together,” Xea adds. “But also, we take our health and wellness really seriously.” In fact, Xea and her mom make time to work out every day together: “It’s so much fun,” she says. “We call it a summer camp.”

When the CrossFit sessions end, mother and daughter keep the competition going with games — specifically, cards. “Cards is a very big tradition…we take it very seriously,” Xea warns with a smile.

Flipping the Script on Mother’s Day Memories

In reflecting on past Mother’s Days, Antonia and Xea agree that the celebrity chef has spent most — if not all — of those holidays working to bring joy to other people’s celebrations. But that hasn’t stopped them from finding time to honor their unique relationship in their own way, on their own time.

One tradition they’ve established takes a Freaky Friday approach to celebrating Mother’s Day and Xea’s birthday. “We have this thing where my birthday is her day, because I wouldn’t have a birthday without my mom,” Xea explains. “But if she was going to take that credit, then Mother’s Day is mine, because she wouldn’t be a mom without me.”

A Very Dynamic Duo

The deep love and mutual admiration of this mother–daughter duo are palpable. They share the same bright, welcoming smile and finish each other’s sentences as if they also share one mind. And since it’s just the two of them against the world, they each take immense pride in being the other’s mirror and motivator in life.

“My entire motivation all the time was about creating this life for us,” Antonia says. “Xea is the reason my career is the way it is.”

And what a career it’s been, from making corn dogs at Hot Dog on a Stick at the Sherman Oaks Galleria to working under the tutelage of Spago Beverly Hills’ Executive Chef Lee Hefter to teaching actress and singer Selena Gomez how to properly prep an octopus over video chat. There seems to be nothing that Antonia Lofaso can’t do with daughter Xea by her side.

“My mom is, hands down, the strongest and most hardworking person that I have ever come across,” Xea says. “You just have to know us to understand the energy that we have and the relationship that we share. It’s very special, for sure.”

Shannon Allen on Motherhood and Marriage to NBA Legend Ray Allen

Our series “MVP Moms” explores the critical role moms play at the heart of families. These uplifting stories for Mother’s Day show that Love Makes a Family and why there are #NoLimitsOnLove.

NBA Legend Ray Allen: Why My Wife Shannon is an MVP Mom

Career-focused, Shannon Allen admits she wasn’t keen on having children 25 years ago when she met her future Hall of Fame basketball player husband, Ray Allen. But Ray swears she always had great maternal instincts.

The singer, actress, and entrepreneur and the two-time NBA champion have raised five kids together — two with serious health challenges — and the three-point sharpshooter marvels at her abilities to handle her wide range of responsibilities.

“At no point does Shannon ever say, ‘What about me?’ Ray says. “She’s totally selfless. She’s poured everything into me, and now I’m amazed at the love and caring she pours into our kids.”

Meeting a future NBA superstar

Ray, 45, and Shannon, 46, have been a team since meeting in 1996 at a New York restaurant on the night before the University of Connecticut All-American was to be drafted into the NBA and the night before Shannon’s singing group (shades, Motown Records) released their first single in stores. “I called my dad that night, and I told him ‘I met the sweetest guy tonight. His name is Ray. I think Allen is his last name?’” she remembers.

“My dad is a huge UConn fan, and he said, ‘Ray? Jesus Christ! His picture has been on our refrigerator for the last four years!’” Shannon, who was a member of the R&B group shades, continued to pursue her dreams and helped Ray navigate the difficult early days of his NBA career when he was blindsided after being immediately traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night.

“I expected it to be a certain way, and it wasn’t,” Ray says. “I was unhappy and thrown off.” He remembers calling Shannon a lot to complain, and all it took was a special shot of Shannon’s tough love to get his head back into the game.

“I said, ‘I’m a singer and a songwriter,’ Shannon says. “’I get to do what I love every day, but, I’ll probably never make a dime doing it. When you go to Milwaukee, are they going to pay you to play basketball? Or are you going to have to be the janitor?’ And he was like, ‘No, I get to play basketball.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, then you need to buck up buttercup, because there’s only 400 guys in the world that get to do this at the highest level, and you’re one of them.’”

Changing views on motherhood

A graphic reminding visitors to shop for moms for Mother's Day.

Shannon’s take-charge qualities have left Ray freely admitting she is the captain of their family’s team. She quickly changed her stance on motherhood after she met and fell in love with Ray’s now 28-year-old daughter Tierra from a previous relationship.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this little girl’s amazing,’” she recalls of her first brush with motherhood, admitting spending time with the then toddler opened her eyes to new possibilities with Ray.

“I thought, I’m going to have to break my number one rule and give this man babies and I’m so glad I did because Tierra and the boys are the absolute best part of my life.” she says. The couple had four sons in eight years.

A life-threatening medical scare

But even the happy parade of children brought its own series of life-changing challenges. Their son Walker was just 17 months old in 2008 when he was diagnosed with a life-threatening auto-immune condition, Type 1 Diabetes, at the precise moment his dad’s Boston Celtics were battling Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA Finals. After demanding that Walker receive a blood test to rule out anything “scary,” the attending physician at the hospital relayed the life-changing news that Walker had Type 1 diabetes, was entering diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious complication) and if he didn’t get insulin soon, they were going to lose him.

“I have never been more in love and in awe of Ray than when Walker was diagnosed,” Shannon says. “He was in the middle of the Finals — a moment that he had trained for since he was 12-years-old.”

“The whole world was watching, and when I called him from the hospital to tell him about Walker’s diagnosis, it was like the game became irrelevant, his sole focus was Walker. He said to me, ‘Thank God.’ And I’m like, ‘What? Thank GOD?’ And he just calmly answered: ‘Thank God. If he gets the insulin, he’ll be okay? We can bring him home. Thank God.’”

Ray offered to rush to his son’s bedside at the hospital, but Shannon told him to “go play.” He was at the hospital 18 minutes after the final buzzer of that night’s game.

If we’ve learned anything from this time, it’s that what really matters is your health, your family, love, and taking care of each other.

Shannon Allen

“I don’t know how he did it, he was ripping his uniform off as he ran off the court; he somehow got through LA traffic in an instant,” she says. “In that moment, he really became my hero.”

Luckily, Walker got his life-saving insulin, and just two days later was well enough to celebrate the NBA Championship with his father.

Still, Walker continues a lifelong battle with Type 1 diabetes, and their daughter Tierra has had two dangerous heart surgeries — putting them each at the top of the most at-risk list during the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

“We know we have one job: that’s keeping our kids safe, healthy and mitigating their risk for exposure – especially Walker and Tierra,” Shannon said of the threat to their compromised children. But even with that fear engulfing them, Shannon has found a silver lining in that dark cloud.

“If we’ve learned anything from this time, it’s that what really matters is your health, your family, love, and taking care of each other,” she says. “That is what I pour into Ray. That is what I pour into Tierra and the boys. For me, that is what no limits on love means.”

Ray Allen and Shannon Allen on Parenthood

The Women in Chef Joe Flamm’s Life Made Him the Man He Is Today

Our series “MVP Moms” explores the critical role moms play at the heart of families. These uplifting stories for Mother’s Day show that Love Makes a Family and why there are #NoLimitsOnLove.

For Chicago chef Joe Flamm, a mother’s love is the most unconditional love he’s ever experienced. The former Top Chef winner attributes his love for cooking to his grandmother Mary and his mom, Janice. “My mom was a police lieutenant on the South Side for 28 years, and she worked second shift. So, a lot of times I would get home from school, we would cook together, and then I would finish it off later when she was at work, before my dad got home.”

When he was growing up, Joe’s mother wasn’t doling out “cutesy advice” like most moms, he says. “My mother’s advice is all extraordinarily graphic. She’s not saying, ‘Make sure you wear a coat.’ Instead, she would say things like, ‘Don’t wear that hat out of the house or someone’s going to shoot you in the head!’ If you met her, it makes sense.”

Joe admits to having a very similar personality to his mother, and he credits her with his passion for the restaurant industry. “I think we both just enjoy thriving in chaos!”

The 32-year-old feels lucky to live close to his mom. “I’m fortunate that I have a great relationship with my mom. We’re still able to cook together sometimes,” he says.

While Joe’s hardworking mom handled the day-to-day family meals, it was his grandmother Mary, who was one of nine children, who oversaw traditional holiday cooking, from making ravioli to preparing calamari on Christmas Eve. “My first cooking memory with my grandma was her spreading newspapers all over the table in the mudroom, and we’d open up the squid, scrape it out, and clean it out. I’d get to use a knife, and that was a big deal. The smell of the squid and the newspaper is very nostalgic for me,” Joe recalls.

“I think what I’ve learned from my grandma and my mom in the kitchen is more about just cooking to make people happy, welcomed, and warm. A pot roast cooked in red sauce with rigatoni is simple, but you knew that meant someone cared about you and took the time to do this,” he says.

A Love That Keeps Growing

The warm love of Joe’s childhood is carried on in the family he has made with his wife of five years, Hilary Delich, and their 2-year-old son, Luka. “Love is a huge part of our family, and, especially raising a child — and soon two children — and teaching them compassion, love, and empathy is really the base for everything [in life].”

Hilary, who is expecting their second child in July, is an incredible person, Joe says. “She’s super smart, really driven, and keeps everything on track. She’s unflappable.” And watching his beautiful wife become a mother “was watching someone grow into the person they were always supposed to become,” he adds. “She’s very, very natural with it. It never feels like she has to figure it out.”

For Mother’s Day this year, Joe is going to cook dinner for his wife and hopefully get their son to be his sous chef. As far as cooking with a toddler goes, Joe says, “Luka’s not the worst helper I’ve had in the kitchen, but he’s not the best… Seasoning sometimes can be a little aggressive.”

According to Joe, cooking is a great way to show the special women in your life how much you appreciate them. “[A meal] is something that you’re creating for them. You thought about them when you bought the ingredients, when you put it together, while you made it, while you plated it, and every part and aspect of it. Let them sit back and relax and be able to see and taste how much you care about them,” he says.

What’s In a Name?

It’s fitting that Joe’s debut restaurant, Rose Mary, in Chicago, draws inspiration from the loving women in his life, from its name to its Croatian–Italian cuisine. “Rose Mary is very much about where my life has come, growing up cooking Italian food with my grandmother, and my wife whose family is Croatian and has that heritage. It’s a culmination of those things,” Joe explains.

Hilary had proposed naming the restaurant “Rosemary” — one word, after the herb, which means “dew of the sea” and grows all along the Adriatic coast from Italy to Croatia. However, Joe says, “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we split it into two names?’” after his paternal Irish grandma Rose and maternal Italian grandma Mary. “Naming it after the two matriarchs in my family just made a lot of sense to me. And I thought it was a great homage to them.”

And while grandma Rose isn’t alive to see her name on her grandson’s restaurant, Joe’s confident that his grandma Mary, who is in her 90s, is sure to raise a glass. “She and her best friend Kay live across the street from each other, and they’ve come to every single restaurant I’ve ever worked at. Kay gets her gin and tonic, and my grandma drinks Rob Roys. It’s super fun,” Joe says. “She’s always been very proud, she loves it, and she’ll be in there.”

This Mother’s Day, and every day, Joe Flamm says he loves to celebrate the women in his life: “They’re the reason I’m everything I am.”

Celebrate the unique love that makes a family ad

Proud Mom: How Ali Krieger Celebrates Love Across Generations

Our series “MVP Moms” explores the critical role moms play at the heart of families. These uplifting stories show that Love Makes a Family and why there are #NoLimitsOnLove.

Ali Krieger and Her Mom Celebrate Motherhood Across the Generations

Ali Krieger is one of the greatest players in the history of American soccer. She is an All-Star for the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League, was a rare American standout for one of the top teams in Germany’s elite Frauen-Bundesliga, and has been a marquee player for the U.S. Women’s National Team, starring in championship performances in the World Cup and the Olympics.

A graphic inviting viewers to shop for Mother's Day gifts.

But she readily admits she owes it all to her MVP mom, Debbie Alongi.

“I was always used to having a mom around, and she supported me in everything I did,” the 36-year-old superstar says. “She drove me to all my games, no matter how far away they were all up and down the East Coast.

“There was never really a moment where I felt she wasn’t there, available to help my brother and me, to support us, to push us, and that’s why I am where I am!”

Pulling double duty

Due to divorce, health and physical education teacher Debbie served double duty raising Ali and her brother, Kyle, in Dumfries, Virginia, where it became apparent at an early age that her daughter had a leg up on all the other soccer players in the area.

There was never really a moment where I felt she wasn’t there, available to help my brother and me, to support us, to push us, and that’s why I am where I am!

Ali Krieger

“I don’t know if I took on the role of both mom and dad, I just took on a role of a better mom maybe,” Debbie says with her signature humility.

She says her dedication to helping her kids achieve success was handed down to her by her own hardworking and attentive parents.

Photo of soccer star Ali Krieger as a child — Ali Krieger as a child in Dumfries, Virginia

“I was always used to having a mom around, and she supported me in everything I did,” Debbie says. “That was all I knew. What my parents did for me.”

By high school, Debbie and Ali knew they were on a special ride. Ali was a two-time All-Virginia and when she became a senior, was named Gatorade’s Virginia Player of the Year.

“I had recognized, ‘OK, maybe I am good at this,’” Ali recalls. “Going to college was the next step.”

And that’s when mom stepped in again.

“She took me whether it was five and a half hours or six hours to three and a half hours, to visit everywhere we could,” Ali remembers. “[She] put me in a situation where I could be successful and continue down that path.”

For Debbie, the long drives and visits were never a job, but a pleasure.

“The process was fun,” she says. “We would go and visit the colleges, and you could just sit back and watch it all happen and unfold.”

Ali landed at Penn State, where she became a two-time All American. Debbie never missed a game. “It was only four hours away, so I would drive there,” Debbie says. “When I moved to Florida, I told my headmistress at my school, ‘I can’t miss my daughter’s senior year.’”

As you probably could guess by now — she didn’t — arranging with the school to have each Friday and Monday off so she could attend all of Ali’s weekend games.

“I did that for 22 weekends. I had to.” Debbie beams. “That was the best!”

For her part, Ali never missed her mother’s presence.

“It was so important for me to see that too!” she remembers. “She was such a great example to me. She’s the first one in the stands ready to go with all the other moms. It was really motivating for me and created a positive example of what a mother [should be].”

Support beyond sports

Soccer star Ali Krieger poses with her mother, Debbie Alongi

Debbie was also there for Ali when she was living thousands of miles away in Germany, discovering who she really was.

Ali had fallen in love with American national teammate, Ashlyn Harris — the woman who would become her wife in 2019. Ali’s older brother Kyle came out to their mom before her, but she was still curious with how Debbie would handle the news.

“She was supportive through my brother’s coming out story,” Ali says. “I remember calling her and I said, ‘Well, I really like this girl … how do you feel about it? What do you think?’”

She needn’t have worried because mom was rooting for her … once again. “I just wanted my kids to be happy,” Debbie says. “You just need to be with somebody who loves you and treats you with respect. They know that’s how I feel.”

Ali is a mother herself now. She and Ashlyn adopted a daughter of their own, Sloane, on Valentine’s Day 2021 — and like Ali, baby Sloane will always have plenty of love and support.

“Life’s full of lessons and Ali knows there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her and Ash and Kyle and that’s just it,” Debbie says. “There’s no limit.”

If at first you don’t succeed…

If you build it…

All in the family

Satisfying work and hunger pangs

Gifts featuring Amazing Women

Blossoming love

First sign of trouble

Taking the next step

Near-death experience

Triumph over tragedy

How Mom supported me

Balancing with baby

Always a warm welcome

Balancing work life and family life

How have you balanced your career with being a mother?

What advice would you give to other moms who are trying to balance all aspects of life?

Do you cook with your children?

How else do you support your kids’ happiness?

How has your relationship as a mom changed over time?

What’s next for you?

A Road Built of Sacrifice, Not “Unicorns and Rainbows”

Food, Fun, and Fitness are a Family Affair

Flipping the Script on Mother’s Day Memories

A Very Dynamic Duo

Meeting a future NBA superstar

Changing views on motherhood

A life-threatening medical scare

A Love That Keeps Growing

What’s In a Name?

Pulling double duty

Support beyond sports

How have you balanced your career with being a mother? 

How else do you support your kids’ happiness? 

How has your relationship as a mom changed over time? 